First Name Last Name
Professor Molly Tenebaum
English 101
7 July 2014
Unavoidable Military Duty
Most men in South Korea go to the military service for protecting the nation from hostile
countries. Some people think that it is time consuming; however, I think spending time in the
military helps young men to consider other people’s opinions and to make plans for the future.. I
also went to the military for protecting the country and obtained a lot of information, knowledge,
and wisdom. When I was in the military service, the place was located in Bundang city near the
capital city, which is Seoul. Even though I worked in the city and contacted with the city easily,
it gave me different feelings between the society and the military because it was located at the
top of the mountain, and the military was separated from the outside. I always smelt fresh air and
could hear the sounds of wild animals because I worked at the top of mountain; in addition, the
sight of the whole city was visible. The sight was wonderful and every time I looked around, my
spirit felt purified. I have never experienced these senses before I went to the military, and only
people who experienced the military can explain these differences between the society and the
military. It is a matter beyond the imagination of those who have not experienced it. On the first
day of going to the military, I met many people in there, but Youngho Shin, who was my
superior, was the most important person to me. Mr. Shin went to the military around six months
prior to me, while he was studying in the United States since the middle school. He can speak
both languages, Korean and English, fluently. Because he had studied in the United States
without his family and any supporters, he had to be responsible for doing everything that he did.
In addition, he met a lot of foreign friends who had different characteristics from different
countries; therefore, he learned how to communicate with others by his good people management
skills. Thus, I was inspired to go to the United States because of him. In addition, he even did his
best during training and working. Because of him, I began to have interests about studying in the
United States, and he provided a lot of information and knowledge that he knew.
During training period, Mr. Shin and I became partners to work; therefore, we talked
about many topics such as education, future, society, goal, and even a girlfriend. Since I went to
the military, I already trusted him and conformed to his ways because I thought he is better than
me in many ways. At that time, I did not care about others and was selfish, so I had difficulty
with getting along with people. I thought I did not have to consider others’ opinions because
people do not have authority to tell me whether I am right or not. I usually disputed with others
because I thought I was right. When Mr. Shin and I made a mistake in our work, other people
criticized us. I tried to deny that we made a mistake; however, Mr. Shin admitted our mistakes
and changed right away. And then, he told me that I need to respect other people’s opinions and
change myself; furthermore, it might be helpful for communication with others and choices
about the future. I realized that I was wrong and I was not always correct, and I should respect
other opinions and accept it, if they are correct. Because of him, I learned a lot of things, such as
how to manage relationships with people, how to make a plan for the future, and how to improve
myself. I have continued to keep in touch with Mr. Shin as a mentor, and I developed many
things from the military and changed my goal to study in the United States.
After realizing the ways of improving myself, I developed my personality and people
skills more and more. Although experience in military training seems to be about physical part
of training, it is really about psychological training. This is because you must always overcome
many struggles that make people change themselves. Through this specific experience, I
understood why people should think about other people and why it is one of the most important
periods in our life to make a plan for the future.