One in six Belgian recruits left the Army because they missed their family and friends

The Belgian press reported that the Defense Ministry is facing criticism for plans to allow recruits to sleep at home rather than in barracks to prevent them from getting homesick. The Ministry has lost nearly 4,000 recruits over the past decade because of complaints of missing homelife and hobbies.  The Ministry is attempting to deal with the transition for the recruits to the 28,000 army.  The army wants to include more free evenings where the recruits can leave the barracks.  The recruits are expected at the gate Sunday evening or latest Monday morning and are not permitted to leave before Friday.

The military is even considering letting recruits sleep at home for those cases where they live near the military school or the barracks and can go home in the evening.  Danny Lams, a former paratrooper and chair of a veterans organization, scoffed at the idea saying: "You do not go to a war zone with men who miss their mama."