just my reflections after 2 weeks

last SG · 2006-12-26T12:49:06+00:00

I hated my BMT life. All thanks to my PS and Bunk Mate. Shitty comrades I got there. But I Like iT in OCS. Although it is about 500% tougher then BMT, I enjo...

Classicist SG

BMT's first 2 weeks have been a pain. Or maybe its the change in the type of life, sigh. The regimentation, and the facades that you sometimes have to put up to get along with your bunk mates, and sometimes the age difference of more than 5 years have been problems that i've encountered. it is as if recruits are only allowed to feel these simple emotions of pain, happiness and fear. a feeling's worth more than dogs. in the end, you end up more ignorant of the real world outside, learning so called life skills, which if so properly indoctrinated, why are these sergeants who sign up end up so CMI in the real world?

i know thousands have been through it, but i can foresee army scarring me psychologically and mentally for the rest of my life already. you may survive biologically without doubt, but you may change forever. a part of yourself is missing...vulgarities commonplace, doing things out of fear and not pride, the senseless regimentation, which, ironically makes me lazier in the civilian world.

Sigh, why does SAF run on a system of fear, and not the inherent motivation for soldiers to perform out of pride...pain. pain.

The only thing that comforts me is that all these things will come to an end. Like they always will.

just my reflections after 2 weeks.

Marco_Simone SG

WELCOME TO THE SAF!!!

Fatshort SG

Hey recruits, you still have 102 weeks to go.. life outside BMT is more different. dont reflect too soon..

like you say, they will come to an end.. like me.. 6 months to ORD..

Fatum SG

regimentation and haressment is neccessary in the army because that's how combat would be ... you need to be able to perform and function and motivate yourself within in the face of fire ...

if you can't even do that with some sgt farker screaming at your face, how can you be expected to function in the face of fire ? ... there won't be someone by your side, scratching your balls and exhorting you in the trenches you know ...

but hey ... just to help you find your motivation again .... I'm going to help you remember something here ....

wasn't it you who claimed that you wanted to get into OCS ? ... remember the thread ? ... (assuming that you're not a white horse) the kitkat bar is not a rank you can simply buy at the emart you know ... it's something to be earned, in anycase, welcome to the real world, being farked by sargeants is nothing compared to a scolding from your future bosses at work .. so get used to it ...

pierre^^ SG

yea

i ord nong nong ago

sir sickolot II SG

you may not see the life skills that you might be picking up, things like how to be more tolerant, to be more grateful to your cv life, and many other things you will cherish like friendships.
the first two weeks are always impactful, the sudden change is something that many recruits will gripe about.
In fact, I took a long time to adjust to military life, even though I was from a Uniformed Groups background.
In the end, after two years, along with the joy of freedom, one will acknowledge the definite friction within the system, the many levels of red tape and 'top down' approach used by the military. However, like any military, this is just part and parcel of being in green/light blue/navy. Razz
The system of fear and reprimand is something no armed forces can shake off, the thing is to appreciate that although this system may stifle the individual, it is necessary (although not always) to facilitate the proper running of such a large and diversed org. and in the case of sg, a not-very-commited force made of conscripts.

dam... i think my ideas are too convoluted. Embarassed

sir sickolot II SG

.... it's something to be earned, in anycase, welcome to the real world, being farked by sargeants is nothing compared to a scolding from your future bosses at work .. so get used to it ... [/b]

although i won't call SAF a 'welcome to the real world'.. it is still a good training ground to understand politics, human relations and human psyche in a controlled and i dare say shelthered environment.

And having been thru green and now in the office, yup... suck it up. SAF commanders ain't that bad when it comes to punishment.

cheers!!

borntolive SG

as much as i hate army, bmt is the most enjoyable n easiest exp so far for my army life, now that i m in a unit, i feel that bmt life is much better..

If u cant cope with bmt then unit life is worse, try to get used to it cause when ur in a unt after bmt u will hope u r in bmt

STUU SG

chao keng n tell MO u wanna OOT n downgrade la... solve all the problem n save us all ur whinings

+1

tarutaru SG

n go thru BMT again? why not do it once and do it good.

Marco_Simone SG

Recruits have to book in tomorrow(xmas)evening!!! How great for morale would that be!

tarutaru SG

2 wks and u r already complaining....how can u survived in OCS or SISPEC?

