Like many of us, I had lots of preconceptions about the army, yet I had very little real information to go on. As young people we hear about the glamour of ‘kickin ass’ and becoming heroes or about the meatheads who just wanna fight. Films, computer games and the media all tend to give us inaccurate and limited representations of what the army entails…so I wanted to know, what’s the truth about an army career?

To get a few perspectives I interviewed 18 year old infantry solider, Private Ryan Socket and Sergeant Major Roger (or Warren Office class 2) Williams, the Senior Army Recruiter based at the Sheffield Careers office. In my youthful ignorance, my expectations of a Sergeant Major were that of a frightful meathead, built like a brick wall with the personality and demoralising social skills of a starved tiger. In complete contrast, WO2 Williams turned out to be a good-natured, helpful and humble gentleman. I could see this was going to be enlightening.

Williams started his career as a young man in 1971 and had only intended to stay for 6 years. 37 years later he tells me he’s about to retire from a long and fulfilling career in the army. “I’ve excelled in everything”, he said proudly of his accomplishments. One of his biggest appreciations is in what the army allowed him to try that he would otherwise never have done in his lifetime. Things as diverse as sky diving and skiing, and amazingly, he learnt how to sail yachts, despite as a boy in Cheltenham, “never knowing where the sea was, let alone about being a skipper”. The army has also allowed him to travel the world, places as exciting as Egypt, Israel and Hong Kong. Although WO2 Williams never went to war he was prepared to and did a stint peacekeeping in Northern Ireland during the 70s.

I found WO2 Williams to be an inspirational figure to all wanting to serve in the army and he’s certainly got the most out of his 37 years. My long chat with him helped to eject previous misconceptions from my head. For example the idea that people who join the army are stupid. While there might be those who do fit the bill as with any group, the army is too vast and too skilled to be purely full of goons and as WO2 William’s pointed out, “Soldiers have to think for themselves in situations where others wouldn’t.” All are tested on literacy and numeracy and must pass an entrance exam and finish school to be accepted. Different professions also require different entry level qualifications.

And the idea that the army is loaded with people just out for armed combat is also wrong. There are around 13,500 new recruits a year in the UK and there are 140 different career options available to both sexes (the only one females can’t pursue is armed combat). These are arranged into seven areas including Engineering, IT & Communications, Medical and even Music & Ceremonial. When you look at it like this, it does seem very stereotypical to put the thousands of men and women who work in the army into one box. Many of us know little of the behind the scenes jobs and expertise that holds everything together.

Although only a few careers involve a focus on combat, all who join need to understand what it entails. For the first 3 months, every soldier must do basic military training. With specialists such as doctors, combat training will be limited because ideally they will never be put into a battle situation due to their value. If they are, they need to know how to protect themselves and those around them. The philosophy of the army is about working as one. WO2 Williams explained “The training is about teamwork. Combat isn’t as scary when you’re with your friends”. For a true reflection of active service WO2 Williams suggested watching Ross Kemp in Afghanistan.

Joining the army today offers new benefits to when Williams joined. Not only do new recruits get a much healthier starting salary, (over £1000 a month) there is also the possibility of joining with GCSEs and leaving with a Masters Degree. The army has its own education services around the world and encourages further education pursuits through learning allowances and distance learning courses. Any qualifications obtained through the army are also recognised by civilian employers. WO2 Williams will retire this year with a string of qualifications that will stand him in good stead for what he calls his ‘third career’. He plans to work as a teacher or adviser before he retires completely because he loved working with people.