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Is such nitpicking necessary? It derails the conversation

Yes and no. In some countries and depending on peace or war times, you are forced into service, but you can choose to do military service or be a conscientious objector and work as a hospital aide.

Even if it is mandatory in some form, there is plenty of nuance in the actual meaning before we come to calling "forced", isn't it?

Yes, but the connotation here was "conscripted which is a bad thing that made them unhappy."