Hi, new to the forum but definitely not new to the topic. I have
been reading all the information that I can gather, (at least from
the internet, as I am currently not in Singapore) about the death
of the serviceman (NSF). Its a sad day for SAF as much as its a sad
day for Singapore, for we have lost yet another abled man.
Like every other abled young man, I served in the SAF as part of my
national service to Singapore. To many, they call it a
Serve-And-F**koff experience, to me, it was a rite of passage. This
experience is unique only to a couple of countries around the
world. (eg. Israel, taiwan ...etc) I truly understand that not many
of us were that keen to serve in the SAF (be it the Navy, Airforce
or the' Dreaded' Army). However, it sure did make some of us a
better man.
Many would agree that the 'NSF' experience is not one to look
forward but definitely sweet to look back on. Nobody enjoys the
lost of freedom and tough training (for me, that includes keeping
awake in air-conditioned lecture theatre - we call it fighting the
ZzZ monster) while in service. All of us can't wait for the day
when we get to collect our pink IC from the manpower clerk and wave
goodbye to regimented life for good (until reservist comes along
that is).
It always seems more personal when you are part of the experience
or event, therefore, for those in the forum that are still in
national service, its natural to feel more aggrieve as you are
still subjected to the illegal practices during your training. (It
would be presumptuous of me to suggest that no one has been
subjected to illegal training before, everyone did, face it.. its
just the magnitude of illegality) For some of the old timers out
there, the SAF has really changed alot. Not many can remember Pasir
Laba camp anymore and not many can recall charging up Peng Kang
Hill. We must understand that the SAF is always learning and
changing to suit times. However, that doesn't make those that are
going through national service now any lesser than those before
them.
2Sg Hu's death should be look upon as a landmark rather than
another piece of statistic in the history of SAF. The
'tekan-culture' would definitely pipedown for a while, but it will
never ever be totally eradicated. Soldiers today serving national
service are unlike those in the past. They are mostly highly
educated and have high ideals in life (not that those in the past
didn't, but being educated and idealistic during my father's time
just seems to be a rarity, having enough to eat and a roof for
shelter is top priority).
Then we got to ask ourselves. Would our national service experience
be any different, if we didn't have to carry our duffle bag and ran
around the parade square, or get turned-out in the middle of our
sleep to perform ridiculous exercise till dawn or stand in the
parade square for hours without water break? It is these
experiences that made my memories of national service so much
sweeter.
However, what good is it to have to go through all that and not
live to remember it. Where do we draw the line between realistic
training and tekanning-session? The TSR? Screw the TSR, its like
what has been said earlier, something to cover the backside of the
top-brass, so that someone down the line can be held accountable.
So that some small little fry can take the blame for what has
happened. Today the small fry was Noel Cheah.
Some of us may have been instructors before and found that to
operate fully within the TSR is ridiculous. How many of us had been
deprived of sleep before an exercise the next day? 7 hours of
undisturbed rest is a myth. There are compromises made everyday
with regards to training standards. Some are too lenient, some are
too overboard. Where do we go from this scenario, go easy on the
guys in service? That has only a temporary comforting effect, but
in the long run, SIngapore stand to lose. The people responsible
should be made accountable and pay the price for their actions. The
removal of the CCO seems harsh but that is what the chain of
command is for. But then going by that argument, Rear Adm.Teo
should have resigned too. What do you think? haha.. In any case,
whichever side of the fence we sit on, lets hope that 2Sg Hu's
death has not been in vain, let it be a lesson learnt for SAF and a
stern reminder to those in service. And to all those out there that
felt that they have been ill-treated in training, there is always
the SAF Counseling Helpline. (Doing an endless set of 20 pushup
does not count as ill-treatment, we've all been through that, come
on, you've got to come up with something better!!!) Cheers!!!
