Nostalgia

Oh yeah today’s the pink ic day for me…and a whole bunch of other guys. It’s supposed to be Nov 5, but that’s Sunday so today will be the day rejoin the civilian world. =)

Actually I’ve already been in the civilian mood for the past few weeks, clearing leave here and there. But today will provide an official closure to the NS chapter of my life, sans re-service. It’s been a tough, sometimes painful and soul-searching experience for me. You learn so much more about yourself - your strengths and weaknesses, your style of working and your interpersonal skills; there were times when I was pleasantly surprised at my own resilience and perseverance, savouring the sweet taste of success after completing my mission and just feeling a sense of achievement. Yet there were just as many times when I felt so crushed after letting my friends down on a mission or screwing up some task allocated to me or just by not being there for my friends and my men. Well, you win some, you lose some…Life is not a bed of roses haha, esp. not in the army.

Thinking back, I wonder how I survived the training days. From BMT to SISPEC to OCS - 6-day work week, waking up 5:30am for PT every morning before a full training day. Only breaks were mealtimes and sometimes at night. Booking out on Saturday evenings, rushing back on Sundays, taking cabs from one end of Singapore to the other like nobody’s business, as time is really more precious than money. The regimentation and lack of freedom can be suffocating. I could never see the light at the end of the tunnel then.

But now I’m at the tunnel exit, taking a step out to welcome the light, leaving behind bittersweet memories - tears and laughter, successes and failures, friends and colleagues, my uniform and rank, and a lifestyle that I’m familiar with but will never get used to. I cherish the experience, but I will never trade two more years of my life for it. Like the army guys always say “Change is the only constant,” and in this case, I welcome the change with open arms.

Feeling a bit boliao, here are some memorable quotes from the men in green, words that both I’ve heard and said myself:

“The seven core values: loyalty to country, leadership, discipline, professionalism, fighting spirit, ethics, care for soldiers…drink up!” (standard water parade chant during BMT, with slight variations within different companies)

“The eighth core value – do anything you want, but don’t get caught!”

“rush to wait, wait to rush”

“training is good for you”

“the best form of welfare is tough and realistic training”

“can you see the light at the end of the tunnel?”

“tough times don’t last, tough men do”

“change is the only constant”

“squeeze…spread….squeeze…spread” (during briefings or PT sessions)

“give me 8 rows, move! Slow…give me 10 rows, move!”

“Jumping jack position ready.” (or whatever random exercise)
“Ready!”
“10 counts of 4.”
“10 counts of 4!”
“And begin…”

“bang,bang,bang… bang,bang,bang…” (universal round)

“Section, straight ahead, 200, enemy behind tree, fire!” (which tree???)

“Is that clear?”
“Yes, (rank).”
“Is that clear?”
“Yes, (rank)!”
“I can’t hear you. Is that clear!”
“Yes, (rank)!!!”

“Give me 2 rounds round the parade square.” (during parade rehearsals)

“Come on, endure…come on, endure. Finishing soon.”

“Book in timing - 2230. Anyone late, suffer the blah blah consequences ” (expectant and hopeful faces that usually become crestfallen)

“You #$%^@!” (come in all shapes and sizes, all lengths and languages)

“Pumping position down!”
“Permission to carry on, (rank).”
“Carry on.”
“1,2…20” or more (multiples of 10, min. 20)
“Permission to recover!”
“Recover.”
(everybody’s favourite)

“ORD lor!” (my favourite)