Ah .. P.O.P.
You know it's around the corner when most of our training is done.
You know it's around the corner when we are having our sports and games day. Leopard Company was the champion company in School 2. Hooray!
You know it's around the corner when people go shouting "P.O.P loh!" everytime and everywhere. The sergeants were very irritated by this.
You know it's around the corner when we have to pack all our stuff and start scrubbing the rooms and toilets clean.
You know it's around the corner when the sergeants don't yell at us as much.
"Come on now, you are all gonna be Privates soon. Stop acting like recruits!"
Above all you know it's around the corner when we are having P.O.P day rehearsals.
Family and friends are invited to the parade again. We marched our best,and sang the Infantry song loudly. Why not? It is officially our last day of BMT. Then, we tossed our Jockey Caps in the air. BMT is over.
I dragged my duffel bag home, and .. booked in the next day for my make up 24km route march =__=
I missed it due to my fever and the make-up session could only be scheduled on the day after P.O.P.
Well .. There was quite a number of people doing the march, and we were in high spirits, so it was alright. In the first 10 or so km we sang and chatted as we marched.
But by the 15th km I could feel the blisters forming.
by the 20th km the blisters must have gathered to form a huge one.
by the 22th km I am trying to walk on the corners of my feet. The thought of falling out of the march crossed my mind, but it was silly to give up when the end was so near.
by the 24th km I could hardly walk. I had to waddle gingerly around the place. The showers stung my soles. It felt like 2 huge gaping wounds. Upon my friends' advice I did not survey the 'damage'.
"It's worse when you see and know how bad it is. Just book out and worry about it when you're comfortably at home."
I waddled all the way home. When I surveyed my feet at home .. let's just say it was quite bad.
I broke any remaining blisters and bathed my feet in Dettol Water. That really stung like hell.
I could hardly walk for the next few days.
But that's fine .. I have 2 weeks to enjoy myself.
Sweet. P.O.P loh !
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Last Month of BMT
Back dated to 5 Mar 2005
It seemed like I've been at Tekong for years now. Just when I'm getting used to life there, the P.O.P date gets closer in sight with each passing day.
Our basic military training is reaching their final stages. During the last month of training the training schedule was simply packed with many activities.
We went for live range shoots after several sessions of IMT (virtual range training). It was the first time we recruits handled live rounds, and everyone was extra alert and careful to ensure that the range shoot went smoothly and safely. When it was not our turn to fire we were told to clean our rifles over and over again. One entire day of shooting meant that the rifle was simply black with soot inside. Zzzzz
We went for a grenade throwing range as well. We were told that it would be the only time in our NS life we would ever throw one. Grenade throwing is far more dangerous than the range shoot; the sergeants were practically angels to us, constantly advising us to relax, focus, and to follow their instructions closely. The grenade was smaller than I thought. Just about the size of a Yakult bottle; and arming the grenade was harder than it seemed. I gripped it extra tightly after arming it and threw it as hard as I could upon the command.
We also had to aim at the target board for about 2 sec before ducking. (When there is nothing we would have liked better than to duck immediately after the throw) The grenades exploded in about 7 secs after release.
There was really loud explosion, followed by a shock wave that shook us to the core and literally rattled our teeth. When I left the throwing range the target board was nowhere to be seen. A new one have to be replaced in between every throw. 0_0 woah.
Well at least my turn was over. Our PCs (platoon commanders) were explicitly relieved when the day ended without any injuries or problems. Warrant Harry must have smoked at least 2 packs of cigarettes that day to ease his stress.
We had a Battle Assault Courses, one where we had to charge forward down a lane and hit the dummy figures with the close combat techniques we have learned. We were to show our utmost aggression, and if the instructors found our attacks too weak or half hearted we would have to run the course all over again.
And then there is the Battle Inoculation Course. We had to crawl across a field with barbed wires set up over the area and tires placed around the ground simulating the 'mines' that we were supposed to avoid. The specs were also positioned on machine gun towers where they fired off blanks. This exercise was to simulate us crawling through a battle field with machine guns roaring overhead.
The barbed wire was exceptionally low at my lane at one point. It caught my field pack and tore a hole in it. Other than getting scrapped knees and elbows the exercise was over without a problem.
The Standard Obstacle course and the 16km route march I had missed due to another bout of fever. While I did not have to redo the SOC, I had to attend a make up session for the route march that I had missed. We could not go for the 24km march if we had not completed the 16km one, so I had my 16km march while the rest of the platoon did their 24km one.
We also had a Sit. Test (Situational Test), where we formed teams with people from other platoons to go through a circuit where we take turns at playing different roles of leader, 2IC, navigator, sniper, medic, explosives infantry and missile infantry. A facilitator was attached to our teams to observe how proficient we were at each role. It was supposed to be a observation to determine our Unit and vocation posting.
My team was pretty bad at coordinating and solving problems, and we failed many of the missions. LoL. The facilitator said that our problem was that we JC educated people are taught to argue over how things should be done too much. In comparison he told us that Poly guys simply tried their hands on the task and found which methods were the best along the way.
Either way, my team did not seem very interested in straining themselves over the evaluation. Some other teams did take it too seriously though.
I heard that fights even nearly broke out in one team. It happened when some guy was the leader and the mission was failed. He blamed the team and shouted that if he could not make it to OCS (Officer Cadet School) it was all their fault.
I don't know about the others, but did not think that he had the right attitude to be an officer. I certainly hoped for the sake of others that he did not make it into the OCS.
Lastly, above all is the IPPT. (Individual Physical Proficiency Test). My stamina is simply terrible, I kept failing my 2.4km run, though my overall fitness has improved. I'll keep working on it ..
Still .. less than a month to go! I really look forward to the end of BMT. There's a nice, long two week break before I get my posting.
P.O.P, P.O.P!
