Nama Cult Initiation

In researching the importance of the Nama flute in PNG music, I came across an article written about the Nama cult of the Central Highlands of PNG. The Nama cult is a secret, exclusively male cult in which tribal values, sentiment, and history are learned, shared, and defined in order to be passed to further generations. The cult also builds camaraderie within the male society, and again emphasizes the societal boundaries which cast men as the superior gender.
In order to become initiated, young boys are subject to four stages of initiation that occur over the course of 6-7 years.
The first stage is completed when a group of boys are around the age of 6. In this stage, the boys are taken into the jungle by the adult males, their ears are pierced with bamboo slivers, they are fed pork (which is held to be a very important food in PNG culture), and are led back to the tribe the same day.
The second stage takes place when the same group of boys have reached the age of 9 or 10. Similar to the first stage, they are led away from the tribe and given pork to eat. This time, however, their septum's are pierced, then they are led back to join the tribe, again in the same day.
The third and most grueling stage of initiation occurs when they have turned 12-13 years of age. The boys are taken to a secret location in the jungle to spend a substantial amount of time away from the tribe. The mothers of the boys are told that the boys have died as to discourage them from looking for their sons. Over the course of the initiation, the boys are subject to extreme physical and psycological rituals: training in using the kata (a narrow cane which is forced down the throat in order to battle sickness and 'contamination' by women), bloodletting from the nostrils, urethra and tongue, and regular beatings if rules are broken (such as eating certain foods, walking on paths that women walk, etc). Flutes are played during the rituals, summoning Nama, the bird-like creature discussed in my previous post, to help the boys as they begin to assume their roles as the tribe. These rituals continue until the elders believe the boys are ready to be reintroduced into the tribe as men. They are then instructed to live in the men's house and to have limited interactions with women.
The fourth and final stage occurs when the boys are 16 or 17. For this stage, the boys are forced to remain inside the men's house for a period of one month, in which they are held to a strict diet of bananas, pork and sweet potatoes. Over the course of the month, the boys are trained to become yehube - warriors. After the month has ended, the boys emerge from the house, are donned with new clothing to symbolize their new status in the tribe as adult men. This group of men are said to be "age mates", the strongest relationship these men may ever have in their lives.
Looking at my own culture, the closest initiation practice I could relate this to would be in the United States Army. In order to create a hardened warrior, the Army subjects groups of young men to physical and psychological challenges. Being segregated from their community and participating in these challenges together, these groups develop a strong camaraderie with one another, and emerge from training as hardened soldiers/warriors.
It is interesting to compare these two separate initiation practices, for they appear to be achieving a similar end in opposite points in life. The Nama cult takes young boys and brings them through adolescence to become men and leaders. The Army, on the other hand, focus' on taking men and breaking them of their sense of individuality as men, in essence creating boys whom are able to be molded into an elite soldier. I know that this is pushing the envelop a bit, however I can't help but recognizing these similarities and differences between the two practices.