Javed in the Military

In 1994 Javed went up north to do the military service, which at this point was mandatory for all men. He got placed in the largest garrison in Sweden, near the town Boden. This garrison is mainly housing regiments of the Swedish Army.

I was taking care of his apartment (and his computer...) most of the time during this period, sometimes accompanied with another childhood friend, Robert. I cannot remember that Amy (Javed's mother) was there at any point during the eight-month duration of the military service. 

Javed would either send me letters and postcards (like the one starting this post which is a scan of one of the cards) or just leave them in the apartment for me to stumble upon later. I kept them, and I've scanned them. Now I want to share some of them, illuminating his eighteen-year-old spirit and his life shortly before moving to the US. Rough translation below each page (when necessary). I may fault in translation here and there, but I might also be correct and the source a bit unpolished since Javed wasn't very meticulous in his writing.

"Yo Jonas and Robert. Time is now??? Date is??? Anyways, it's Friday and I flew home. I have a lot to tell you but unfortunately you aren't home, so we'll have to catch up next week when I'm flying home again! I haven't had time to write to you because we have had service every day from 6.15 to 21.30 Saturday and Sunday included *expressions of exhaustion* There, I got some weight off of me! But I have bought postcards, so you can count on getting letters and postcards soon (hmm it still feels like I have the military cap on the head!! If you don't understand I'll explain sometime). Later: Now I will tell you some about what I have been through! Turn page."

"First I got into the fourth company consisting of around 100 men. My group consisting of six men and two group commanders. We sleep in the same room! Anyway, Måns Niklasson, your old class mate, was one of them! BUT, I didn't get to stay there because I didn't have a driver's license. Thus, I changed to second company engineer soldiers. If I am in bad luck I get to have a VERY BIG machine gun, like 20 kgs (editor's note: 44 pounds) but right now I just have an AK4. Wow you think!!! But the damn thing is boring after day 1. Hmm, ok it's fun to shoot live ammo! We got to do that."

Javed used this kind of rifle with 7,62 mm ammo (same cartridge width as AK-47).

"I don't know if I have it in me to write more...hmm let's see! By the way, do you fancy to write letters to send up there? If there are others willing to do that - PLEASE, do it. Write me a letter about anything. You'll get the address on the postcard that will arrive SOON! Also, if someone from the opposite sex likes to write letters, do WRITE. I get so damn homesick at times! Anyway it's really fun up there. I love doing the exercises and the marches and to live out in the field having service all the time... Turn page."

"Yes that's the way it is. 
Later: I am downloading Doom 2!!! Will put it in Game Box C:\ 
More > Still downloading it. 88 minutes now. 
Cool but just like the first one except other monsters and levels! Worth playing!"

"Jonas: So what, it's fun to be out in the woods.
Javed: But there are a shit load of black flies. They are this big.
Jonas: Sure...that's not a black fly. It's a housefly.
Javed: IT IS A BLACK FLY!
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
room for more
Phew. Turn page."

(More information about black flies: Wikipedia)

"Now I can't stand writing more, but please write to me while I am in Boden. Try to make more people write too. You get so damn tired about the everyday routines of the military, so it's very comforting to get letters. I repeat, try to do it.

Honestly speaking it's not that bad to do the military service. I have made a lot of new friends - even new nicknames - Jappis, Frispel (like: "Tantrum"), Snesteg (like: "Mishap"). I'm mostly called Frispel. Har har har. BYE!

PS: I will get batteries for the minicall!"

"It's Sunday and I'm going back now boo hoo!
(Play Doom 2 - very cool!)
The postcard I will send will have Ing 3's (short for engineering troop 3) address. I will send phone number as well. You can call from my place! Remember to get people to write. THANK YOU!
C U later alligator!"

Eventually, a couple of postcards arrived simultaneously. Below is one of them. (I had a different surname then, from my partly Finnish descent.)

"Monday: Hi Jonas & co. Here is the first of many postcards. I...f--k almost time to line up. Time is 7.30. We got to sleep in today!
Wednesday: Damn, still haven't managed to finish this card. We have bicycled like 100 km (editor's note: 62 miles) all together. Have been shooting in my AK4. Now I'm shooting at a distance of 100 meters. I will be coming home on Friday. Hmm this letter will arrive later?!? Oh well, haven't got it in me to write more. Here's the address by the way. 
Ps Old card."

Later, he wrote about having been building bridges and pontoons for three weeks straight, besides "the usual" marching and running. Example of one of the type of bridges he built was the KB4 (war bridge 4).

Tone changed:

"Now I will scream and get pissed!
(Loud and assertive voice)
Fucking lazy slackers that are parked inside all the time. Damn, you eat at restaurants too. Disgusting. Up here it's luxury to get food! We are happy if we get enough food for everyone. You sit on your fat asses and get a shit load of money! We are happy if we don't have to get up in the middle of the night to go run. We are in luck if we just have to work 10 hours in a day. If we have to work until we are totally spent we are happy if we get to sleep 6 hours. 40 buck a day (about $4.50)! Oh, we are soo fucking happy about that! We get down on our knees to thank for that money! Your lame bosses asks you politely to work hard. We are happy if they don't kick us when we do pushups *VARIOUS INVECTIVES*"

"Frispel" have spoken.

I will let Javed close this post himself.