12 DAYS IN MILITARY PRISON

[♔Chello]

12 DAYS IN MILITARY PRISON

Before I finished the recruit school (1981), I had already reached the maximum number of military sentences - 6.
Sentences beyond this would automatically result in military or civilian imprisonment.
At the artillery school I was given a report, but avoided prison.

After serving for a time in the Coast Guard, I was sentenced to 12 days in military prison as a result of refusing orders.
We participated in a NATO exercise where we had to go skiing, which I refused to do.
Both crew and officers threatened me, but I stood by my decision.

When the exercise was over, an MP arrived to escort me to the prison in the same city where we were stationed; Tromsø.
There I was placed in a cell, but I was isolated from the other prisoners, and received individual treatment in everything.

The others were allowed to go out in the hallway when meals were served, were allowed to borrow books and watch films - I was allowed none of these.
This was in the winter, and the heating was turned off in my cell.
I was not allowed to change clothes or wash myself, and the bed was bolted to the wall 24/7, so I had to lie on the stone floor.
All furniture had been removed, so there was no chair; I had to sit on the floor.
I was also not allowed to smoke.

The light was off during the day and on at night, and every night 3 MPs came in several times, threw me against the wall and claimed that I had smoked.

It was like this every day for 12 days, and it was obvious that they had decided to break me.
The only thing they achieved was that I became even worse than I had been, and lost all respect for authority, the king and the state - and military authority in particular.

As I saw it, THEY were the criminals, not me.
After this I continued my service in the Coast Guard, but only because I had to - if I had refused, this would have automatically resulted in at least a year in civilian prison.