I am at work this Halloween. Many party invites but, I chose to be ready for work in the morning. I embarked on my training regime not too long ago. I’m rather shagged out every night. You can check out my Physical Training Page.
I achieved a Marksmanship Award yesterday. I was the only person in my category to achieve it on the first try amongst the shooters. My shoot starts from 300m. Progressively, I have to run to the 200m, 100m and 50m mark. All in history, it wasn’t easy. However, it can be done. This is the 4th year and the 4th time that I attempted it. The only difference between this and the past years, my level of focus was different. It was way more this time. I have achieved one of my goals for the year.
Last month, I learned to focus. I learned about commitment, responsibility and being frank with myself. That tore a lot of my beliefs away and allowed me to live life more. To realize what I had missed out through the years.
I chose to get connected with the people around me.
I chose to say “Happy Birthday” to the people I haven’t spoken to for years.
I chose to be a human being.
It’s amazing when a person that I haven’t spoken to for years knows what is going on in my life. Like what’s my job, where do I work and what do I actually do. It’s more amazing to realize that I have no idea what goes on in hers. That’s when I realized I haven’t been putting effort into the lives of the people around me. And so I made a choice.
Yesterday, I discussed with a senior officer about my career. There are a lot of paths open to me and a lot of people who support and believe in me. I took a major step in my decision making, charted out my planned achievements for the next 20 years to come and tinkered with a few “What Ifs“.
“If I want to deploy you in ‘country name’, are you ready to go?”
-pause-
“You don’t have to answer me now, think about it.”
-think-
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“It takes a thousand days to train a soldier but his use is only for a day.” – Chinese Proverb
I chose to be a soldier and I became an officer. It’s been 4 yrs since I enlisted and I haven’t deviated from my original motivations. To lead and to serve. To believe and play a part in the defense of people. To become elite. To live life the way people dreamed but never realized. I have impacted lives with positivity. I have fulfilled the requirements.
This year, there were 3 deaths in the SAF. Unfortunate, unexpected. Greatly so, when the servicemen were not involved in any High Key Exercises. Surf hard in the net, you will find many forums with comments on this issue. Look onto the threads. What do they say?
- “i think its just a case of SAF dun farking care mentality.
Care for soldiers ? ha …..”
- “of course you would expect TCH’s ranjiao face to appear and say the necessary crap.
Then de javu, the blame will go to the direct commander.
Then case closed.”
- “SAF really needs to relook at its standards and whether those guidelines are actually adhered to. More importantly, it needs to relook at its own regulars.”
- “cannot lo… its have been consistantly like that for many many uncountless time liao… We should stand up for our rights.. the authorities is pushing us too far off..”
- “saf regulars should have certain amount of education. i’m now in a vocation that was formed by specialist and specialist regulars usually are o levels grad. they seriously dont have brains.”
- “saf should really review about its intake for regulars. i farking hate their way of choosing commanders. i know of ppl who cant lead and yet entered ocs because of his ippt. and similarly, ppl who can lead but failed ippt didnt manage to be commanders.”
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We also have a long line of “Yesteryear” stories.
- “Nowadays our self proclaimed world class army still behave like somalian warlords?I was made to wash the toilet with attend B status 10 years ago. Other recruits not so lucky. Attend B still must use changkol even the sand under the hot sun for the normal guys to jump SOC.
World class indeed.”
- ” i is still rememer last time my unit all these people during bmt got excuse lower lim etc, for sprain ankle or fracture or wartever, then the 3sgs make them all carry huge jerry can of water around to be water point during pt or run
wah cow
they is no brain
when u carry heavy water all the weight is press down on your ankle and foot all the stress is on lower limb!” - ” When I was a recruit 10 years ago, I got fever and was given attend B. Instead of letting me rest, I was made to wash the toilet by one of the sergeants.
I still remember that guy name and face. 2 years back I saw him in metro woodlands. It took alot of restraint for me not to go up there to break his farking nose. Mutherfarker…”
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Hearing these words, it’s quite sad (for a long time) that everyone in Singapore regards National Service as a drag. How much rejection do they have? They CAN remember things from 10 years ago. Let’s say they were 18 when they enlisted. They’re 28 now. And they are telling the sad story of their REC days.
Get over it.
I’m not defending SAF or feeling sore as a Infantry Regular. What I am burdened with is that…
- Few people believed in the NEED for defense but those interview on TV will always say NS is good. The hypocritical nature of Singaporeans to say the right thing than their true thing.
- The typical pre enlistee strives to be the lowest performing soldier upon enlistment. They love being a clerk or storeman (not that it’s wrong.) than to take up the privilege and responsibility of a commander. After that, they will often say they would have BEEN a better commander.
- Every time an unfortunate thing happens, the above mentioned comments start flooding out. People complain of how bad the system is, how bad the people are, how shitty the conditions were. Have they ever realized that they have NEVER put in any effort to change what they didn’t like at all?
- People think that it is somebody else’s responsibility to defend the country. It’s always the others that screwed it up.
- People fail to acknowledge that times have changed and they are still trapped in the timezone of 10-20 years ago.
Singaporeans love to have tickets for the National Day Parade, which is made up mainly of military pride. Yet, few are actually willing and put in effort during their NS. Is it because of the goodie bags? Everybody wants to be good but few ACTUALLY becomes good. Just take a look around in the lives around you. How many have told you of their aspirations, years down the road, they still haven’t achieve it?
The SAF is made up of Singaporeans. It was the result of everybody’s choice. Your interaction with people created the people who enlisted. These people make up the SAF. Singaporeans fail to realize that.
When was the last time you felt that NS shouldn’t exist? Probably during your enlistment and training. Do you think NS MUST exist? Probably yes. We all need to understand that if you choose to do lesser or do nothing, there will be no result. We all often choose that by hanging on to previous experiences of the unfortunate and brood over it. Having no action for the now. Of course, we have no results.
If you thought NS sucked because of the people running it, why don’t you give a try? Could you have done a better job? Probably not. Why? because how you performed in NS then is an indicator of how you will deal with problems in life. By doing less and creating no result. I’m not saying it applies for everyone. For the general public, that’s the sad fact.
SAF is not a perfect organization. It still has many kinks to be fixed. Which fighting force doesn’t? If the new blood that comes in finds no purpose, how do you expect it to go for the better? If everyone came in and put their best, would it be different? How often do I hear people saying how they didn’t want to go to Army and how they are happy to be sick and injured? People always felt they could be treated better but never looked at what they could have done to change things. Continue to live in the bad conditions. It’s a choice.
I never once heard anyone say that they put in their best in a certain training or exercise and were disappointed in the results they had and wished they did better.
I wouldn’t say every regular is putting in his best, afterall, they are made up from the same group of people who felt NS is crap.
What do you CHOOSE to do today? Encourage somebody to put in his best, living for honour or sympathize a poor soul and help him down the spiral of victimization?
I chose to put in my best, influencing and growing those around me. I chose to set my eyes on a higher purpose than to look at the conditions at hand. I chose to see possibilities than the impossibilities. I chose to do and make things happen. I chose to fight for you though I may never ever know you.
Irony.
Encourage somebody today.
The change starts with you.
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