It seemed like I've been at Tekong for years now. Just when I'm getting used to life there, the P.O.P date gets closer in sight with each passing day.
Our basic military training is reaching their final stages. During the last month of training the training schedule was simply packed with many activities.
We went for live range shoots after several sessions of IMT (virtual range training). It was the first time we recruits handled live rounds, and everyone was extra alert and careful to ensure that the range shoot went smoothly and safely. When it was not our turn to fire we were told to clean our rifles over and over again. One entire day of shooting meant that the rifle was simply black with soot inside. Zzzzz
We went for a grenade throwing range as well. We were told that it would be the only time in our NS life we would ever throw one. Grenade throwing is far more dangerous than the range shoot; the sergeants were practically angels to us, constantly advising us to relax, focus, and to follow their instructions closely. The grenade was smaller than I thought. Just about the size of a Yakult bottle; and arming the grenade was harder than it seemed. I gripped it extra tightly after arming it and threw it as hard as I could upon the command.
We also had to aim at the target board for about 2 sec before ducking. (When there is nothing we would have liked better than to duck immediately after the throw) The grenades exploded in about 7 secs after release.
There was really loud explosion, followed by a shock wave that shook us to the core and literally rattled our teeth. When I left the throwing range the target board was nowhere to be seen. A new one have to be replaced in between every throw. 0_0 woah.
Well at least my turn was over. Our PCs (platoon commanders) were explicitly relieved when the day ended without any injuries or problems. Warrant Harry must have smoked at least 2 packs of cigarettes that day to ease his stress.
We had a Battle Assault Courses, one where we had to charge forward down a lane and hit the dummy figures with the close combat techniques we have learned. We were to show our utmost aggression, and if the instructors found our attacks too weak or half hearted we would have to run the course all over again.
And then there is the Battle Inoculation Course. We had to crawl across a field with barbed wires set up over the area and tires placed around the ground simulating the 'mines' that we were supposed to avoid. The specs were also positioned on machine gun towers where they fired off blanks. This exercise was to simulate us crawling through a battle field with machine guns roaring overhead.
The barbed wire was exceptionally low at my lane at one point. It caught my field pack and tore a hole in it. Other than getting scrapped knees and elbows the exercise was over without a problem.
The Standard Obstacle course and the 16km route march I had missed due to another bout of fever. While I did not have to redo the SOC, I had to attend a make up session for the route march that I had missed. We could not go for the 24km march if we had not completed the 16km one, so I had my 16km march while the rest of the platoon did their 24km one.
We also had a Sit. Test (Situational Test), where we formed teams with people from other platoons to go through a circuit where we take turns at playing different roles of leader, 2IC, navigator, sniper, medic, explosives infantry and missile infantry. A facilitator was attached to our teams to observe how proficient we were at each role. It was supposed to be a observation to determine our Unit and vocation posting.
My team was pretty bad at coordinating and solving problems, and we failed many of the missions. LoL. The facilitator said that our problem was that we JC educated people are taught to argue over how things should be done too much. In comparison he told us that Poly guys simply tried their hands on the task and found which methods were the best along the way.
Either way, my team did not seem very interested in straining themselves over the evaluation. Some other teams did take it too seriously though.
I heard that fights even nearly broke out in one team. It happened when some guy was the leader and the mission was failed. He blamed the team and shouted that if he could not make it to OCS (Officer Cadet School) it was all their fault.
I don't know about the others, but did not think that he had the right attitude to be an officer. I certainly hoped for the sake of others that he did not make it into the OCS.
Lastly, above all is the IPPT. (Individual Physical Proficiency Test). My stamina is simply terrible, I kept failing my 2.4km run, though my overall fitness has improved. I'll keep working on it ..
Still .. less than a month to go! I really look forward to the end of BMT. There's a nice, long two week break before I get my posting.
P.O.P, P.O.P!
First Outfield Exercise
Backdated to 2 Feb 2005
On the Thursday of the 3rd week we had our 2nd book out. It's Chinese New Year!
A week-long outfield exercise awaits us when we book in, but we got to enjoy a long weekend first.
Chinese New Year was uneventful for me. I chose to spend most of it resting at home.
So when I returned to camp I started the week feeling rested, and in higher spirits.
7 days of outfield. We will be doing route marches, learning our fire movement and other relevant jungle warfare soldiery skills. We will be eating combat rations, and carrying our rifles everywhere. (The sergeants have warned us that they will steal any unguarded rifles and award confinements to anybody who has their rifles stolen)
We were issued tents and teamed up in twos. I got paired with Khairul. After our march, we proceeded to our pre-allocated areas and set up our tents. Putting up the tents was easy, but digging the drainage channels was not. There was a huge tree behind our tent, and its roots was all over the place. We had to hack and chop away at them for ages before we managed to get the pits done. After that, everyone had to help dig the latrine pits.
By evening, everything was completed. The tent is only waist high, for 2 person to crawl inside to lie in. There was very little room, and we could barely sit upright or flip over when we sleep.
The next few days was spent in outfield lessons, on tactical movements and navigation exercises. They were not as tiring, but sitting on the comfortable grassy slopes in the shaded forest simply makes us doze off during the lessons. For those who could not fight the Zzz Monster sitting down, they had to do it standing up, and with their rifles raised over their heads for the entire lesson.
Activities are ceased early in the outfield, since it usually gets totally dark by 8 or 9pm. At night time the use of torches was forbidden, and we were to keep our noise levels down rest early for the next day, as part of the training was to maintain noise and light discipline. If we wanted to chat we had to grope around in the darkness and huddle together in the small tents.
The combat rations was okay for the first few meals, but I got simply tired of it by the 3rd day. The glutinous rice was okay, but the spaghetti bolognaise was dry and the smell of tomatoes and preservatives made me sick. From the third day onwards I did not bother eating the main meal packs.
