PART II: My first encounter with the army, signing up, and preparing
Memoirs from boot camp
After an exhausting three weeks of examinations, university was finally over. Late June was graduation time where I received my degree and swore the Engineer’s Oath. I spent most of July celebrating and receiving congratulations. I also filled my time with sun bathing at the beach and long stays at my parents’ country home in my ancestral hometown in the south.
In mid-August I found myself at the Army Mobilization Directorate in Fayadiyeh standing in line waiting to hand in my papers and sign up. There were three queues: one for postponement, the other for exemption (only male children with no male siblings qualify for exemption plus those who are deemed medically unfit), and the last queue for signing up.
The center was not too crowded and it did not take me much to reach the head of the queue. The clerk at the desk took my military booklet which all Lebanese males between the ages of 18 and 29 hold, my ID, a certified copy of my degree, and some passport photos. He then coldly told me to go and come back in exactly three hours.
It was then when I felt the “araf” began! What was I supposed to do in Fayadiyeh for 3 hours? I can’t go home and come back. With the midday traffic, the roundtrip alone would take that much time!
I found a nearby coffee house and as I entered I came across a few of my friends from university who were also going through the same ordeal. We entertained ourselves and quickly the three hours were over.
Back at the center, I waited until they called out my name. When my turn came, the clerk returned all of my documents to me. My military booklet contained a memo informing me of my early morning appointment with the army general physician the next day.
The following morning, I woke up early, showered up quickly, and arrived at the military center in Warwar at exactly 7:25 in the morning. They gave me a number and some forms in which I should fill my medical history in detail. Then I had my weight and height taken.
One moment I was sitting in the waiting room minding my own business, the other I was standing in a room stripped down to my underpants with some stranger posing as a doctor examining every part of my body!
The general physician would inspect stitches, surgery areas, and other abnormalities, particularly at the joints, that may hinder the performance of a person during training. He would then refer the patient to a specialized physician should there be a reason.
If the specialized physician finds a man not perfectly fit but able to perform his duties, he is given a “logistical” classification. Men with this classification perform the same duties as the other cadets but at a less intense level.
If the physician decides a man is unfit and unable to perform his duties, he is exempted from the army altogether. “Unfit and unable” includes obesity. One man I know who weighed 155kg was told that according to his height, if he managed to increase his weight to 170kg he would be considered obese and thus be exempted. He actually managed to reach 170kg in one month and was exempted from his military service. Sadly however, now after around a year he is still unable to reduce his weight back to its original level.
After I finished my medical tests and got the approval, I was instructed to go to Fayadiyeh to finalize the procedure.
In spite of the traffic jams, I managed to arrive at the Mobilization Directorate at midday. As I did the day before, I waited in line and handed the clerk the same documents I gave him last time. This time, my military booklet boasted an “APPROVED” stamp on it. Again the clerk coldly told me to wait but this time the wait was indefinite.
I do not know if that is true, but I was later told by one of my friends that the reason for the delays is that the supervising officer runs a “busy” schedule drinking coffee and socializing that he only signs documents twice per day and at pre-specified times.
Well, I only waited for one hour. The clerk gave back my military booklet which had inscribed in it the details of my service and when and where it would start. Depending on his mood, the clerk may give the men a list of what to bring. I was among the unfortunate ones and had to photocopy the list from someone.
The list contained all the items that we should bring from the number of underwear and socks all the way to the shaving kit and camouflage makeup. There are several shops in Beirut and Baabda that specialize in army equipment and are frequently visited by prospective cadets. The army Co-Op in Badaro also has a special section that provides simple and useful items such as a sewing kit as well as weird stuff that will not be used such as a full body bullet proof vest or flak jacket.
I only had three weeks left before the start of the military tour and I made it a point of going out clubbing and the like every night. Basically, I was making use of the last few days of freedom I had left. Soon, I will start a new chapter in my life where there will no longer be any fun. At least that was my understanding. I thought that that point will be the official end of university life, the official end of boyhood.
