This thread has prompted me to post after lurking for some
time.
From what I'm reading, I suspect I'm one of the older batch, having
served 81-84...back when we were still wearing all green number 4's
and heavily starched parade uniforms. I remember Pasir Laba camp,
Tekong before it became the holiday resort it is now (limited
medical facilities, limited drinking supply, no transport), and
other training areas vidivdly despite having left Sg more than 20
years ago now.
Training and regiment was hard, no question. In OCS we were one of
the last batches to have escape and evasion (E&E) training.
Instructors did occasionally physically manhandle us, but in a
fairly limited fashion. We were forced to eat our own feces and
drink urine, which ultimately led to the cancellation of the
program in OCS. I even had a WH on my file but it didn't make a
difference, no instructor was aware of it.
The general mentality of instructors then was to pass on the same
treatment and training methods as they received; most believed
these were the standards that enforced discipline and developed
good soliders -- break em down and build em up -- probably passed
on from Israeli trainers a decade or so prior. As a company best
recruit, top 10% OCT, and subsequently OCS instructor I was as hard
core as well. Two of my platoon mates went to 1CDO and were
outstanding officers. Both volunteered to do so. A number of us
went through Guards conversion course as well. In all cases I'm
sure a similar attitude to training and performance were carried to
the units. Mindef started a policy to change these attitudes in the
last months before we ROD'd, with what we perceived as increasing
success and at the time, declining standards. Even in our day,
however, we believed the training in prior years for those before
us had been even tougher.
Some training led to accidental deaths. One trainee died in
demolition live firing when trying to remove a dud charge, and the
demo officer lost several fingers. Other trainees I am aware of
died of various inherent physical reasons. We were pushed to
extremes many many times; running 10 km in SBO after a ten minute
breakfast following an all night exercise as punishment for "not
performing well" on the exercise, and this included a number of
runs up peng kang and other hills. Every single one of us puked his
guts out during the run. Lots of other physical extremes I can
recall, and even one occasion in Starlight when the entire platoon
cried at the end of the exercise due to the physical and mental
exhaustion (evacuating with 1/3 casualties 8 km as our own
3-tonners drove slowly in front of us -- after two weeks of hell in
the field). On the other hand, lives were saved -- one trainee was
medivac'd out of the jungles in Lancer after he had an allergic
reaction to a bee sting -- thanks to the right safety protocols in
place.
At no time did any of us feel in mortal danger, nor would we think
of putting anyone directly in such danger. We were all physically
capable of handling the training even though we were often tested
to the limits. At worse someone gave up and failed the course or
was cut.
The SERE episode put trainess in mortal danger and crossed the
line. The instructors deserve to face the immediate and full extent
of the law, and Mindef and the government the moral outrage of the
citizens and NS men of Singapore. Anything less would make a
mockery of the sacrifice the young men of the nation make daily to
what we are told is the good of the country, and in this case the
ultimate sacrifice.
