BELLY DOWNin a muddy Dutch forest, Janine Verhoeven fires blanks from a ColtC7assault rifle. The third-year medical student is taking part in theDienjaar(service-year), a new programme that lets young Dutch sign up for a year-long trial in the armed forces rather than the regular four-year enlistment term. The programme is a success, drawing three applicants for each spot, and the government plans to scale it up from 625 to 1,000 trainees next year.
This article appeared in the International section of the print edition under the headline “Raining on their parade”
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