"Working Sleepless Nights but Earning Peanuts"…The Reality of Professional Soldiers

"Respect for Boyfriend Enduring with a Sense of Duty"

A prospective bride who is planning to marry a professional soldier voiced concerns about the high workload and relatively low pay in the military.

Recently, a post by a woman named A, who is soon to marry an Army sergeant, was uploaded on the military-related community Facebook page "Delivering News from the Army Training Center" (Yukdaejeon).

A bride-to-be who is planning to marry a professional soldier expressed concerns about the high workload and relatively low pay in the military. [Image source=Pixabay]

A said, "My boyfriend is serving in a unit located in Gyeonggi-do," adding, "I had no prejudice against the military, and since my grandfather was an Army officer, I always thought soldiers were admirable. However, the life of a soldier’s family, which I only saw from afar, is really not easy."

A pointed out the hardships of being a professional soldier as ▲frequent training and duty shifts compared to low monthly pay ▲work calls ringing even during dates or sleep ▲overtime work ▲social treatment that seems to disregard officers ▲excessive workload relative to the small number of personnel.

She emphasized, "What I want to say is that there is absolutely no choice in these matters."

Cadet candidates at the Non-Commissioned Officer Academy. Photo is not related to any specific expression in the article.

She lamented, "(My boyfriend) stays late at work simply because a superior is unhappy with the warehouse organization and makes him tidy it up after hours," adding, "After training ends, on the first workday back, they make him work more without rest or maintenance time, or conduct training until 10 p.m. without paying overtime."

She also shared, "What was heartbreaking was that after a week of training, while sleeping, he kept mumbling in his sleep for 30 minutes, saying things like 'Turn off the headlights, the battalion commander is there, so be careful' as light came through the window crack."

A said, "Who could approach such work with a sense of mission? I couldn’t," but added, "Although I feel sorry for my boyfriend, I even respect him when I see him working with a sense of duty."

The post received over 100 comments and sparked a heated response. Netizens and soldiers who read the post expressed empathy with remarks such as, "The military culture that demands only passion and dedication must change," "Social life is tough, but military life is no less so. Moreover, soldiers are paid less," "At first, I worked with pride, but now I only think about discharge," and "It’s a place that’s hard to endure without strong resolve."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.