The released soldiers: a study of their predicament

Abstract

Though literature on military sociology is fast growing, few studies have focused attention on the psychological social and economic consequences of release from the army for the discharged soldiers. The subject assumes special importance in a country like India where economic insecurity looms large both before and after the soldiers' stay in the army. At the same time the Government cannot afford to maintain an adequate reserve of fully-paid officers in peacetime to meet sudden military exigencies. Release and resettlement of soldiers thus pose serious problems which require careful planning, This article is based on a survey of a small group of discharged army officers. Their answers to questions pertaining to their reasons for joining the army and their attitude to their discharge from the army and problems of post-release adjustment reveal that the dominant motive for joining the army was economic rather than political or ideological. Following their release. all the respondents suffer from a deep sense of frustration both because they felt they had a right to continue in their army jobs after the grave risks they took in the Indo-Pakistan war and because of fear that they may not get suitable civilian jobs.