The Soldier's Oath

The man of my life is currently serving for the Finnish Defence Forces. Today was a great day for him, because he took the Soldier's Oath, as did all the other remaining 1,000 rookie draftees of the Pori Brigade, for now they've successfully finished their 45 long days of Basic Army Period. You can find my Soldier in the middle of this image; he's the pale one with glasses. As he took the Oath, he was promoted to an Anti-Armor Jaeger, so he's not a rookie anymore.

I don't stand for compulsory military service, which in Finland concerns men only, but today's was a great event and to be honest, I am very proud of K for surviving the burdensome Basic Period. Army is a tough place for sure, but I know he'll get through it with style - now it will get easier, as they'll start concentrating on their own branch of service only.

After the draftees took the Oath, "Porilaisten marssi" ("The Pori Regiment March") was played and the Brigade did a march-past. It was somewhat a moving performance, I must say.