Thursday August 17, 10:17
PM
Army Museum
launches website to give sneak preview of
exhibits
The Army Museum of Singapore, or ARMS, will only be ready next year
to commemorate 40 years of National Service.
But the museum's has been launched to provide a preview.
57-year-old Yong Shao Chong was in the pioneer batch of NS
enlistees.
He is eager to show his son Yong Sheng a picture of what his rifle
looked like: the weapon which NSmen traditionally nickname their
'wife'.
These pictures, and other stories of the experiences from the first
batch of 18-year-olds to enlist for national service in 1967 are
now on the army museum website.
Mr Yong said: "It's actually a lot of memories and history. When I
was enlisted, there was a lot of anxiety actually, you don't know
what army is like. Heard so much about it, that it may be tough
life. So actually wasn't very enthusiastic about it. Then went in,
made the best of it, and had a lot of fun!"
Yong Sheng said: "I think the website will be an informative site
for us to find out about the past, the differences and compared to
now, the lifestyle in NS. It's a good experience to look back at
the differences and maybe appreciate it more."
Many other enlistees from the pioneer batch also contributed
artefacts and photographs - including one photo taken with the late
cabinet minister Lim Kim San.
They will be exhibited at the Museum, where soldiers past and
present can visit to share and relive their defining moments.
The Army Museum of Singapore is located next to the Singapore
Discovery Centre.
It is still under construction, but when it opens its doors in late
2007, it will stretch over 160 metres and have some 1,800 square
metres of exhibition space.
The museum hopes that contributions from Singaporeans can help to
fill up the space.
LTC Kenneth Liow, Head, Army Museum Project, said: "The Army Museum
wishes to do both - preserve the heritage, and honour the
contributions of our soldiers. The artefacts will also do both.
We're looking for artefacts that help us tell the army story,
artefacts or mementos which tell the individual soldier story, the
time they spent in National Service, the sacrifices that they made.
How the two, or two and half, years with us and on top of that the
10 years of National Service thereafter have become a ritual in
terms of the rite of passage of manhood for them as well."
Those who wish to make contributions, can contact the army museum
at the email address: [email protected] - CNA/ch
