Has anyone done any training in Denmark?

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 09 Mar 2016 22:06:04 -0500

Has anyone done any training in Denmark? Just looking for some information on the training and Denmark in general. Possible ODT tasking coming up.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Mar 10 at 2016 12:42 AM

CAPT Kevin B. — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 00:42:22 -0500

Stand by for a big culture difference. I'm in Denmark every year refereeing soccer. They like their society and tend to push outsider notions aside. Heavy taxation and socialized services but most are OK with it. Ryan Air was at Copenhagen for a bit but got chased out because the unions demanded same pay as everyone else. When the people connect the dots of lower wages equates to lower air fares, they pick higher stabilized heavily taxed wages every time, hence think Ryan Air getting pushed out was a just thing. Although they won't admit it directly, they don't like minorities and especially don't like refugees, hence have been moving towards confiscating anything of value from them. They advertise that policy heavily to blunt notions of going there. Denmark isn't fully "Eurozoneized" as they retain their own currency and other things. They do have a competent military organized for defensive work primarily. Denmark, like other nations up north, is still fighting WW2 in some ways mentally. Many bunkers still remain on the beaches. Many don't care for the Germans. Even in my soccer tournaments separate referee meetings are held with English/Germans in one and Scandinavian countries attending the other. It isn't just a language thing. Sometimes ropes are put up in the berthing hall marked "German Free Zone". Here we'd call it shunning.

The people are friendly, rather homogeneous, and expect a certain amount of respect and decorum as a matter of civility. They believe they are very fortunate to have what they have. Being a small country, they worry more about what can be imposed upon them from the outside. People get less friendly in the big cities, but that's common everywhere. 16 year old kids can buy beer and wine but have to be 18 to drink in restaurants. I've noticed more gang activity in the past 10 years. They are a ways from recovering from the economic dive, especially in smaller towns. Like the US, the mom and pop stores are closing due to larger malls being built. I go to Hjorring every year and note 1/2 of the downtown is boarded up still. But some things aren't changing... like the all girl school bands playing Louis Armstrong jazz.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Mar 10 at 2016 12:45 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 12:45:21 -0500

The whole of Denmark still pays deep homage to American soldiers who died liberating the country by adopting each of 6000 KIAs into their families.