This is the entry I submitted for the 'My BMT Experience' essay competition. I don't even know why I even bothered submitting the entry, since it's so full of politically incorrect statements. At least it'll make for a good laugh to those people censoring it. And it makes for another great blog post.
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Forbidden Files #06 - My BMT Experience
An exposé by Seraphim
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The first time I noticed the SAF 7 Core Values along the stretch at SFT was when I was being wheeled off on a stretcher to CGH. My eyes lingered on the last one; care for soldiers, and I knew right then that the SAF stuck true to its word. Then I took a glance at another value; fighting spirit, and it is because of this value that I return to BMTC as a recoursee.
Unlike most recruits, I have a more interesting BMT tale to tell due to my extended stay there. After one year of enlistment, I have heard accounts by my peers of POP to commissioning, from leadership batch and PTP batch, from commanders and men alike. Disappointingly, BMT held no more surprises for me. So what stops me from describing my BMT experience as 'sian' or its other synonyms? For me the answer lies in the motto of BMTC - Excel Through Basics.
There is a generalisation that those of the JC leadership batch are a protected lot, naive to the delinquency beyond their own bubble. What people do not realise is that there are also subtle discrepancies among them. One can quickly spot this when the recruits are brought back to their basics, that is to be rid of their civilian clothes and have their hair 'botak'. Suddenly the recruits reveal what they are truly like inside - a hidden 'garang' expression behind those spectacles or a scared look behind those heavy fringes. Seeing this first transformation again reminds me of the individuality of every person, and that it is the people who makes each BMT experience unique.
Like in a class, every platoon is never complete without its stereotypes. There are the clowns, the jocks, the pipsqueaks, the weirdoes, and since this is the army, there are also the 'wayang', the 'kilat' and the 'chao keng'. To be honest, my platoon was hardly the best performing platoon in the company. After numerous attempts, we still could not align our basha tents or be the first to fall in. Despite our shortcomings, we nonetheless displayed an audacity to persevere and continue until the end. Slowly but surely we overcame our flaws, and use them to our advantage. During my time as platoon IC, I recall bringing this up to the platoon. Since we insisted on walking and talking everywhere, I proposed that we stuck to it. And just like that, we out-walked and out-sang the other platoons during our march to the SITEST site, much to my ironic amusement. The commanders are also no different; each having their own quirks. Regardless, their consistent top-notch quality proves them true to their ranks. All of us shaped the platoon the way it is, and we would never have asked anyone else to replace us.
Of all the trying times in BMT, nothing came close to field camp. Six days of unclean uniforms, unchanged underwears, unbrushed teeth and uncleared bowels made up field camp. Top it up with the 'tekan' sessions and the heat and it tops the list of challenging things in BMT. That was when we were introduced to the art of digging a shell scrape. My section will never forget our digging experience, where we got frustrated not because of the exhaustion, but because of the futility of our digging. Everybody else seemed to have dug a better shell scrape than ours. Back at home my mother informed me, to my surprise and horror, that our shell scrape site used to be her 'kampung', and that it was a granite hill. That explains why we saw sparks when we struck our shell scrape. Besides this trial, there were other events which made field camp a highlight. Our commanders' demonstration of the battle course and a convoy ambush were a sight to behold, impressing us with the pyrotechnics and their professionalism. The thrill of urban operations, the early morning artillery drill turnout, the gruelling crawl through the BIC grounds and having the platoon sing my birthday song in 'knock it down' position all made field camp a memorable experience.
The 'lau jiao' all say that army is when you wait to rush and rush to wait. This anecdote brings about some phenomena, like the race of the food ICs before meals to 'chop' a place for the platoon, the race to the toilet after breakfast to get the seated cubicle for the morning excretion and the race to the front of the platoon before marches to avoid the constant running. Then there are also the SAF core values #08 and #09 - you can do anything but do not get caught and if you get caught, act blur. Recruits particularly adhere to this when they are apprehended for contraband, like chargers or PSPs, and especially when commanders give conflicting orders, letting them shoulder the blame instead. The 'lau jiao' also say that the food now is much better than back in the days when there were NSF cooks. From the compliments that my non-Muslim counterparts continually shower over my food, that is probably true. But what is treasured most during meal times is the boisterous light talk that cools us down, freshening us up for the next volley of fire from our commanders. I have come to recognise these idiosyncrasies as the defining points of NS life, taking its queerness as what makes military life different and enjoyable.
On the fast craft back to Tekong, you can always spot a common expression that asks 'why are we doing this?'. That is a question that will cross every NSF's mind at some point in time. One PC's answer was to protect our families back home. Another told me that it is to protect our comrades, to keep the people around us alive in times of war. I personally like one captain's answer - to protect the 'chio bu' on mainland. As a descendant of the very island I train on, I truly understand why NS exists. Singapore has endured and invested too much to ever resign our sovereignty. She has become our home, where we return to our loved ones. The medics' motto reads 'So They May Live'. I couldn't agree more.
Having been at both Ladang Camp and Rocky Hill Camp, designed the company t-shirt, parodied a platoon sergeant, took a shot at company best shot, swam for games day and seen two dud grenades detonate, I can honestly say that my BMT experience is complete. When the moment comes when I hear the words 'presenting our trained soldiers', I am confident that BMTC has equipped me with the qualities and skills needed to face future military life. Through trials and tribulations, BMTC has proven that the strength of the SAF lies not just in the abilities of the individual, but the combined strength of every son of Singapore. As I take my last fast craft ride back, I will look around and say that the people around me are those who I am glad to defend and trust as brothers in arms. These are the comrades who have learnt to excel through basics with me, on our journey to strive to be the best in the SAF.
