Story by Teo Jing Ting | Photos by Chua Soon Lye & Chai
Sian Liang
As they join their male counterparts and tough it out in
Basic Military Training (BMT), this bunch of recruits tells PIONEER
why they chose the path less taken.
They look like your average female Junior College (JC) students.
Small-framed, faces clean of make-up, hair tied up. Standing next
to one another in rows of six, dressed in singlets, shorts and
sports shoes. Except that instead of your typical JC physical
education shirts, these ladies are wearing the Physical Training
(PT) shirt - the one worn in the Singapore Armed Forces
(SAF).
Fresh out of school, they have chosen an atypical career route,
challenging stereotypes and joining the military.
Their reason? These women just want to play a part in protecting
their country.
Doing their part
For Recruit (REC) Joelle Cheong, signing on was simply her way of
contributing to society and Singapore's security.
"Becoming a Regular is an opportunity for me to instil into NSFs
(Full-time National Servicemen) a sense of pride to be able to
serve our country," said the 19-year-old.
"When some NSFs enlist, they are very bitter about it as they don't
see the point in doing NS (National Service). I want to be in a
position to show them that what they are doing is meaningful and
actually matters to the country."
While her decision was easy, the same could not be said when it
came to convincing the Raffles JC alumna’s parents. Like some
mothers, Mrs Cheong harboured fears that her daughter would become
too manly or uncouth and be unable to find a husband.
However, after chatting with female Regulars about their concerns,
REC Cheong's parents eventually accepted her choice.
"My dad was a Commando and his experience was very xiong
(Hokkien for tough), so my mum was afraid of that!" she
laughed.
Unlike REC Cheong's parents, REC Shaidatul Nur Ashqin Bte Ghazali's
family had a very different reaction when she announced her
decision to enlist.
"When my dad took me to the SAF Ferry Terminal, he was very proud
and had his arms around me as though he was saying, 'I'm sending my
daughter in!'" said REC Shaidatul with a smile.
In fact, the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) graduate's
parents encouraged her to sign on when she was 19. However, REC
Shaidatul decided to get a degree first, and studied accounting at
SIM before coming back to her first love - the military.
"As a chairman of the Mountbatten Youth Executive Committee, I deal
mainly with youths who are not very academically-inclined. So for
me, signing on is not only giving back to the country, but also to
inspire the youths," said the 25-year-old, who has been a
grassroots leader for the past seven years.
Both recruits enlisted on 5 Feb, along with 31 other girls, making
this the largest ever batch to enlist at any one time in the
SAF.
Grit and determination
Despite knowing roughly what BMT would be like from watching shows
and speaking to their male friends, some things still came as a
shock to the girls. While the usual five basic exercises and
regimentation were still tolerable, others, like regular water
parades to prevent dehydration, were not as easy to get used
to.
For REC Samantha Wun, the first few days of BMT were difficult and
she even suffered from insomnia the first three nights.
"I kept telling myself, 'I can do it'," said the SIM business
management graduate.
"Then the sergeants were asking us to get in line and started
screaming at us to go for water parades. I'm not used to drinking
500ml of water every hour! On top of that, there's not much freedom
here so it was a culture shock for me."
With a background in dragon-boating, REC Wun naturally had an upper
hand compared to the other female recruits when it came to physical
training. As such, activities like the Individual Physical
Proficiency Test (IPPT) and Standard Obstacle Course (SOC) were a
breeze to her. In fact, the 26-year-old even beat her Platoon
Sergeant in a pull-up challenge by doing 20 to his 17, thus earning
the nickname "Muscle Woman"!
On the other hand, training has been especially strenuous for REC
Cheong, who suffered from such bad muscle aches that she could
barely lift her legs or climb the stairs in the early days.
"It has not been easy for me. To be able to do things like the Low
Rope or even the 2.4km run, I had to tell myself, with every step,
to just push forward and keep trying," she said.
When recruits are introduced to the SOC, one of the obstacles they
(guys and girls alike) tend to find challenging is the Low Rope.
Despite having weaker arm strength than their male counterparts,
the female recruits were determined to conquer the obstacle, even
if it meant doing it over and over again till they had
blisters.
As REC Shaidatul put it: "As long as I haven’t reached the top, I'm
not going to let my hands off this rope. It’s damn tough, but it’s
worth the effort."
Staying strong
During the first three weeks of BMT, physical challenges were not
the only things that the girls had to adjust to.
