The Army

The long-term employed in the Psyops Unit agrees that the past year in the military has been intense, and busier than ever before.

Looking back at the last thirteen months, intense and busy are definitely words that comes to mind – challenging, healthy and fun, equally so. I am writing this from Kampala, the capital in Uganda, with the sound of tropical birds, heavy rain and a fan next to me in the background.

Having completed my third military exercise in less than two months, I needed a change of scenery. Getting distance from home always bring clarity and appreciation for what is left behind. And although our recent exercises has been far from home, there has been little time to stop and think.

It took us a few days to move our military convoy from Sweden to Northern Norway. The weather was windy and a snow storm made it impossible to see the mountains as we approached the boarder. My Scania truck loaded with a 4.5 meter high container cleared traffic in both directions to be able to fit into a tunnel near our destination.

After assembling the 30 meter radio antenna at the military base in Setermoen, near Bardu in Norway, we began broadcasting a mix of music and local radio programming, such as weather, traffic and various news and entertainment content for six days. The surrounding mountains makes it difficult for any national radio station to reach Bardu, which could have been one of the keys to the success of our broadcasting mission during the multinational ‘Cold Response’ peace-keeping exercise.

Five Norwegian soldiers lost their lives during the exercise. They were flying a Hercules aircraft when they crashed into a glacier near Kebnekaise, Sweden’s tallest mountain. Our Unit attended the Memorial Service for the lost soldiers at the Norwegian base and I invited the priest to my radio show the following morning.

Focusing on the radio broadcasting as a means to win the trust of the local population, whilst testing equipment and technical abilities, made Cold Response a success for our team. For me, it was a success for two reasons:

I stopped presenting and producing my weekly radio show in London in 2008, which was some time ago now, plus I hadn’t broadcasted in Swedish language since University – even longer ago! However, the joy and excitement of being live on the radio and communicating directly with an audience in my mother tongue went as smooth as I could have hoped, and I loved every second of it.

Secondly, the challenge of spending two weeks in a military environment and all it involves, such as constantly being dressed in male military clothes, sleeping on the floor in a room with 18 others and working around the clock, packing, lifting and unloading and driving a truck to and from Norway – wasn’t a problem at all. On the contrary, I didn’t find my situation very challenging this time. With a number of training missions completed, I could almost predict some of my emotions and situations ahead, and easily accept them.

Our treat on the last night, as we had just reached Kiruna, was an outdoor BBQ. Our commander in charge lit a cigar and the smell of the food, combined with being in front of a warm fire in dry clothes and the mission behind me, released a heavy dose of endorphins in my blood. There wasn’t anywhere else I wished to be.

The true joys in life are simple and when all you depend on is the lower scale of Maslow’s pyramid in order to survive - you really become aware of it - just like the joy of a sunny day.

The strength from that insight is the main learning I take from this mission. No matter where I am, or in what circumstance, it is the wellness in my mind and body that will determine how I enjoy or cope with the situation. All circumstance is external and my frame of mind and happiness comes from within. I am my best friend and worst enemy, and from this day I can go anywhere and do anything - just like I always have.