20 Year Ago Today. Worlds apart

Mary -  They do not now. And this is a very good sign, Even though there is a lot of people who got so used tp the notion of America wanting them badly, and every time something happens in the country, they blame America. Al lot of people in a lot of countries blame America for everything that goes worng.

North Korea is still training everyone, even girls. They are still instilling n the minds of people that America is only waiting to occupy them...

Nicholas - I was a military instructor at school. I was with these kids in the field, I just did not post those photos. I was uniformed.

And it was worlds apart. It really was.

Kirk -  I am not sure you had a minute to read it. It is not about fallen (luckily).

A bit weird

Hugh - To tell you the truth, at that time everybody, except for our great leader Mikhail Gorbachev knew that America needed us as much as our late May snow, but Gorbachev was a pretty slow thinker. The colossal machine was nearing the collapse, but was still dangerous if it could come to self-destructing desperation.

I know that in US Gorbachev has credit, but not with us, those who lived under him. Unless, of course, you can credit the indecisive leader for lack of leadership. We all were lucky that we collapsed relatively quietly. This could have been the first time that Russia did not have a major bloodshed.

20 years ago it was already spinning the wheels, but the guns were still blazing

Nicholas  - It was my lucky chance and I took it before it was too late. It was first time in my life that being a Jew (stated in line 5 of my passport, and that's why when we were talking to someone who knew it, we would say that we were limping on the five, meaning that this is preventing us from certain occupations or positions) offered me great benefit. Jews were used by the Soviets as change. They wanted better relationship with USA, they would start letting Jews out, and whenthe relationship gets sour, they would stop it.

At that time we were called locmotives, as we were granted the visa for the whole family, and my ethnic Russian wife could go with me..

Oh well, it was all long ago

Kevin - Thank goodness that did not happen. I am looking at the photo of these 16 year olds, and I know that they would have simply perish, become the cannon meat.

Generation born in 1924, boys that were drafted at the very beginning of Russia's war with Nazi Germany (1941) was practically wiped out. only 4 out of 100 survived. Injured, crippled, but survived. THey were thrown in the war with nothing but patriotism.

Thank goodness it did not happen this time.

Tchaka - I would agree. Army takes long, but a month of training in a camp setting may prove very beneficial. We are an individualistic society, and such training would require from the young people to work as a tight group, whose whole success or failure depends on the collective effort.

Of course, no enemy as the reason for training.