After an exhausting three weeks of examinations, university was finally over. Late June was graduation time where I received my degree and swore the Engineer’s Oath. I spent most of July celebrating and receiving congratulations. I also filled my time with sun bathing at the beach and long stays at my parents’ country home in my ancestral hometown in the south.
In mid-August I found myself at the Army Mobilization Directorate in Fayadiyeh standing in line waiting to hand in my papers and sign up. There were three queues: one for postponement, the other for exemption (only male children with no male siblings qualify for exemption plus those who are deemed medically unfit), and the last queue for signing up.
The center was not too crowded and it did not take me much to reach the head of the queue. The clerk at the desk took my military booklet which all Lebanese males between the ages of 18 and 29 hold, my ID, a certified copy of my degree, and some passport photos. He then coldly told me to go and come back in exactly three hours.
It was then when I felt the “araf” began! What was I supposed to do in Fayadiyeh for 3 hours? I can’t go home and come back. With the midday traffic, the roundtrip alone would take that much time!
I found a nearby coffee house and as I entered I came across a few of my friends from university who were also going through the same ordeal. We entertained ourselves and quickly the three hours were over.
Back at the center, I waited until they called out my name. When my turn came, the clerk returned all of my documents to me. My military booklet contained a memo informing me of my early morning appointment with the army general physician the next day.
The following morning, I woke up early, showered up quickly, and arrived at the military center in Warwar at exactly 7:25 in the morning. They gave me a number and some forms in which I should fill my medical history in detail. Then I had my weight and height taken.
One moment I was sitting in the waiting room minding my own business, the other I was standing in a room stripped down to my underpants with some stranger posing as a doctor examining every part of my body!
The general physician would inspect stitches, surgery areas, and other abnormalities, particularly at the joints, that may hinder the performance of a person during training. He would then refer the patient to a specialized physician should there be a reason.
If the specialized physician finds a man not perfectly fit but able to perform his duties, he is given a “logistical” classification. Men with this classification perform the same duties as the other cadets but at a less intense level.
If the physician decides a man is unfit and unable to perform his duties, he is exempted from the army altogether. “Unfit and unable” includes obesity. One man I know who weighed 155kg was told that according to his height, if he managed to increase his weight to 170kg he would be considered obese and thus be exempted. He actually managed to reach 170kg in one month and was exempted from his military service. Sadly however, now after around a year he is still unable to reduce his weight back to its original level.
After I finished my medical tests and got the approval, I was instructed to go to Fayadiyeh to finalize the procedure.
In spite of the traffic jams, I managed to arrive at the Mobilization Directorate at midday. As I did the day before, I waited in line and handed the clerk the same documents I gave him last time. This time, my military booklet boasted an “APPROVED” stamp on it. Again the clerk coldly told me to wait but this time the wait was indefinite.
I do not know if that is true, but I was later told by one of my friends that the reason for the delays is that the supervising officer runs a “busy” schedule drinking coffee and socializing that he only signs documents twice per day and at pre-specified times.
Well, I only waited for one hour. The clerk gave back my military booklet which had inscribed in it the details of my service and when and where it would start. Depending on his mood, the clerk may give the men a list of what to bring. I was among the unfortunate ones and had to photocopy the list from someone.
The list contained all the items that we should bring from the number of underwear and socks all the way to the shaving kit and camouflage makeup. There are several shops in Beirut and Baabda that specialize in army equipment and are frequently visited by prospective cadets. The army Co-Op in Badaro also has a special section that provides simple and useful items such as a sewing kit as well as weird stuff that will not be used such as a full body bullet proof vest or flak jacket.
I only had three weeks left before the start of the military tour and I made it a point of going out clubbing and the like every night. Basically, I was making use of the last few days of freedom I had left. Soon, I will start a new chapter in my life where there will no longer be any fun. At least that was my understanding. I thought that that point will be the official end of university life, the official end of boyhood.
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