The dessert packs were delightful. The green bean soup and chopped chestnuts in soya milk was wonderful in the scorching hot day; they tasted sweet and cool.
Still, I did not feel very hungry when I was outfield. Much to my surprise, 2 packs of biscuits and 1 dessert pack could let me go on for a whole day. It was really little, barely sufficient to make 1 normal meal I would have elsewhere.
At night we had powder baths before we sleep. To ensure our 'hygiene' is maintained we were inspected to check that we had powdered ourselves properly. We were to slap ourselves and generate a cloud of powder. If we could not do that we had to powder ourselves again and rejoin the queue.
St Luke's Prickly Heat powder. Water of our dry bath. We used up the big tin in just 5 days.
On Thursday we marched to the western side of the island, where the deserted buildings of the Tekong Residents still stood. (Pulau Tekong became exclusively owned by SAF a few years back and residents were reallocated to mainland Singapore) The area was preserved exclusively for training purposes to simulate combat in urban areas. There was a working tap there. Leopard company had a 'technical break' there that evening. We were allowed a proper bath (with water), a real privilege which was rumored that we were the only lucky ones to receive.
On the fifth day we were ordered to pack up our tents as we march back towards School 2. We resettled at the forest near the stretch of seaside that leads to the company line. Over there, we were told to prepare our own 'beds' - shell scrapes. Shell scrapes are man-sized, knee deep rectangular pits dug in the ground for us to lie inside in the event of artillery bombing. Lying in these pits would ensure that flying shrapnels would not hit us.
I had the same problem of tree roots with my digging area again, and my shell scrape took me the entire day to dig. The more fortunate ones who had their allocated areas on sandy patches of ground finished quickly, but they were gathered to help dig out a fire trench for our next lesson. By the end of the day our arms were ready to drop off and the blisters that developed on our hands are enough to last us a lifetime.
That night we slept in the open in the shell scrape we dug, under the cool night sky.
"When you go for the outfield exercise you will practice digging your own grave."
Now I know what the joke meant.
It was the first time I slept outdoors in the open without a shelter over my head. Fortunately it did not rain. In fact throughout the entire duration of the exercise it only drizzled lightly once in a hot afternoon. That's SAF weather control for you.
On the sixth day lessons resumed as per normal. We filled in our shell scrape at night, and had another route march back to company line at night. We reached at daybreak, where we were debriefed. End ex! We washed up, rested for a while before we booked out in the morning.
1 month of my BMT has passed. 2 more months to P.O.P.
On the Thursday of the 3rd week we had our 2nd book out. It's Chinese New Year!
A week-long outfield exercise awaits us when we book in, but we got to enjoy a long weekend first.
Chinese New Year was uneventful for me. I chose to spend most of it resting at home.
So when I returned to camp I started the week feeling rested, and in higher spirits.
7 days of outfield. We will be doing route marches, learning our fire movement and other relevant jungle warfare soldiery skills. We will be eating combat rations, and carrying our rifles everywhere. (The sergeants have warned us that they will steal any unguarded rifles and award confinements to anybody who has their rifles stolen)
We were issued tents and teamed up in twos. I got paired with Khairul. After our march, we proceeded to our pre-allocated areas and set up our tents. Putting up the tents was easy, but digging the drainage channels was not. There was a huge tree behind our tent, and its roots was all over the place. We had to hack and chop away at them for ages before we managed to get the pits done. After that, everyone had to help dig the latrine pits.
By evening, everything was completed. The tent is only waist high, for 2 person to crawl inside to lie in. There was very little room, and we could barely sit upright or flip over when we sleep.
The next few days was spent in outfield lessons, on tactical movements and navigation exercises. They were not as tiring, but sitting on the comfortable grassy slopes in the shaded forest simply makes us doze off during the lessons. For those who could not fight the Zzz Monster sitting down, they had to do it standing up, and with their rifles raised over their heads for the entire lesson.
Activities are ceased early in the outfield, since it usually gets totally dark by 8 or 9pm. At night time the use of torches was forbidden, and we were to keep our noise levels down rest early for the next day, as part of the training was to maintain noise and light discipline. If we wanted to chat we had to grope around in the darkness and huddle together in the small tents.
The combat rations was okay for the first few meals, but I got simply tired of it by the 3rd day. The glutinous rice was okay, but the spaghetti bolognaise was dry and the smell of tomatoes and preservatives made me sick. From the third day onwards I did not bother eating the main meal packs.
The dessert packs were delightful. The green bean soup and chopped chestnuts in soya milk was wonderful in the scorching hot day; they tasted sweet and cool.
Still, I did not feel very hungry when I was outfield. Much to my surprise, 2 packs of biscuits and 1 dessert pack could let me go on for a whole day. It was really little, barely sufficient to make 1 normal meal I would have elsewhere.
At night we had powder baths before we sleep. To ensure our 'hygiene' is maintained we were inspected to check that we had powdered ourselves properly. We were to slap ourselves and generate a cloud of powder. If we could not do that we had to powder ourselves again and rejoin the queue.
St Luke's Prickly Heat powder. Water of our dry bath. We used up the big tin in just 5 days.
On Thursday we marched to the western side of the island, where the deserted buildings of the Tekong Residents still stood. (Pulau Tekong became exclusively owned by SAF a few years back and residents were reallocated to mainland Singapore) The area was preserved exclusively for training purposes to simulate combat in urban areas. There was a working tap there. Leopard company had a 'technical break' there that evening. We were allowed a proper bath (with water), a real privilege which was rumored that we were the only lucky ones to receive.
On the fifth day we were ordered to pack up our tents as we march back towards School 2. We resettled at the forest near the stretch of seaside that leads to the company line. Over there, we were told to prepare our own 'beds' - shell scrapes. Shell scrapes are man-sized, knee deep rectangular pits dug in the ground for us to lie inside in the event of artillery bombing. Lying in these pits would ensure that flying shrapnels would not hit us.
