Hundreds of teenage Croatians have reported for compulsory military service – for the first time since their country scrapped the requirement in 2008.
Training will take place at barracks in three locations around Croatia, with recruits expected to report to the facility nearest to their homes.
There, they will receive their kit and dormitory assignments. For the next two months, they will have to submit to military discipline.
"They have now been torn from the civilian environment," said Tihomir Kundid, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Croatia.
In case that sounded rather brutal, the general was quick to reassure any anxious parents that their offspring would be handled with care.
