In light of SAF Day this month, I’d like to salute all servicemen and servicewomen who have contributed to the defence of this nation.
Let’s be honest, serving in the military is not a walk in the park. It requires sacrifices of all sorts.
For starters, there is the sacrifice of time as we have to spend two years (or 2 years 4 months if you’re an old soldier like me) doing National Service. But it doesn’t just stop there. NSmen also spend a few weeks every year for 10 years doing reservist, too.
Let’s also not forget the siao on NSmen who voluntarily chose to ROVER, or extend their service.
Next, there is the sacrifice of comfort – unless for some reason your home is less comfortable than your bunk. If that really is the case, perhaps it’s time you considered signing on as a regular. Or getting a new home. Or turning your home into a bunk. Whichever is more feasible.
To me, the ultimate sacrifice of comfort comes during outfield exercises. You’re always sweaty, always exhausted because you didn’t get a good night’s sleep, and always hangry because, well, combat rations tend to have that effect on people.
Sure, being outfield does come with certain perks. But look, getting to fall asleep under the starry night sky is nice when you have your bae beside you, not when you’re alongside dozens of other soldiers who smell like a mixture of prickly heat powder, sweat and insect repellant.
Don’t even get me started about the mosquitoes. I still remember getting stung on the bum by not one but five mosquitoes when I had to do a Number 2 somewhere in the woods near the range.
I guess I wasn’t the only one doing live firing that afternoon.
I also had to sacrifice some blood during National Service courtesy of a medic who wasn’t very adept at drawing blood. One of them took a whopping SIX tries.
I still remember rolling my eyes and lamenting after the fifth attempt: “Bro, at this rate I’m going to cough up the blood for you.”
And then we have the sacrifice of safety. Let’s not sugarcoat things – there is definitely an element of danger in National Service. I mean, many of us have to handle various kinds of ordnance, from small arms ammunition to grenades to high explosive rounds to anti-personnel mines.
Speaking of mines, I once had a platoon mate who giggled to himself during the training session on claymore mines.
“How interesting! They print motivational quotes on these mines,” he laughed.
“Huh? What are you talking about?” I said.
“Look. It says here: ‘Front Toward Enemy’. It’s telling us to be brave and face the enemy!”
A few seconds later, the instructor slapped my friend on the helmet and yelled:
“Oei! Motivational quote your head, lah! You’re supposed to point that side of the mine away from you!”
I must say that I’ve been very fortunate because I’ve only ever suffered from minor abrasions and knocks during training. Some of my friends weren’t as lucky. One got stung by a bee. One fractured his toe. Another panicked during rappelling training and ended up getting rope burn – between the legs.
Thankfully, his family jewels were not damaged.
But the worst damage one can suffer in National Service was often not of the physical kind.
Yes, I’m talking about emotional damage.
Yes, I’m talking about the “NS curse” on relationships. I was the victim of this curse. So were many of my friends.
Some say NS is the best test of a couple’s compatibility, and that you’re probably better off with someone else if you fail this test. Others say it’s down to fate. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend getting into a relationship before NS. There’s a good chance you’ll drift apart because your lives will be so different. There’s also going to be paranoia you’ll have to grapple with.
But my buddy had a different perspective.
“Mark my words, I’ll still have a girlfriend after I ORD,” he proclaimed.
“Why are you so confident?” I replied.
“You just have to make sure the odds are in your favour. It’s the same thing we learn during our attack drills. Remember the 3:1 rule? You always use a platoon to attack a section.”
“Huh? How on earth is this related to romantic relationships?”
“Well, I’ll likely still be in a relationship after NS because I have three girlfriends!”
Well, he was wrong.
You see, mathematical probability hath no fury like a woman (or three) scorned. All his girlfriends eventually found out about his philandering ways and dumped him.
And all he was left with was NS mates like me who had to sacrifice our time to console him. In fact, we still catch up every few months to shoot the breeze and reminisce about our chiong sua days.
I suppose that is the beauty of NS. Yes, it can be tough. Yes, it comes with lots of sacrifices. But what we get in return are lifelong friends who will stick with us through thick and thin.
Yes, I really treasure my NS friendships. But hey, please don’t call me up randomly and try to sell me insurance.
LOL Mondays is an ongoing series of slice-of-life stories from freelance writer and NSman Alywin Chew. Look out for the humorous tales which will be posted every first Monday of the month, to help you drive away your Monday blues!
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