When we talk about the army, one of the words that always comes to mind is “discipline”. In fact, it is one of the most important things in becoming a good soldier, even in our earliest days in this force. One of the first values that is instilled in us when we enter the barracks and we must abide by the orders of our superiors. In a sector as hierarchical as the military, one must be fully aware of the rank one occupies. Before we even think about joining the military, we need to understand how things work once we’re in. We are going to receive orders and we have to carry them out without question. This type of approach, which to some people may not seem logical, is essential to understand the role of the Army. The individual thing disappears, and all the soldiers must go to one, as ordered by their officer in charge.
For this reason, any lack of respect or indiscipline is paid dearly within the army. Many of those who arrive with all the enthusiasm in the world on the first day are not able to last more than a few weeks before leaving. And it is that the conditions in the barracks are not always simple. And we are only talking about the first months, where the most basic training is given. We didn’t even think about going out on special missions, in which we put our lives at stake. The army is a sector that has been modernizing in recent decades, but at a very slow pace. Because it is true that in most countries it is usually one of the most conservative sectors compared to the rest of society. While the traditional values are lost outside the barracks and missions, in the Army they remain as the first day. And that means that many times, new people who arrive have a brutal shock with the reality of joining the ranks. Sharing a room with a score of classmates, showering all together, living 24 hours in that company… In the mixed quarters, the sexual issue becomes something much more tricky, because temptation is within reach, but it is something forbidden…
Sex in the army
But is there really sex in the army? We have already briefly discussed how strict the rules are that make a barracks a place where discipline is above all else. Obviously, among those rules is also not to have sexual relations with companions or partners. Something that could be obvious, but now, with a greater female presence in the ranks, it has once again become a topic for debate. There are soldiers who spend months in the barracks, hardly being able to leave, and when they do, obviously, they can’t take any sexual partner there. How do you fight that withdrawal? With discipline, with dabbling in certain places where sex has to be paid for… or perhaps within the barracks itself, if you’re careful and find the right partner.
Both boys and girls
Until not so long ago, the army was a predominantly male institution. It still is today, of course, but at least women are already beginning to occupy more space. It could be said that there are currently something more than 90% male recruits, and 10% female recruits. These data vary a lot depending on the country or the place. What has not been lost is that tradition of understanding the army as something for men. The women who enter must show that they are up to the task, both physically and psychologically. Sharing spaces with your peers is one of the ways to achieve this, even if it means being in barracks and mixed showers. It is something that is now also beginning to change in many barracks, having to enable specific places for female recruits, which many understand as an inequality.
The women who enter the army do so also thinking of developing a long and fruitful military career, of having greater stability, of fighting for their country… But like the male recruits, they are also people of flesh and bone, and have biological wants and needs. As much as we think that it is much easier for women to abstain from sex, the desire is always there. And many are surrounded by attractive companions, with strong, hardened bodies and temperament… It is normal for sparks to fly from time to time, although always in the shadows, since relationships > between colleagues are not allowed, at least within the barracks. Does that mean there’s no sex in these barracks? Well, not exactly…
Sex videos in the barracks
When the barrack doors are closed at night and the soldiers are left in total darkness, what happens in those places stays in those places. The Army also encourages creating strong bonds with comrades, a fidelity that will go beyond simple friendship. That is why the soldiers share a shower, a barracks… and secrets. Drugs, for example, are also not allowed in any barracks, but even so, the smell of marijuana is not unusual in these types of bedrooms. The same goes for the topic of sex. The soldiers have relationships with each other, although always in private, so that no one finds out. There are both homosexual and heterosexual relationships, and sometimes there is even proof of it.
In recent years we have been able to read numerous news items that alluded to sexual videos recorded inside the barracks. In the United States, in Spain, in Mexico and in many other countries, these videos have gone viral, and have become the center of controversy. Not only because they show a reality that leaves the army in a bad place, since drugs and alcohol are usually added to the topic of sex. Also because they represent a violation of privacy within a place that is responsibility of the State. These types of videos are usually recorded in the dark, so their quality is not very good, but they are widely viewed on porn platforms. In fact, some soldiers have even recorded explicit scenes in army facilities to later upload them to the network. It is the morbidity of the forbidden that makes these people risk their careers like this.
Actions that bring consequences
Those acts, however, bring consequences. In most cases, the videos never even make it out of the barracks, and are “seized” by superiors before they can see the light of day. However, recording or sharing this type of content is a serious lack of discipline that can even be punished by expulsion from the Army. Putting the good image of the institution at risk by relating it to something like porn or leaving the establishment in a bad place is something very punishable. That’s why most recruits are very careful about having sex, let alone recording it. But there is always someone who for the sake of humor, or because of the morbidity of danger, takes out his mobile and starts recording, surely without thinking very well about the consequences.