Back to (Military) School

One of the things I've always liked doing when I visit Tienanmen Square is to watch the soldiers and military police as they crisply glide across the cobblestones, each step in perfect unison, each movement timed meticulously with no wasted effort. I'm sure it takes years of military training to accomplish this but just how much I didn't know until the past few days.
Every high school student in China is required to spend a few weeks in a military camp before they graduate. Apparently our campus was selected to be one such camp, which makes sense because it has a large basketball court that is perfect for holding drills. They first came in Monday and I really couldn't believe it. Guys and girls. All different sizes, some beefy stocky guys next to girls who looked barely bigger than a teddy bear. All seemed to have the exact same size uniform of simple camouflage that seemed to be ill-fitting on the strong boys and downright ridiculous on the little girls. On some of the smaller girls, it looks cute, like something you would put on the front of a "cheer up" Hallmark card.
However, it looks like the Glorious People's Army doesn't spring for combat boots. Old tennis shoes, new black and white Nikes, and pink checkered Converses were part of the diverse parade of footwear that only served to make the camouflage (and its owner) look even more silly. They've been here now for three days and we don't really see much of them except for the morning when they're on the basketball court attempting to successfully master the ancient arts of 'left turn' and 'right turn' with (presumably real) soldiers who look just barely older than your average college graduate instructing them. Looking at them, it quickly becomes clear that the average Boy Scout has more military bearing then this group. Some have their uniform sleeves rolled up, others rolled down. Some are wearing their covers, others are holding them in their hands, still more litter the ground near the entrance of the court. Just walking by and observing them I noticed one girl sneaking out a quick text message on a cell phone she was trying to conceal in her sleeve (you have to be a teacher for a while to notice these things ;)
Everyone on campus -minus the Americans- seem to think this group is the greatest thing since sliced bread and come running to watch, every time they chant a cadence or the instructor barks out an order (although it has to be embarrassing to do drill counts and your voice cracks.)
Yesterday I almost ran over a girl in her "Winnie the Pooh goes back to military school" collection on my bike as she was sitting on the sidewalk with her friends, their camo jackets providing a seat.
The students have been seeing all this and one asked me at dinner last night, if we do anything like this in America and just being in a generally mischievous mood, the conversation went something like this..
Me: No, in America the military is only for volunteers. People who want to join, and they have to take many tests before entrance. Physical and mental tests to see if they can join.
Students: Why? Why not let everybody join?
Me: In America, we only make soldiers out of the people who want to fight and kill. People who have got the reach and the teeth of a killing machine with a need to see someone bleed when the light goes green. People who want to be the first to go and then the last to leave. People who bask in the glow of a rising war, and want to lay waste to an enemy shore.
Students: oh...
Me (to myself): Well that will keep us out of a war for another couple years...