I had the same problem of tree roots with my digging area again, and my shell scrape took me the entire day to dig. The more fortunate ones who had their allocated areas on sandy patches of ground finished quickly, but they were gathered to help dig out a fire trench for our next lesson. By the end of the day our arms were ready to drop off and the blisters that developed on our hands are enough to last us a lifetime.
That night we slept in the open in the shell scrape we dug, under the cool night sky.
"When you go for the outfield exercise you will practice digging your own grave."
Now I know what the joke meant.
It was the first time I slept outdoors in the open without a shelter over my head. Fortunately it did not rain. In fact throughout the entire duration of the exercise it only drizzled lightly once in a hot afternoon. That's SAF weather control for you.
On the sixth day lessons resumed as per normal. We filled in our shell scrape at night, and had another route march back to company line at night. We reached at daybreak, where we were debriefed. End ex! We washed up, rested for a while before we booked out in the morning.
1 month of my BMT has passed. 2 more months to P.O.P.
Basic Military Training
Backdated to 15 Jan 2005
About a week has passed since I came to Tekong.
Life was harder than slacking at home (naturally), but it was still okay.
I learned and discovered several things in the few days there.
It is very addictive to rub your prickly shaved head. Don't touch it more than you have to lest it becomes a bad habit.
Non-commissioned officers, or specialists, are those with their ranks on their sleeves. They were called 'Stripes and Crabs' - since the Singapore crest looked like a crab from afar.
Commissioned officers have their ranks on their shoulders. Bars and Stars for them.
Only the commissioned officers are to be addressed as 'Sirs'. The specs are to be addressed as sergeants.
Recruits have no rank. They are the most bottom in the ranking hierarchy, apparently, as we are often told, that's even lower than dogs (dogs of the K9 unit had ranks too).
Leopard company is what people call the 'welfare company' or the 'slack company'.
It was headed by warrant officers, and our training was designed to be smart, effective and challenging. It was not meant to be impossible, over strenuous nor filled with pointless tekaning that simply left recruits too tired to learn anything.
Mohawk company, however, is what people call 'shiong company' or simply, 'hell'. They always seem to be Tekaned, doing some sort of PT, punishment or being yelled at from as early as 4 am till as late as 12am.
I'm sure that they feel very envious and bitter looking at us in comparison.
Whenever anyone made a mistake, the entire platoon is punishment. It's meant to encourage us to help each other out, and to absolutely stay out of trouble. Nobody wanted to be crowned the 'Saboh King'.
'Kiang to hoh mai gei kiang' (It's good to be good, but don't go doing unnecessary stuff) makes a lot of sense.
Nobody likes to be the right marker when we are supposed to fall in. That usually meant that he had to shout the timings and lead the marching songs.
Not everybody is musically inclined. Not everyone is suited to lead marching songs. There ARE people who are absolutely tone-deaf. I was amazed.
Drinking 750ml of water in every morning's water parade is not easy. We drink till we retch, we drink till we are bloated, and doing PT after drinking that much was way uncomfortable. But it was all done in the name of hydration. I suppose it is really necessary, because we rarely went to the toilet even when we drank so much water.
And we are not supposed to spill any DROPS of water when we are drinking. There was one time I sneezed and spilled a bit of water during water parade. I had to down another half a bottle of water for the few drops I spilled. o_o
Tekong is like a desert. It is really hot by day, and really cold by night. I often sneezed in the chilly and windy mornings when I fall in for PT.
Dry cough spreads wide and far. There isn't a single moment when nobody is coughing. Apparently it was caused by some chemical that they add in the water to purify them. It irritates the throat.
BCCT (Basic Close Combat Training) was just an excuse to make us do more sit ups and push ups. The first session was a 4 hour long session of holding push up positions, half squat positions and what not.
We really sweat bucketfuls that day, until the floor was spotted and drenched with or sweat. Subsequent sessions were spent on learning how to do proper punches and kicks, and using our rifles in melee combat.
The dummy rifle was a 5kg weight we had to carry as we jumped, ran, and swung around under the blazing sun.
We all looked like burnt toasts after the first week.
Training is usually put on hold when it rains, but you really can't count on a good rain when you need one.
In fact it always seemed to be sunny when there is training, but rainy when we are booking out.
'SAF has weather control systems' is a half believed rumor.
We used the M16 rifle in Tekong. It was issued to us in a rifle presentation ceremony. We had to receive it, and pull it towards us from the officer with force and aggression (to signify and display possession and ownership). The saying goes, 'In Army, your rifle is your wife.' Hence we had to snatch it back from any other men's hands. During the ceremony the officer's grip was so tight that we had to pull really hard, and when the rifle finally came off his hands it rammed straight into our chests. Many of us got big bruises for that.
IMT was a range simulation training, and it was easily our favorite. It was conducted in an air conditioned facility and all we had to do was to stand, squat or prone while we practiced our shooting. Since no real rounds were used there wasn't even any need for weapon cleaning.
The helmet really makes you stupid. You can't seem to be able to think properly in it, and you can even walk into holes on the ground even though you saw it and knew it was there.
It is very easy to get a fever in Tekong due to it's great fluctuations in temperatures. The lack of hair protecting your head does not help matters. I had at least 4 cases of fever, almost once every fortnight there.
My first fever went as high as 39 degrees. I reported sick at the medical center and was given an attend B status (recovery in camp) and put on a drip. It was the first time I had one. I always thought that drips are for patients in critical situations, like after major operations or near death situations those TV programmes always showed. Apparently drips of Saline Solution was effective for bringing down high fevers as well. And it made you have to go to the toilet very often. It was very inconvenient to drag the stand along to the toilet, and extra care was needed so that you don't pull out the catheter from your veins. having to put it back in was Not an appealing idea at all. Especially when one drip did not seem sufficient to bring down my temperatures and the medic decided to give me TWO. On BOTH ARMS.
