U.S. service is too big of a commitment.
國防役 was abolished.
由於原國防役制度為國防部以行政命令方式實施，且國防役役男身份均為軍官、士官，卻只要接受非常短期的軍訓，即成為後備軍人；被立法院批評缺乏法源。經修法替代役實施條例後，停止國防役制度，改為研發替代役，由內政部役政署辦理。
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Not only that but US military does go into combat (even if the chances of seeing fighting is small).
In Taiwan the most combat you will ever see is participate in Hanguan target practice.
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I’m willing to be in a combat unit in Taiwan if it’s only four months.
I haven’t kept track as to how long a regular military service is, according to this:
https://www.nca.gov.tw/chaspx/Faq_Detail.aspx?web=84&id=259
It’s 4 months if you are born after Mingguo 83. When I did it, I was supposed to do a year and 10 month (started out at 3 years), and it was just reduced to a year and a half before I finished, so I ended up doing a year and a half. At 4 months I really do not know what they’ll have you do, but seeing that any real military training takes way longer than 4 months, you may end up scrubbing toilets for those time. My experience is generally shared by most Taiwanese of my generation who spent 2 or more years in the military, we were treated like regular soldiers in all ways except pay (my pay was 6000nt a month as a private second class, you get automatically promoted to PFC at 6 months in and your pay increases very slightly). If you want to really participate in Hanguan (and there are months of training leading up to it), consider enlisting. You get 28,000nt a month as an enlisted private, going up to about 30,000 a month when you automatically become a PFC 6 months in.
Once you finish your military service, legally you are inactive reservist. Your military file goes to the reserve command and you may be recalled at some point for 2 weeks at a time until your draft eligibility ends (you turn 37 basically). You won’t get the haircut when you get recalled… My unit trained them and we see a lot of hippies holding T65K2 rifle in all the wrong ways.
Finishing military service for me felt like being released from prison. It WILL feel like prison, it IS prison until you are granted leave. Try to walk out and they hit you with AWOL. You don’t want that. Felt good being able to basically toss the uniforms all over the barracks when I get my discharge papers (I couldn’t keep them anyways).
Oh and if you are born before mingguo 83 (I think it’s 1991) you have to do a year…
Wow, I’d be expected to do 1 year. I’m older than my cousin we did one year.
As hellish as it is, it seems like you (and everybody else who’s served) talk about it in depth. It creates a shared experience for all Taiwanese men, creates a cohesive society.
I probably won’t do the year thing in the military. Will consider doing the 研發役 for three years.
So it looks like working for ITRI or III falls under recognized kinds of 研發役. My reading of Chinese is kinda slow. I will look into the processes for applying.
Well, military tends to be a binding experience. Most wars America has fought that involved conscription had this effect. Some argue the lack of a conscription in the US is breaking society apart.
If you’re doing that research thing, you will not even touch a firearm. The whole idea behind those alternative service is have the person do community service rather than military.
My ringing in my ears is about the same frequency as my water leak detection monitors. One night I woke up suddenly to hear this sudden sharp ringing and I thought there was a water leak. I forgot where the monitors were so I was crawling around my attic and crawlspace forever before I put my fingers in my ears and found the noise didn’t go away.
The ringing is always there was certain back ground noise can camouflage it. I can go to the VA for it but the treatment is not very useful. I talked about severing a nerve to just make me completely deaf but then I couldn’t hear my lovely wife yelling at me.
I’m past military age, but if I could choose a unit, I’d wanna be a drone-flier. All from the comfort of a base in the U.S. that is where to be or as a robotic soldier/tank controller
Have recent developments in neuroscience shed any light?