For REC Cheong, BMT was a constant struggle in battling both
physical and emotional stress and still finding the strength to
continue. And growing up in a close-knit family added to her stress
of being away from home.
Holding back tears which threatened to fall, she said: "My parents
wrote me letters and I couldn't even bear to finish reading them. I
read two words of my mum's letter and I started crying so badly
that I couldn't continue.
"Thank god this (getting emotional) always happens when I'm in my
bunk, so I'll just cry and I'll be fine."
REC Shaidatul, on the other hand, would keep conversations with her
mother over the phone short or just ask about her cats during the
call to distract herself. "That's a way of diverting my attention
away from the emotional stuff," she explained.
Dealing with separation
One of the most frequent complaints of every male recruit when they
enlist is being unable to see their girlfriends, who then break up
with them during NS. What about the female recruits?
Asked about her boyfriend's reaction to her enlisting, REC Cheong
said: "He was very proud that I could do something a lot of boys
find difficult, and that I was doing it voluntarily. And he really
respects me for it, so that keeps me going."
Despite missing him immensely, REC Cheong felt that it was probably
much easier for her in BMT than it was for her loved ones. Recruits
were often busy dealing with a new environment and physical
training, while their loved ones had to deal with missing them when
they "looked at an empty chair or bed", she explained.
"I hope all NSFs can understand, instead of just blaming the girl
and NS for 'taking away' their girlfriends. It's a two-way
challenge and a test of your relationship," she added.
REC Deborah Koh felt that being away in BMT was like travelling
overseas. Communication and encouragement from her boyfriend kept
her spirits high.
"We try to set up ways of coping for ourselves, like texting and
calling, so at least there's some contact. He's very supportive of
me and tells me that he’s proud of me."
Girls, united
As the weeks passed, the bond among the recruits grew
stronger.
That sense of camaraderie was especially apparent during physical
training. Words of encouragement were exchanged and cheers were the
loudest whenever it came to IPPT or SOC training.
"You can see everyone encouraging each other to do more chin-ups
and pull yourself up one more time," said REC Wun.
"And it works. At the start, one of my section mates could not even
manage one, but now she can do at least six! It's a vast
improvement and it shows that encouragement from your section mates
can really motivate you."
As the Chin-up In-Charge (IC), REC Wun also plays her part by
taking time out to guide the girls on strengthening their arm
muscles.
"Every night, I help them with their pull-ups and ask them to hold
on for five seconds to build up their back muscles. Then I slowly
lower them down. We do two sets every night and this really helps
to strengthen their back muscles and arms," explained REC
Wun.
For some, military commands, which are in Malay, can be a tough
challenge. This is where REC Shaidatul comes in, as she is fluent
in both Malay and Chinese.
"If my bunkmates are unsure of any commands, I translate them into
Chinese," said the Higher-Chinese student. "I teach them to listen
to the second last word, because whatever comes in front is usually
just a command, the last two words are the instructions."
Of the bond among the girls, she said: "If someone doesn’t know
anything, we will go and help her. We're like sisters."
My rifle is my husband
In BMT, there are several defining moments; receiving the Singapore
Assault Rifle (SAR) 21 is undeniably one of them. Usually termed as
a recruit's wife, the rifle becomes a "husband" in the hands of
female recruits. Some of them have even named their weapons.
Jokes aside, REC Koh said she felt honoured when she received her
rifle. "Sometimes people say that it can be a burden carrying the
SAR-21 around, but it makes me feel like a soldier as I'm reminded
of why I'm doing this and what I'm doing this for," said the
National University of Singapore (NUS) psychology
undergraduate.
When it came to weapons, the disparity between the male and female
recruits became a little more apparent. During a lecture about the
SAR-21, while most of the male recruits could answer questions
about the guns, the female recruits were more hesitant when
answering.
Similarly, when it came to weapon handling, the girls were slightly
slower in getting the hang of it. The sergeants conducted a
one-to-one session to teach them to strip and assemble the
rifles.
The female recruits fared well eventually in the test by stripping
the SAR-21 under 45 seconds and assembling it back under 60. In
fact, they all scored about 90 marks or more (upon 100) in the
technical handling test, with 40 percent clinching full
marks.
Marching along
Another milestone to cross in BMT is the 6km route march.
While it may seem like a small feat, compared to the 24km march
that recruits have to complete for their Passing Out Parade (POP),
the 6km is the first route march where the recruits get a taste of
walking with a full 20kg load (which includes their field pack and
SAR-21).
