With many of us having just celebrated Mother’s Day this month, the unconditional love and countless contributions of our family’s matriarch should still remain fresh in our minds. Now, how do these qualities fare in the military, when we juxtapose their qualities with the demands of our military force? It would be interesting to explore an alternate reality where we see our mums in green!
We posed this very question to 4 National Servicemen: What vocation would best fit your mum if she were in the army and why?
For sure, if she was in the army, she would be the perfect medic.
When I was in Secondary school, I dislocated my shoulder during badminton practice and spent a pretty extensive period of time in between the hospital and home rest. It was awful – shoulders were sore (duh), the environment felt bleak and life became really mundane.
My mum really went out of the way to take care of me, nagging me to take my medicine, preparing nourishing meals specially to aid my recovery and really, keeping me company on days when it got really bad. Her love and compassion is a continuing theme for her, never having stopped doing her very best to protect us – my brother, me, my dad, all of us.
If she were ever enlisted, you will not find a better and more selfless medic on the ground! She’ll probably fuss over you regardless of how many times you tell her you’re fine, and then prepare a heartwarming bowl of porridge for you after.
CFC (NS) Po Tat Sang, 3AMB, Armor
I can only imagine – my mum in the army. Good luck to anyone that dares to get in her way.
Having earned a reputation (some might say notoriety) for her doggedness, my mum has seen and been through way too much to ever back down – an attribute that has contributed to the many well-deserved successes that she enjoys today. She has never taken ‘no’ as an acceptable response and is willing to give anything her best, even when I at times feel it’s unnecessary (to be fair, she has made me eat my words more times than I would care to admit).
My mum may be the most resolute person you would meet, and she might rub some the wrong way, but she is also the most loving person I know
She would be the Infantry officer that everyone fears to encounter during training, but can reliably depend on in crucial moments. After all, what better way to forge ahead (infantry motto) than with a fiery spirit like hers?
3SG (NS) Sean Yee, Signals Training School, Signals
Intelligence officer! Or maybe a logistic officer.
Coming to Singapore with nothing but two young boys who depend entirely on her, she really had the odds stacked against her. It’s amazing how her hunger for success and a grit for hard work had driven her to build what is essentially one of Singapore’s largest construction empires. All on her own.
No one I have ever met has come close to possessing the world-class resourcefulness that has guided my mum through uncharted waters, of which she navigates every single day.
And isn’t that essentially what we ask of our intelligence or logistical personnel? To make sense of the unprecedented conundrums that demand unorthodox solutions?
REC (NS) Arthur Leong, Tekong
Probably an unconventional answer but I think she’d do great in the recruitment office!
When life goes by as quickly as it does in Singapore, it is rare that I get a chance to really think about where I’m headed. And when I do, it can get really overwhelming. Am I doing things right? Am I doing enough?
Thankfully, I can always count on my mum for her grounded reassurance and sound advice. She somehow always finds a way to dispute the ceaseless intrusive thoughts with a refreshing optimism that I really need during moments like these. She always listens with intent, never judges and reiterates an unwavering faith in a better future.
She’ll thrive in the army’s recruitment office not because she’s a pesky salesperson, but rather, she empathises with the uncertainties of young people like myself who would mostly likely find themselves contemplating about the future, whether in the military or anywhere else. And really, this kind of compassion is something we could use more of in the army.
3SG (NS) Huang Mao Han, 701SIR MSC, Logistics
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