Conscription blues

BREEZY MONDAY

Published: 11 Feb 2013 at 00.00
Newspaper section: Life

No one has ever done more to romanticise national service than Elvis Presley in G.I. Blues and Tom Cruise in Top Gun. People of a certain mature generation will surely remember Elvis singing Wooden Heart, Pocketful Of Rainbows and Blue Suede Shoes. A khaki uniform never looked so good.

Although Cruise didn't have to sing, thankfully, his piercing eyes and arrogant smile were enough to cause a few hearts to flutter. I can imagine young men lining up to enrol in the Navy's fighter weapons school after watching this film, hoping to look as good in the aviator flight suits and Ray-Bans, and also hoping their instructor would look even remotely like Kelly McGillis.

Life isn't really like that.

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oldairman
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Discussion 1 : 11 Feb 2013 at 07.571
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Thailand does need an Army but it needs to be a professional army not a small amount of professional soldiers backed up by unwilling conscripts. It needs to be a career and one to be proud of. 50 well trained and professional soldiers with competent leadership are worth 1,000 unwilling conscripts.
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Conscription blues | Bangkok Post: opinion