For Heaven's sake whoever heard of that. Luckily another medic with enough sense came along and removed one. Not before laughing at me first though. =_=
When my temperature stayed at around 39 degrees the next day and they decided to give me an Attend C status. (sick rest at home) As a result I get to return home before my first 2 weeks were up.
Finally, Attend Cs are highly coveted. It was the legitimate ticket to escape trainings. It causes great envy among friends, even though you are really sick and feel like shit.
About a week has passed since I came to Tekong.
Life was harder than slacking at home (naturally), but it was still okay.
I learned and discovered several things in the few days there.
It is very addictive to rub your prickly shaved head. Don't touch it more than you have to lest it becomes a bad habit.
Non-commissioned officers, or specialists, are those with their ranks on their sleeves. They were called 'Stripes and Crabs' - since the Singapore crest looked like a crab from afar.
Commissioned officers have their ranks on their shoulders. Bars and Stars for them.
Only the commissioned officers are to be addressed as 'Sirs'. The specs are to be addressed as sergeants.
Recruits have no rank. They are the most bottom in the ranking hierarchy, apparently, as we are often told, that's even lower than dogs (dogs of the K9 unit had ranks too).
Leopard company is what people call the 'welfare company' or the 'slack company'.
It was headed by warrant officers, and our training was designed to be smart, effective and challenging. It was not meant to be impossible, over strenuous nor filled with pointless tekaning that simply left recruits too tired to learn anything.
Mohawk company, however, is what people call 'shiong company' or simply, 'hell'. They always seem to be Tekaned, doing some sort of PT, punishment or being yelled at from as early as 4 am till as late as 12am.
I'm sure that they feel very envious and bitter looking at us in comparison.
Whenever anyone made a mistake, the entire platoon is punishment. It's meant to encourage us to help each other out, and to absolutely stay out of trouble. Nobody wanted to be crowned the 'Saboh King'.
'Kiang to hoh mai gei kiang' (It's good to be good, but don't go doing unnecessary stuff) makes a lot of sense.
Nobody likes to be the right marker when we are supposed to fall in. That usually meant that he had to shout the timings and lead the marching songs.
Not everybody is musically inclined. Not everyone is suited to lead marching songs. There ARE people who are absolutely tone-deaf. I was amazed.
Drinking 750ml of water in every morning's water parade is not easy. We drink till we retch, we drink till we are bloated, and doing PT after drinking that much was way uncomfortable. But it was all done in the name of hydration. I suppose it is really necessary, because we rarely went to the toilet even when we drank so much water.
And we are not supposed to spill any DROPS of water when we are drinking. There was one time I sneezed and spilled a bit of water during water parade. I had to down another half a bottle of water for the few drops I spilled. o_o
Tekong is like a desert. It is really hot by day, and really cold by night. I often sneezed in the chilly and windy mornings when I fall in for PT.
Dry cough spreads wide and far. There isn't a single moment when nobody is coughing. Apparently it was caused by some chemical that they add in the water to purify them. It irritates the throat.
BCCT (Basic Close Combat Training) was just an excuse to make us do more sit ups and push ups. The first session was a 4 hour long session of holding push up positions, half squat positions and what not.
We really sweat bucketfuls that day, until the floor was spotted and drenched with or sweat. Subsequent sessions were spent on learning how to do proper punches and kicks, and using our rifles in melee combat.
The dummy rifle was a 5kg weight we had to carry as we jumped, ran, and swung around under the blazing sun.
We all looked like burnt toasts after the first week.
Training is usually put on hold when it rains, but you really can't count on a good rain when you need one.
In fact it always seemed to be sunny when there is training, but rainy when we are booking out.
'SAF has weather control systems' is a half believed rumor.
We used the M16 rifle in Tekong. It was issued to us in a rifle presentation ceremony. We had to receive it, and pull it towards us from the officer with force and aggression (to signify and display possession and ownership). The saying goes, 'In Army, your rifle is your wife.' Hence we had to snatch it back from any other men's hands. During the ceremony the officer's grip was so tight that we had to pull really hard, and when the rifle finally came off his hands it rammed straight into our chests. Many of us got big bruises for that.
IMT was a range simulation training, and it was easily our favorite. It was conducted in an air conditioned facility and all we had to do was to stand, squat or prone while we practiced our shooting. Since no real rounds were used there wasn't even any need for weapon cleaning.
The helmet really makes you stupid. You can't seem to be able to think properly in it, and you can even walk into holes on the ground even though you saw it and knew it was there.
It is very easy to get a fever in Tekong due to it's great fluctuations in temperatures. The lack of hair protecting your head does not help matters. I had at least 4 cases of fever, almost once every fortnight there.
My first fever went as high as 39 degrees. I reported sick at the medical center and was given an attend B status (recovery in camp) and put on a drip. It was the first time I had one. I always thought that drips are for patients in critical situations, like after major operations or near death situations those TV programmes always showed. Apparently drips of Saline Solution was effective for bringing down high fevers as well. And it made you have to go to the toilet very often. It was very inconvenient to drag the stand along to the toilet, and extra care was needed so that you don't pull out the catheter from your veins. having to put it back in was Not an appealing idea at all. Especially when one drip did not seem sufficient to bring down my temperatures and the medic decided to give me TWO. On BOTH ARMS.
For Heaven's sake whoever heard of that. Luckily another medic with enough sense came along and removed one. Not before laughing at me first though. =_=
When my temperature stayed at around 39 degrees the next day and they decided to give me an Attend C status. (sick rest at home) As a result I get to return home before my first 2 weeks were up.
Finally, Attend Cs are highly coveted. It was the legitimate ticket to escape trainings. It causes great envy among friends, even though you are really sick and feel like shit.