"At first, when we put on the field pack and rifle, we were like
'can lah, 6km should still be able to handle'. But after walking
one round (about 3km), all we could think of was 'when is the rest
time?'" laughed REC Wun.
Nursing aching backs and in sweat-drenched shirts, the recruits
were seen giving each other shoulder massages at the first rest
stop. Despite having crossed the halfway mark, their journey became
tougher after the 15-minute break as fatigue weighed down upon
them.
This was especially so for REC Wun, who volunteered to hold the
2m-long company flag while marching. This meant an additional 2kg
on top of her 20kg load.
And if the occasional breeze was a welcome respite from the blazing
sun for most recruits, it was just the opposite for REC Wun.
"When the flag blows in the wind, it becomes harder to control,"
explained the gutsy recruit, who felt that the flag weighed "more
like 10kg".
To take their minds off the physical fatigue, the recruits even
sang songs such as Counting Stars by One Republic and
Home by Kit Chan, on top of the usual Army songs, in order
to motivate one another.
Marching alongside the recruits, the sergeants were also a source
of motivation for them.
"They kept asking us if we were ok and to drink up," said REC
Shaidatul. "When you see these commanders around, you just want to
be as good as what they expect of you."
One of the recruits was having problems keeping up with the rest of
the platoon.
In the spirit of "No (wo)man gets left behind", REC Wun held her
hand and reminded her of why she chose to be in BMT. In the end,
the recruit managed to complete the route march with the help and
motivation of her fellow platoon mates.
Said REC Shaidatul: "This is just not one person's journey;
everyone's marching together."
Agreeing, REC Wun added: "Even if you finished first, you would not
feel as good as compared to completing it together with the rest of
your platoon."
We are soldiers
The recruits are lying in wait among dense jungle vegetation.
Well-hidden behind trees and shrubs with camouflage paint on their
faces and leaves on their helmets, they take aim with their
rifles.
Their "enemies" enter the vicinity and scan the jungle with
eagle-sharp eyes. It’s a matter of time before the concealed
recruits are spotted. They stay still. A mere twitch and they might
just give their positions away.
This scenario was part of the individual field craft lessons that
the recruits have to learn before they are thrown into field
camp.
Split into two groups, the recruits take turns to learn the
technique of camouflaging themselves in the jungle and hiding in
the best places while the others try their best to spot those
hidden from a distance away.
Knowing something and actually doing it is very different, REC
Cheong realised, especially when she was given only a few seconds
to prone on the grimy ground.
"Because you have a time limit (to hide), you find the most
spider-webby and leafy place and just lie there. And after that,
you realise 'oh shit, there's something crawling up your leg'," she
laughed.
A "low point" of their training was the leopard crawl, where they
literally "ate" the sand on the ground. As they sprawled flat on
their tummies and moved their elbows and knees as fast as possible
to get across the ground, the recruits kicked up a huge
brownish-yellow cloud of dust and sand.
The slower ones were left in the wake of dust and sand as the
faster recruits moved ahead. Many were seen coughing and choking
even after they completed the crawl.
"It's really tough," said REC Wun. "The dust hits you in the face
so you can't even breathe when you’re doing the leopard
crawl."
Training may be arduous, but it was precisely that which made them
into soldiers, added REC Cheong. "When I do this, I see how it can
be applied during war; I see why I want to be in the Army and why I
want to protect my country. And it gives me the drive to keep
going."
When asked if they had any expectations of what field camp would be
like, the girls were unanimous in their replies - "exhausting". But
they were prepared and raring to go. In the words of REC Shaidatul:
"It's just five days. Make it or break it."
Ready to press on
It's only been five weeks (at time of print) and the girls are
already bracing themselves for even tougher times ahead.
With more to come in the second half of their BMT, such as their
first field camp, the recruits know that it is not going to be
easy.
What's going to pull them through?
"My personal goal is to overcome the hardships that we all face,
and to POP successfully and in glory," said REC Shaidatul. "It's
not all about myself, but my bunkmates, platoon mates and the one
who is marching next to me. At the end of the day, I'm not going
through this alone."
For others, the "push" factor to carry on could just be something
as simple as love.
"You just look across the shore (from Tekong) and you feel all
these emotional ties and nostalgia," said REC Koh.
"It's because of the people back home. That’s why we're doing this
and why we want to protect our country."
