Fable Community Forums

Is this a trick question?

You are alive! I don't see how that can be a trick question. You trying to rustle my jimmies?

I don't know what that is. I ain't been here in MONTHS and I get threatened with jimmies? What's a jimmy?

That's what I'm saying. What's going on then that you can't grace us with your presence? Pic related:
http://cache.ohinternet.com/images/thumb/6/6b/That_really_rustled_my_jimmies.jpg/618px-That_really_rustled_my_jimmies.jpg

Okie dokie? Not much. Just been doing other things.

Sporting a military uniform and saving hot maidens from drowning. I could see that as a legit reason.

That would be a legit reason, but sadly, no. I'm still a civilian, though I occasionally put on a uniform and pretend with the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Have yet to get my Maiden-Rescuing Certification.

Well, nothing shameful in being a volunteer.
You eventually want to be military then?

Can never remember what I've told people and what I haven't. Yeah, Coast Guard. I doubt it's the same in Estonia, but the US Coast Guard is like... a maritime gendarmerie, only they're actually a military service all the time and they also do search and rescue and environmental protection and a bunch of other stuff.

You still doing art school?

Yeah I know that about the Coast Guard.

Still doing art school. Now finished 3rd year; military service from October, then will graduate in 2014. It's a mess, but, well, I can manage. At least I have more time to use school's workshops and such, something not readily available outside.

Not bad.

Does Estonia have mandatory military service, or is this something voluntary?

Mandatory. 8 or 11 months, not sure what I will get yet. According to my friend, I should get 11, since it's the SPK (Sõjaväepolitsei - Military Police) course, but my other friend who went at the same time had 8 months. He did get into infantry for some reason, which isn't common in the unit I'm going to. Will see.

The time you have to be there and sometimes the "unit"* (not sure how to call this) you are sent in usually depends on the time you have to go - in July, October or January.

I'm going to Vahipataljon, which is basically the one to train military police and keep guard of the president; as well as participate in military ceremonies.

*by unit I mean whether you'll be the infantry, pioneer (military engineer), truck driver, sniper, anti-tank squad etc.

So I'm guessing you don't want to be the 154th Estonian deployed to Afghanistan? How do you feel about the mandatory service?

I'm not sure how to term it either-- if I'm following, that'd be your rating if you were navy or Coast Guard. But that's just their technical term. I think the Army and all has their own word... it might also just be "branch." Army says that sometimes. Like their branch is armor, or infantry, or intelligence or whatever.

Nah, I won't be going to Afghanistan. I'm cool with the service. It's not that long, really, and I don't have a solid job anyway at the moment. Mostly people don't want to go there because they would make so much more money outside (obviously).

I guess branch sounds about right. I can't remember right now what branches do they have there exactly. There is the military police, then the junior officer course, then maybe sniper training.
These branch off to small specializations like field cooks, communications and so forth. So yeah, can't really tell exactly unless I've been there myself.

So is there a mandatory service in USA?

Nope. The draft ended sometime between Vietnam and 1990. It can be reactivated if we need it, but our military's all-volunteer. Even when we had the draft, it wasn't universal. Sort of a lottery.