The First Day in Army
Back dated to 8 Jan 2005
After we received our posting, we made our way to a very big training shed. There were many long tables put together, and on the tables are our duffel bags filled with our standard equipment issues.
We were told to take everything out of the bag, and raise them into the air as the sergeant in front called out the items one by one.
The bag was huge, and jammed packed with many things, from small items such as our ID Tags to large items such as our field packs.
There were 5 sets of the 'No.4' camouflage patterned uniforms, PT kits (singlets, vests and shorts), 2 pairs of boots, a pair of training sneakers, socks, an aluminum mug, our Skeletal Battle Order, helmet, pocket knife, torch, notebooks, water bottles and so on.
After checking that we have received all the proper equipment we were told to repack our duffel bags and take them to our company line.
That's funny, you'd think that if they all fitted in the bag in the first place, they should fit in again, but, no .. Many of us could not squeeze everything back in again, and had to carry the rest in our arms while dragging the bags to the company line. It was a good thing that the bags had wheels. How they managed to pack everything in the bag in the first place remains one of the army's greatest mysteries.
Leopard company is in BMTC (Basic Military Training Compound) school 2. Its building has the Mohawk company line on its left, and training fields and the sea on its right. It is a five-storey building, and I am fortunate enough to be on the 2nd floor, which my bunkmates are already whispering among themselves, that it would be easier for us to fall in whenever we get turned out.
In our bunks we tried out our uniforms to check that the sizes fit. We did some internal swapping for better fits, and the rest were told to wait for the replacements to come the next day.
Sergeant Redwan introduced himself. He was a short tempered and no-nonsense kind of guy.
He talked to us a little, showed us how to prepare our uniforms, tie the lazy knot on our boots, and then brought us to the auditorium for the oath taking ceremony.
There our family and friends bear witness to the ceremony, where we solemnly pledged our allegiance to the Republic of Singapore.
After the ceremony came lunch time. we joined our family for lunch at the canteen.
They served chicken rice on that day. I wasn't sure what they have showed my parents, but they said that the facilities looked really good, and they were impressed with the food.
Sure, Tekong's facilities are really new and good, and the meals are given to us in plenty. They ARE carefully planned and balanced diets. There's rice, whole chicken leg, veggie, sometimes fish, sometimes even better than what I eat at home. (I eat nothing but Maggee Instant Noodles sometimes for weeks.)
But we often thought that the food sucked.
It's true that we do look forward to meal-time breaks, but it is more for the breather we get from the training, than for the food. The food are mostly boiled or steamed, and they look and taste bland.
We think that the food we get outside is better. After all, its the unhealthy foods that tastes best. Hum Kway Teow extra black with extra oil and lard never seemed more appetizing in our lives.
I guess half of it was also because we were in low spirits. I guess it is true, dining isn't simply about the food.
The lunch is the final item of the parents' tour. After lunch the PA System announced that we were to send our parents off at the Tekong Ferry Terminal.
And we watched enviously as they set off for home. Sigh.
Some of the sergeants of the other company lines started their Tekan Sessions immediately after the ferries were out of sight. Some groups had to knock it down (do push ups) in their civvies (civilian clothings), for whatever reason I could not imagine.
But then, in Tekong it appears that sergeants do not need reasons to order you to knock it down.
Hence we often hear the saying that in Tekong, sergeants are like Kings, and officers are simply Gods. They were the only ones with ranks among the recruits.
Luckily my group had no such misfortune. We were simply tasked with marching around until we got our steps right and could march together properly. Then, we were led to another training shed to get our hair cut.
For recruits the short No.1 cut (No.1 is named after the setting of the shaver's blade. It is the closest cut leaving 1 to 2 mm of the hair) is part of our uniform. Some of the guys looked really sad and reluctant to have their crown of glory gone.
In place of our familiar hair there is just a bare grey patch of prickly fuzz. Honestly I thought we looked like a bunch of .. aliens.
I looked around me, and thought, "I've never seen a bunch of people as unlike soldiers as we are. But, at least we all look like prisoners now."
After the haircut and a wash-up we gathered for our first PT session, a jog around the island, our tour to the facilities on the BMTC : the various company lines of School 2, the canteens, the auditoriums, the E-mart equipment shop, the gyms and the training fields.
After dinner we had to sit through a lecture on what it means to be a soldier, and why we had to serve in the NS.
Then we were left to unpack our stuff and to settle in our bunks properly. There was some introduction sessions where we got to know our bunkmates, and after that it was the end of day 1.
13 more days to go! Our first 2 weeks of our service is called the confinement period, and we do not get to book out in the first weekend.
As of now, I am 2 weeks away from my first book out, and 3 months away from my P.O.P. (Pass-out Parade)
Phew. I hope the days pass without too much trouble.
After we received our posting, we made our way to a very big training shed. There were many long tables put together, and on the tables are our duffel bags filled with our standard equipment issues.
We were told to take everything out of the bag, and raise them into the air as the sergeant in front called out the items one by one.
The bag was huge, and jammed packed with many things, from small items such as our ID Tags to large items such as our field packs.
There were 5 sets of the 'No.4' camouflage patterned uniforms, PT kits (singlets, vests and shorts), 2 pairs of boots, a pair of training sneakers, socks, an aluminum mug, our Skeletal Battle Order, helmet, pocket knife, torch, notebooks, water bottles and so on.
After checking that we have received all the proper equipment we were told to repack our duffel bags and take them to our company line.
That's funny, you'd think that if they all fitted in the bag in the first place, they should fit in again, but, no .. Many of us could not squeeze everything back in again, and had to carry the rest in our arms while dragging the bags to the company line. It was a good thing that the bags had wheels. How they managed to pack everything in the bag in the first place remains one of the army's greatest mysteries.
