Synopsis
Sisu is a special word in Finnish culture. While its exact definition can vary, for most it means determination and composure in the face of adversity.
For the conscripts of the Finnish Army’s Jaeger Brigade, stationed in the vast forests of Finnish Lapland, sisu is crucial. Without it, they’d find it hard to endure the freezing temperatures and austere landscapes of the Nordic Arctic. We take a look at this uniquely demanding job and the spirit of sisu of our Finnish Ally.
Finland relies on a conscription-based military system, requiring all men aged 18 to 60 to complete military service, while women have the option to volunteer. Each year, around 21,000 conscripts complete their military training in Finland. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, this number has increased – the rise largely driven by female volunteers – and Finland made the historic decision to abandon military neutrality and subsequently joined NATO in April 2023.
Transcript
--UPSOT--
[Conscripts chanting] “Jaeger! Jaeger! Jaeger!”
--SOUNDBITE IN FINNISH—(English Subtitles)
Arttu Palokangas, Finnish Army conscript, Jaeger Brigade
“Defending your own country is a duty and it should be in everyone’s heart.”
--UPSOT--
[Conscripts groans]
--SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH—
Veera Remes, Finnish Army conscript, Jaeger Brigade
“Sisu. You cannot understand that word if you haven’t been in Finland. You have to come here and be outside to the point of breaking, when you’ve got so angry you have no other choice than to keep going on.”
--TEXT ON SCREEN—
FINNISH CONSCRIPTS
[AND THE MEANING OF SISU]
--TEXT ON SCREEN—
FINLAND’S CONSTITUTION REQUIRES ALL MEN AGED 18-60 TO COMPLETE MILITARY SERVICE
EACH YEAR, AROUND 21,000 CONSCRIPTS RECEIVE BASIC MILITARY TRAINING
GRAPHIC
VEERA REMES
Finnish Army conscript, Jaeger Brigade
--SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH—
Veera Remes, Finnish conscript, Jaeger Brigade
“To serve is mandatory for men but it’s not for women, but we can volunteer. As I did.”
GRAPHIC
ARTTU PALOKANGAS
Finnish Army conscript, Jaeger Brigade
--SOUNDBITE IN FINNISH—(English Subtitles)
Arttu Palokangas, Finnish conscript, Jaeger Brigade
“I’ve been in the Jaeger Brigade for a little over half a year. I’ve completed about 60 percent of my national service.”
--INTERVIEWER IN ENGLISH—
“Why would you put yourself through this?”
--SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH—
Veera Remes, Finnish Army conscript, Jaeger Brigade
“Yeah. I ask myself that sometimes.”
--TEXT ON SCREEN—
FINLAND SITS IN NATO’S HIGH NORTH, BORDERING RUSSIA
RUSSIA’S WAR OF AGGRESSION AGAINST UKRAINE
HAS MADE THESE CONSCRIPTS
EVEN MORE DETERMINED TO SERVE
--SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH—
Veera Remes, Finnish Army conscript, Jaeger Brigade
“The times have changed in terms of war. It’s not as simple as we learnt it to be when we grew up, like, wars are in the past. We have learnt that they are not.
For me it’s because I have a good life. That’s why I’m here, protecting it.
--SOUNDBITE IN FINNISH— (English Subtitles)
Arttu Palokangas, Finnish Army conscript, Jaeger Brigade
“Finns love to be in the forest. We are born with the ability to survive in the forest.”
--SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH—
Veera Remes, Finnish conscript, Jaeger Brigade
“We had a NATO Alliance survival training. It was basically a week with no sleep, with basically no food. That was intense being outside 10 hours a day.”
GRAPHIC
SAMPSA KURSULA
Finnish Army conscript, Jaeger Brigade
--SOUNDBITE IN FINNISH—(English Subtitles)
Sampsa Kursula, Finnish Army conscript, Jaeger Brigade
“You need to bring blood to your fingers and toes so that you stay warm. Jumping, running, punching, all of that really improves blood circulation the extremities.”
--SOUNDBITE IN FINNISH—(English Subtitles)
Arttu Palokangas, Finnish Army conscript, Jaeger Brigade
“Even though it’s cold here, very cold, with barren conditions, it’s not scary, it feels like home. Lapland is the best place in the world.”
GRAPHIC
ILONA ROPPONEN
Finnish Army conscript, Jaeger Brigade
--SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH—
Ilona Ropponen, Finnish conscript, Jaeger Brigade
“We have snow. Then we have the aurora. We have one day in winter that we don’t have sun at all. Then we have one day in the summer when we don’t have dark at all. You don’t meet the same kind of people anywhere else that you meet in Lapland.”
--SOUNDBITE IN FINNISH—(English Subtitles)
Sampsa Kursula, Finnish Army conscript, Jaeger Brigade
“In my opinion, it’s important that there is military service and that it’s mandatory because that’s how we get the peace that we have in this country.”
--TEXT ON SCREEN—
THE FINNS HAVE SISU, A UNIQUE WORD THAT DESCRIBES THEIR FIGHTING SPIRIT
--SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH—
Ilona Ropponen, Finnish Army conscript, Jaeger Brigade
“Sisu, I feel like sisu is the need and will to do something in your inner heart and you know you want to do it and you’re going to do it, and then you are doing it. It’s part of the Finnish culture.”
--SOUNDBITE IN FINNISH—(English Subtitles)
Sampsa Kursula, Finnish Army conscript, Jaeger Brigade
“Sisu means that we push forward even though there are difficulties.”
--INTERVIEWER IN ENGLISH—
“Does it mean courage?”
--SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH—
Veera Remes, Finnish Army conscript, Jaeger Brigade
“I don’t think that catches the whole meaning because it’s like a fuel of anger you get when you are at the breaking point. And you can find that here in Finland.”
