Strike With Synergy
That's the tag-line for my current NS unit. Not exactly the words you would associate with a bunch of guys from all walks of life gathering together once or twice a year to play with guns and such, but we did surprisingly well nonetheless.
Just returned from 2 weeks of In-Camp Training, and it was whole new experience for me, since I was but a clerk during my active NS days. We took part in Exercise Voyager, which entailed being out in the field for 7 days and 6 nights. For fear of being hauled up by Mindef for security breaches, I shall not provide much details, but suffice to say that our motley crew managed to prevail against fresh and vigorous 18/19 year-olds in a reputable active infantry unit. The sleepless nights and heavy tasks were a torture, but on hindsight, it was truly a refereshing experience and I'm a tad proud of myself for surviving my first full military exercise as part of a unit which was recently the best combat unit in its division.
But the bane of my existence in the army? Here it is:
For some reason, they have chosen to bestow me with the squad automatic weapon instead of just the usual rifle, and I thus have to lug this heavy crap all around with me. Not only that, the blanks used do not generate enough "kick" for the weapon to function optimally, so I have to spend more time fixing it than shooting it. Sigh.
I also ended up bringing too much food for the exercise. Only when the exercise started did I realise that I should minimise my eating so as to minimise the call of nature. Trust me, it's not pleasant to squat among tall grass and a battalion of mosquitoes to do the deed. Am most pleased to have limited myself to 3 "releases" during the 7 days, but it came about as a result of eating just enough not to be hungry. Plenty of wasted rations.
Soldier talk aside, I did have a good time with my platoon mates from all walks of life. From a chef, to a pilot, to luxury watch sales, it's nice to be able to interact with people other than legal eagles and the like. Will be seeing quite a bit of them this year, as we anticipate a mobilisation sometime this year, and another ICT later this year too.
Alright, am tired of being deliberately vague, so shall end this post. It's good to be back in civilisation. :)
Just returned from 2 weeks of In-Camp Training, and it was whole new experience for me, since I was but a clerk during my active NS days. We took part in Exercise Voyager, which entailed being out in the field for 7 days and 6 nights. For fear of being hauled up by Mindef for security breaches, I shall not provide much details, but suffice to say that our motley crew managed to prevail against fresh and vigorous 18/19 year-olds in a reputable active infantry unit. The sleepless nights and heavy tasks were a torture, but on hindsight, it was truly a refereshing experience and I'm a tad proud of myself for surviving my first full military exercise as part of a unit which was recently the best combat unit in its division.
But the bane of my existence in the army? Here it is:
For some reason, they have chosen to bestow me with the squad automatic weapon instead of just the usual rifle, and I thus have to lug this heavy crap all around with me. Not only that, the blanks used do not generate enough "kick" for the weapon to function optimally, so I have to spend more time fixing it than shooting it. Sigh.
I also ended up bringing too much food for the exercise. Only when the exercise started did I realise that I should minimise my eating so as to minimise the call of nature. Trust me, it's not pleasant to squat among tall grass and a battalion of mosquitoes to do the deed. Am most pleased to have limited myself to 3 "releases" during the 7 days, but it came about as a result of eating just enough not to be hungry. Plenty of wasted rations.
Soldier talk aside, I did have a good time with my platoon mates from all walks of life. From a chef, to a pilot, to luxury watch sales, it's nice to be able to interact with people other than legal eagles and the like. Will be seeing quite a bit of them this year, as we anticipate a mobilisation sometime this year, and another ICT later this year too.
Alright, am tired of being deliberately vague, so shall end this post. It's good to be back in civilisation. :)
posted by feelingsleepy | 12:44 am
3 Comments:
Ok, this sounds warped, but your ICT actually sounds fun! =)
it doesn't just "sound" warped....it IS warped!
i could recommend a good psychiatrist i used to refer my clients to.... ;p
All I can say is that whoever thinks/says that Singapore has no land and/or is very small is WRONG.... and my sincere and deepest sympathies to all those who have to traverse the island daily for work or school; and even deeper sympathies to those who actually work daily (by choice or otherwise) at such ulu-pok places (aka TUAS)....
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