STUU SG

i dun think he will be selected for ocs or sispec Laughing

Quirinus SG

This is a load of crap.
No one asked you to put up facades or act. If you have to put up a facade, you're not really absorbing anything. You're just fooling yourself. Be honest with the people around you and stop acting like a nice guy and good soldier. What are you doing all this for? A good Peer Appraisal? A good report from your Commanders? If you think someone is being a "f**ker" then just tell them, you'll feel better. Pretending to be their friend so you can get a vote won't earn you any respect or genuine friends.

You say you're doing things out of pain rather than pride. Please! This is only the first 2 weeks so I'm guessing there's relatively little physical pain. Emotional pain that you experience is self-inflicted. By not being sincere, you can't really bond with your platoon or make friends so you have to keep all your feelings to yourself; You hurt yourself.

Ask yourself how "pride" can develop within a situation like this?

Lastly, becoming more ignorant or lazy (a.k.a. demotivation) is a symptom of your own false facade. You can't keep an act up for long.

Don't blame the Army.

Classicist SG

I think you are absolutely assuming things. Knowing people for 2 short weeks, you cant honestly be totally frank with them to ask them to fuck off when you dont like em, or otherwise. Being nice and candid, at the same time not compromising my principles, is part of my conduct. I dont think i am being hypocritical in that aspect, for i do not know much about my mates as yet to be totally telephatic in our conversations. the same can be said of them.

There is such a thing called being principled. Putting up a personable facade, as part of portraying a good impression, is pivotal in starting a good friendship. Then what do you expect? Bemoaning to your mates about how filled with agony the first few days were? True, i was rather down in the first few days, but do i go around whinging about the lil' shortcomings of army everyday? Complaining about how you miss your civilian life? You think diplomats will tell one another to fuck off (im not specifying examples lest i get charged) in the face during congress meetings? You ignoramus.

Friendships TAKE time to develop. At the end of the day, do you want a BMT to be rifed with puerile misunderstandings, petty quarrels over the slightest of misaligned personalities, or one which people are compromising with each other, accomodating, and at the same time, celebrating differences? I prefer the latter thank you. I dont need a good peer appraisal, all i want is to be true to my feelings, enjoy the journey and everyone to POP successfully. Not getting into command school isnt the end of the world, i can contribute in ways that the commanders deem i am more effective in.

"You are doing things out of pain rather than pride". Goodness, you totally miscontrued my statement. I said i seem to be doing things of out FEAR rather than pride in your profession. You think the greatest feats in the world are done with there is a superior (eg coach) barking at athletes? Or Tiger Woods consistently being insubordinated by his coach? OR through having pride, passion in what they do? If your thinking is the former, then you are so wrong. Seek to think, if commanders were to motivate us, fill our trainings with more positive remarks, psychological encouragement, saying things like "You can do it, its all in the mind!", rather than "Lan Lan Suck Thumb", dont you think the results would be dramatically different?

Lastly, I am not blaming the army, just articulating my opinions, and perhaps suggestions on how the system can be improved. Different systems have their unique style of governance, and i respect that.

To the rest: I thank you for the advice/encouragement, I'm mentally psyched up to book in tommorrow. God bless you all, and i'll continue to chronicle my experiences here Smile

mr_sotong SG

life after u ord is much more scary.. Laughing

RaTtY8l SG

if got choice, i think i would go back army. no doubt its regimental but the office politics is more pain in the @ss

crimson soldier SG

life's like that.

actually most organisations out there also screwed up one, just in different ways.

but still looking forward to pink!

tarutaru SG

That I agree

LetterboxMind SG

Yo NS boy! Be proud of what you are going through. Even though the small things like area cleaning may seem pointless to you, the fact that you are doing NS is to "protect" our country, our way of live, our women, etc.

I know it sounds far fetched lah, but we've all done it, are proud of ourselves, and will continue to be proud of those that keep up the "tradition" of NS.

I read your posts. I think you are just disillusioned. You have good english. Like what i said to you before, in army, english no need to be so powerful. Anyway, back to the main point. You sound educated, and idealistic. Sad to say, the army is not a place for creativity and idealists. That is why people like you feel sad. It's ok. Many have also gone through those feelings.

Just know that time will pass, and soon, you will POP! Then soon, you will be lance corporal! and so on and so forth.

Ok lah, if the training is really too tough for you. Then i suggest you find a way chao keng and get downgraded. Hey, i'm not saying it's morally right, but for some folks, it makes life easier for them.

I always feel that there's a some who were never born to be soldiers.