Leopard company is in BMTC (Basic Military Training Compound) school 2. Its building has the Mohawk company line on its left, and training fields and the sea on its right. It is a five-storey building, and I am fortunate enough to be on the 2nd floor, which my bunkmates are already whispering among themselves, that it would be easier for us to fall in whenever we get turned out.
In our bunks we tried out our uniforms to check that the sizes fit. We did some internal swapping for better fits, and the rest were told to wait for the replacements to come the next day.
Sergeant Redwan introduced himself. He was a short tempered and no-nonsense kind of guy.
He talked to us a little, showed us how to prepare our uniforms, tie the lazy knot on our boots, and then brought us to the auditorium for the oath taking ceremony.
There our family and friends bear witness to the ceremony, where we solemnly pledged our allegiance to the Republic of Singapore.
After the ceremony came lunch time. we joined our family for lunch at the canteen.
They served chicken rice on that day. I wasn't sure what they have showed my parents, but they said that the facilities looked really good, and they were impressed with the food.
Sure, Tekong's facilities are really new and good, and the meals are given to us in plenty. They ARE carefully planned and balanced diets. There's rice, whole chicken leg, veggie, sometimes fish, sometimes even better than what I eat at home. (I eat nothing but Maggee Instant Noodles sometimes for weeks.)
But we often thought that the food sucked.
It's true that we do look forward to meal-time breaks, but it is more for the breather we get from the training, than for the food. The food are mostly boiled or steamed, and they look and taste bland.
We think that the food we get outside is better. After all, its the unhealthy foods that tastes best. Hum Kway Teow extra black with extra oil and lard never seemed more appetizing in our lives.
I guess half of it was also because we were in low spirits. I guess it is true, dining isn't simply about the food.
The lunch is the final item of the parents' tour. After lunch the PA System announced that we were to send our parents off at the Tekong Ferry Terminal.
And we watched enviously as they set off for home. Sigh.
Some of the sergeants of the other company lines started their Tekan Sessions immediately after the ferries were out of sight. Some groups had to knock it down (do push ups) in their civvies (civilian clothings), for whatever reason I could not imagine.
But then, in Tekong it appears that sergeants do not need reasons to order you to knock it down.
Hence we often hear the saying that in Tekong, sergeants are like Kings, and officers are simply Gods. They were the only ones with ranks among the recruits.
Luckily my group had no such misfortune. We were simply tasked with marching around until we got our steps right and could march together properly. Then, we were led to another training shed to get our hair cut.
For recruits the short No.1 cut (No.1 is named after the setting of the shaver's blade. It is the closest cut leaving 1 to 2 mm of the hair) is part of our uniform. Some of the guys looked really sad and reluctant to have their crown of glory gone.
In place of our familiar hair there is just a bare grey patch of prickly fuzz. Honestly I thought we looked like a bunch of .. aliens.
I looked around me, and thought, "I've never seen a bunch of people as unlike soldiers as we are. But, at least we all look like prisoners now."
After the haircut and a wash-up we gathered for our first PT session, a jog around the island, our tour to the facilities on the BMTC : the various company lines of School 2, the canteens, the auditoriums, the E-mart equipment shop, the gyms and the training fields.
After dinner we had to sit through a lecture on what it means to be a soldier, and why we had to serve in the NS.
Then we were left to unpack our stuff and to settle in our bunks properly. There was some introduction sessions where we got to know our bunkmates, and after that it was the end of day 1.
13 more days to go! Our first 2 weeks of our service is called the confinement period, and we do not get to book out in the first weekend.
As of now, I am 2 weeks away from my first book out, and 3 months away from my P.O.P. (Pass-out Parade)
Phew. I hope the days pass without too much trouble.
Pulau Tekong
Back dated to 8 Jan 2005
Enlistment day came anyway, no matter how much I might have looked forward to or dreaded it.
I laid awake on my bed a little longer than I normally would. Even if it is just for a few seconds more .. I wanted to enjoy lying on my own bed a little longer.
Then I dragged myself up and stuffed the remaining things that I think I may need into my back pack.
Packing was not easy. I had no clear idea of what I would need, and I kept wondering if I had over packed or under packed my stuff. The job was somewhat complicated as well with my parents' fussing. It seems that they were anxious as well, and slight quarrels ensued over what I should bring and what was way unnecessary.
Then, we left the house. My family went too. Family members are given a tour of the Tekong island. It was to allow parents to preview how their sons' army life would be like, and to put their heart at ease.
Pulau Tekong is an island North East of mainland Singapore. It was specially set aside to be the place where the Recruits of the Singapore Armed Forces are trained.
To reach there we had to first go to the Singapore Ferry Terminal. From there we took the ferry to the island and alighted at the Tekong Island Ferry Terminal.
The ride was bumpy, and coupled with my anxiety it left me feeling queasy. I am quite sure that I was not the only one feeling so; it was rather apparent on some of the other guys' faces too.
On the island my family were ushered to join the others for their tour of the island, while the enlistees were brought to sit in a queue to await our company postings.
I looked around me, and thought, "I've never seen a bunch of people as unlike soldiers as we are."
Most of us were looking around with lost looks on our faces.
Some of them still sported long or tinted hair, and the remnants of their "holiday look" hung sadly dead and subdued around them.
After a while a sergeant came to us to announce our postings.
I am in Leopard Company, Platoon 1, Section 1, Bed number 10.
Enlistment day came anyway, no matter how much I might have looked forward to or dreaded it.
I laid awake on my bed a little longer than I normally would. Even if it is just for a few seconds more .. I wanted to enjoy lying on my own bed a little longer.
Then I dragged myself up and stuffed the remaining things that I think I may need into my back pack.
Packing was not easy. I had no clear idea of what I would need, and I kept wondering if I had over packed or under packed my stuff. The job was somewhat complicated as well with my parents' fussing. It seems that they were anxious as well, and slight quarrels ensued over what I should bring and what was way unnecessary.
