As any male Swiss citizen, I’m required to complete military service, starting with eighteen weeks of basic training, known as “recruit school” (Rekrutenschule, or RS). Those eighteen weeks split into general basic training and training specific to the function you’re assigned.
I was assigned to become a radar soldier. A radar soldier’s job is to monitor the airspace for potential threats and, if necessary, give the order for the cannons to take that threat down.
It’s fair to say this is a substantial departure from my usual IT desk job. Six weeks in, I wanted to write down what this experience has actually been like, and how I’ve adjusted to it.
The Daily Grind
0545: get up, get dressed, shave, brush your teeth. 0610: thirty-five kilograms of gear on your back, on your way to breakfast: a slice of bread with butter, eaten while hoping your bed passes inspection at 0625. It’s a far cry from my old morning routine: waking up at 0745, a relaxed coffee, catching up on the news, a proper shower.
Your life flips upside down overnight. You’re suddenly sleeping in a room with people you’ve never met, every move you make is watched, and getting something wrong means a lap, crawling, push-ups, whatever the instructor decides. That first week is intense. Everyone is just trying to stay awake, keep up, and get back to bed. I used to take fifteen minutes in the shower to unwind; now fifty of us share six showers in fifteen minutes.
Finding a Rhythm
By week two, it starts to click. Getting up isn’t as brutal, a perfectly made bed doesn’t feel so foreign, and your back adjusts to the weight of the gear. By week three, this has just become your life. Going home on weekends feels like freedom. Sleeping in now means 0800 instead of 1100, and being able to shower whenever you want feels like a privilege.
What It’s Taught Me
The military has been a “touch grass” moment in the most literal sense. I’ve come to appreciate being outside far more than I used to, along with having a strict daily structure and being pushed, physically and mentally, closer to my limits. I’ve gone from meetings to marches, from fighting bugs to fighting mock enemies. It’s taught me a lot, especially about what I’m capable of. That said, I’m very much looking forward to being back at my desk, and bringing the discipline I’ve picked up along with me.