Throughout my life, I have had the indescribable fortune of never experiencing a war myself. However, I remember the story of my mother – perhaps one of her earliest childhood memories – about how in their old five-story house at the end of World War II, her parents carried her to the deepest corner of the cellar during a bombing raid. I recall my wonderful grandmother, who lived through two world wars and had incredible food supplies at home to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. Her father, my great-grandfather, fought in World War I in Italy. And my grandfather, as a young man, was sent to a munitions factory in Germany during World War II as part of total deployment. He died as a result of his deployment, so I never got to know him. These events left deep scars in the family, and they were not talked about. I learned about them only by chance and in a very fragmented way.
My youth unfolded during the Cold War, and so in school, I had the limited experience of military training. In physical education, we didn’t throw a javelin or a shot put, but a rubber grenade. I was very good at grenade throwing. What we never learned was what to do before throwing a real grenade. I fondly remember my wonderful classmate Amela during these exercises, who managed to drop the grenade from her outstretched right hand every time. As I said, they were just rubber dummies, and nothing happened. Amela was assigned to medical duty, for her own safety. I found orienteering with a map through the forest exciting, but shooting with the air force frustrating, as I didn’t understand how to aim and hit hardly anything back then. Today, I can do it. I found first aid training boring because I wasn’t interested in it at all then, and the bandages I applied looked just terrible. However, I still know how to stop bleeding today.
Times have changed, and the whole world is beginning to rearm again after years of disarmament. In the last 18 months, I have been involved in various discussions on this topic. The main reason was the recruitment of my youngest and his entry into military service at the end of this month. We have discussed whether it is right that only men should be required to serve, or whether women should also be required to serve. I have thought a lot about this. There are some countries where military service is mandatory for both genders, including Denmark (from 2026), Norway (since 2015), Sweden (since 2018), Israel (since 1949), North Korea, China, East Timor, Myanmar, Eritrea, Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, and Cape Verde.
I am for equality, and I think there should not be partial equality. That means that military service for women is the logical consequence. It is logical that women are rarely assigned to grenadier roles, but I am convinced that there are countless opportunities where they can utilize their strengths in the military. Women cannot demand rights and shirk responsibilities. One cannot demand from the state and make no contribution oneself. Paying taxes is not enough in my view. And if someone argues that it is easy for me to make such a demand because it won’t affect me due to my age, I must say: wrong. If desired, I am prepared to do my part as well. And of course, I will do all this in the hope that we NEVER need it. We should simply be prepared!
Michaela Merz 