Then, we left the house. My family went too. Family members are given a tour of the Tekong island. It was to allow parents to preview how their sons' army life would be like, and to put their heart at ease.
Pulau Tekong is an island North East of mainland Singapore. It was specially set aside to be the place where the Recruits of the Singapore Armed Forces are trained.
To reach there we had to first go to the Singapore Ferry Terminal. From there we took the ferry to the island and alighted at the Tekong Island Ferry Terminal.
The ride was bumpy, and coupled with my anxiety it left me feeling queasy. I am quite sure that I was not the only one feeling so; it was rather apparent on some of the other guys' faces too.
On the island my family were ushered to join the others for their tour of the island, while the enlistees were brought to sit in a queue to await our company postings.
I looked around me, and thought, "I've never seen a bunch of people as unlike soldiers as we are."
Most of us were looking around with lost looks on our faces.
Some of them still sported long or tinted hair, and the remnants of their "holiday look" hung sadly dead and subdued around them.
After a while a sergeant came to us to announce our postings.
I am in Leopard Company, Platoon 1, Section 1, Bed number 10.
Letter of Notification
Back dated to December 2004
Every Singaporean male by the age of 18 have to serve their National Service by going through 2 years of military training.
It was referred to as our 'rite of manhood'. It is when boys will turn to men. It is something every Singaporean male will have to go through, something we will have in common.
Every Singaporean male by the age of 18 have to serve their National Service by going through 2 years of military training.
It was referred to as our 'rite of manhood'. It is when boys will turn to men. It is something every Singaporean male will have to go through, something we will have in common.
Perhaps that's why 'NS' is one of the favorite topics of guys.
You hear about NS everywhere.
You hear about it from seniors.
You hear about it from from friends and relatives.
You hear more and more about it everywhere when your enlistment date draws nearer and nearer.
It's like a constant reminder. Almost as if everyone around you is excited for you.
So I find myself actually listening carefully to what they are revealing about NS. I tried to gather as much information as I can.
What was NS like for them?
Some laughed it off and admitted (shamelessly, too) that they "Chao Keng" (Loafed Off) and had themselves diagnosed as "Unfit for Training". As a result they were excused from many trainings and had an easy NS life.
Some did no such tricks but were nevertheless lucky enough to be being assigned as drivers, mechanics, or other non-combat vocations.
Some said life was not as comfortable as a stay-at-home civilian, of course, but the experience was good for them. They said it is was good, for they made many friends, had a lot of memorable experiences and overall became fitter and healthier than they were.
Some said it was terrible. It was super "Shiong" (Tough), with lots of "Tekan Sessions" (Bullying/Punishment) from their Sergeants and Sirs. It was a misery and they were very glad that they survived the ordeal.
I heard of many different responses, but I don't know what to make out of them.
Instinctively I do not like it. But I hope I will grow to accept it.
In my 2nd year of my JC education I received the Letter of Notification.
"This is to notify you that your date of enlistment will be on the 8th of January, 2005."
The letter to add to my troubles of A Levels examinations.
During my Junior College days I made some attempts to exercise more often, to make myself fitter. All the log lifts and push ups gave me blisters and calluses on my palms; but I did it anyway just to break that zero point to being able to do 3 chin ups. The days of sweat and sore and aching muscles were proof of my efforts.
The days and months still continue to roll by. I wake up to each day with the same feelings of anxiety, dread and fear, mixed with a excitement and curiosity. It was like a dull ache that did not go away even when the exam stress of the A Levels has lifted.
But I tried to pushed them away once the examinations are over.
I planned to play as much as I can, and enjoy myself to the fullest before I begin my Army Life.
You know .. Just in case Army isn't as fun as some make it out to be.
You hear about NS everywhere.
You hear about it from seniors.
You hear about it from from friends and relatives.
You hear more and more about it everywhere when your enlistment date draws nearer and nearer.
It's like a constant reminder. Almost as if everyone around you is excited for you.
So I find myself actually listening carefully to what they are revealing about NS. I tried to gather as much information as I can.
What was NS like for them?
Some laughed it off and admitted (shamelessly, too) that they "Chao Keng" (Loafed Off) and had themselves diagnosed as "Unfit for Training". As a result they were excused from many trainings and had an easy NS life.
Some did no such tricks but were nevertheless lucky enough to be being assigned as drivers, mechanics, or other non-combat vocations.
Some said life was not as comfortable as a stay-at-home civilian, of course, but the experience was good for them. They said it is was good, for they made many friends, had a lot of memorable experiences and overall became fitter and healthier than they were.
Some said it was terrible. It was super "Shiong" (Tough), with lots of "Tekan Sessions" (Bullying/Punishment) from their Sergeants and Sirs. It was a misery and they were very glad that they survived the ordeal.
I heard of many different responses, but I don't know what to make out of them.
Instinctively I do not like it. But I hope I will grow to accept it.
In my 2nd year of my JC education I received the Letter of Notification.
"This is to notify you that your date of enlistment will be on the 8th of January, 2005."
The letter to add to my troubles of A Levels examinations.
During my Junior College days I made some attempts to exercise more often, to make myself fitter. All the log lifts and push ups gave me blisters and calluses on my palms; but I did it anyway just to break that zero point to being able to do 3 chin ups. The days of sweat and sore and aching muscles were proof of my efforts.
The days and months still continue to roll by. I wake up to each day with the same feelings of anxiety, dread and fear, mixed with a excitement and curiosity. It was like a dull ache that did not go away even when the exam stress of the A Levels has lifted.
But I tried to pushed them away once the examinations are over.
I planned to play as much as I can, and enjoy myself to the fullest before I begin my Army Life.
You know .. Just in case Army isn't as fun as some make it out to be.
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