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EDITORIAL: Soldier¡¦s
death is a wake-up call
As if the Ministry of National Defense did not already have enough on its plate
as it makes the fitful transition to an all-volunteer military system, the death
of a 23-year-old soldier under mysterious circumstances on July 4 risks making
the task of attracting recruits all the more onerous.
Army Corporal Hung Chung-chiu¡¦s (¬x¥ò¥C) death in Taoyuan, from what the public is
told was heat stroke, is a stark reminder of the risks that come with a job in
the armed forces, as well as of the culture of violence that exists in military
establishments the world over.
It is one thing for soldiers to be reprimanded when they break regulations, or
for their training to push them to the limits of their physical abilities. After
all, the military needs to produce individuals who are capable of handling
stress and able to operate under extraordinary hardships. However, it is another
to engage in what can only be described as ¡§hazing¡¨ or mistreatment, which
rather than embolden soldiers serves only to undermine their morale and damage
the reputation of the armed forces.
Given the state of the nation¡¦s military and the poor image that it has with the
public ¡X although this is often unjustified ¡X such incidents cannot be allowed
to happen. If they do, the government must do everything in its power to bring
the perpetrators to justice and to fix a system that allows for such behavior to
occur in the first place.
Hung¡¦s case could not have happened at a worse time, as it generates extremely
bad publicity just as the armed forces struggle to attract the quality recruits
needed to create a smaller, meaner, better educated and more modern military.
Through a combination of entry salaries that cannot possibly compete with those
offered in the private sector, the fear of constant displacement, personal
risks, rampant defeatism and poor public perceptions of life in the ranks ¡X as
well as unfavorable demographics ¡X the ministry has continually failed to meet
the recruitment benchmarks it has set for itself so that it can bring down the
total active duty force to 215,000 by early 2015, from 270,000 at present.
The well-publicized news of Hung¡¦s ill treatment will certainly not help, and
the consequences could be far worse if the ministry and top officials in
President Ma Ying-jeou¡¦s (°¨^¤E) administration do not deal with the matter with
the seriousness that the situation warrants. It goes without saying that Hung¡¦s
family deserve full disclosure on the events leading to their son¡¦s death and
should be appropriately compensated for their loss. Beyond that, the Ma
government must ensure that the scandal does not further undermine morale among
the troops and hurt the reputation of the military as a potential career choice.
This is a very serious matter and one that, if mishandled, could complicate the
ministry¡¦s efforts to shift to a professional system, if not torpedo the program
altogether.
Ultimately, what is at stake is not simply the safety of individual members of
the armed forces; it is the very service that employs thousands of individuals
who, every day, through personal sacrifice and at some risk, patrol this
nation¡¦s coastlines, air space and waters to ensure that Taiwanese can continue
to enjoy the freedoms, liberties and way of life that make Taiwan such a
precious place.
The tragedy of Hung¡¦s death should be used as an occasion to take a serious look
at the conditions under which our soldiers operate and the means by which
service in the military can be made more attractive. The ministry owes it to the
thousands of young Taiwanese who will undergo boot camp training and those who,
for various reasons, will choose to make a career in the armed forces.
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