As an ex-reservist conscript in the Singapore Armed Forces, I've served in combat roles in both active and reservist battalions.
The longer I serve and the older I get, the more reflections come to me as I mull over what I had to sacrifice for national service.
My memories of my time in the SAF get softer with age because I have completed by 2.5 years of full-time and 10 years of annual in-camp training ranging from 2 days to 21 days of reservist duty. But I can never forget how even as the years past and the hairs turn greyer, the meaning of what I did degrades with time.
Duty without Rewards
The whole concept of National Service duty is that it is a service to the nation. It is not something you WANT to do but you HAVE to do it. Some people willingly and happily embrace NS. Most just want to serve and f*** off. Others sign on and become regulars. The unfortunate few die during NS.
Duty means to serve without reward, without benefit, without fair remuneration. In my stint as a full-time conscript, I was paid then $200-300 for a Corporal in active full-time NS. The money was sufficient as I was staying with my parents then and subsequently I put myself through NTU through a local government scholarship. But if something had happened to me, all my parents would have gotten was $50,000 NTUC Income insurance which I bought for $21 a month out of my own NSF allowance. The SAF didn't have the group insurance scheme then and the $20 increase in NSF allowance to pay for it like they do now.
In the US, if you volunteer to serve in the US military, you can get some benefits under their GI Bill and also health care at Veterans hospitals. For us Singaporean male citizens, no such luck. Go queue at polyclinics with everyone else as serving your country has not much additional benefits except for addition $50-100 during some GST credits/top-ups and $1,500 or $3,000 tax relief (not rebate).
You get SAFRA membership which you have to pay as it's not free. Ain't really that great if you are dead as free swimming doesn't appeal to corpses.
Honour without recognition
Was there honour in serving the country in the Singapore Armed Forces. Unlike other countries, the general population (i.e. women, foreigners, first generation PRs and newly minted citizens) who don't serve NS don't really respect the uniform. I've not heard of many discounts for NSFs or NSmen in F&B establishments. In the US, servicemen are recognised more than what we see in Singapore.
There are anecdotal stories of NSmen in uniform being asked to get out of food & beverage establishments in country clubs by members who are not Singaporean. That is galling to say the least.
Many of my female peers in university didn't really "get it" that you can die in NS. I've seen my share of 1 case during active days and 1 during reservist so I "get it" fully well that death is a risk in NS even though safety standards have improved over time.
How was I "honoured" by being called names and treated like a piece turd of the lowly Corporal that I was during my full-time national service? They call you "gentlemen" but treat your worse than a foreign domestic worker during full-time NS.
Clean bunks, clearing drains of leaves, even scooping up detritus from a manhole in camp. Been there, done that. Was it honourable to do this for duty? You have to decide for yourselves.
Country without Rootedness
Singapore in 2007 comprises of 3,164.4 '000 citizens and 478.2 '000 permanent residents. 65% Singapore citizens and 35% permanent residents. Mind you, this 65% citizens also included newly minted Singaporeans who are not born in Singapore. So we are slowly becoming the minority in our own country that I defended with my life.
What was I defending? My own people? Other people? Singapore Inc? Temasek's losses? CPF Life scheme?
What really are the values and ethos of this country?
Even MM Lee says we are not a nation yet. I truly agree with him. Perhaps my 2.5 years + 10 years of annual ICT makes me even more sceptical about our nationality as people.
All I hear is "GDP at all costs"... GDP GDP GDP. Money money and more money.
Taking care of one another, being gracious and being accountable and transparent to the people, citizens and countrymen all take a back-seat to GDP growth and money.
As we move nearer to Singapore's 44th National Day and celebrate getting school children to burn their weekends along with NSmen/NSF, People's Association and groups' "volunteers".
I wonder truly, what it was all about.
Majullah Singapura.
P.S. Check out Mr. Brown's latest podcast on your mother's army. Very funny!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Welcome to MilitarySg
I've been writing my blog on my experiences as an ex-reservist conscript in the Lion City and am delighted to be collaborating with my bro, TVD here on this blog about defence related issues in the Lion City.
This is a site by those of us who have an interest, passion and real experience serving in the Singapore Armed Forces for duty, honour and country.
Feel free to comment but blog trolls' comments will be terminated with extreme prejudice.
Gentlemen, watch your front.
Magazine of 30 rounds load.... and READY!
Own-time-own-target, carry on.
Majullah Singapura.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Military Sg to Military Geeks Over
Yo!
A joint effort by our bro Panzer Grenadier and us The Parade Square (also known as The Void Deck). We'll be posting Spore-related SAF and defence stuff here e.g. deaths in SAF, SAF's new toys and its eye-popping $11.45 billion budget (2009).
Don't cut the tele-j line so that you won't have to pick up the damn phone! We know the same tricks bro! Stay tuned to this joint blog! More updates and archiving coming soon!
Military Sg out.
A joint effort by our bro Panzer Grenadier and us The Parade Square (also known as The Void Deck). We'll be posting Spore-related SAF and defence stuff here e.g. deaths in SAF, SAF's new toys and its eye-popping $11.45 billion budget (2009).
Don't cut the tele-j line so that you won't have to pick up the damn phone! We know the same tricks bro! Stay tuned to this joint blog! More updates and archiving coming soon!
Military Sg out.
Stand By Religion
Stand by one's religion or the inspection of religion in the SAF? This has been going on for some time and there are a few versions to this story and the thingy is where the SAF should draw the line in the sand that religion can be an excuse e.g. Sikhs can wear turbans (but not any rainbow colour and must have the ward off evil spirits blessed insignia in front like a beret).
Some people think that Madana is chao keng and that his malingering is uber lame. I don't think it is that simple. SAF pushing that it is a case of clear insubordination. Not that simple either. However, daddy and son were trying to blow the issue up into SAF against Hindus. Naughty naughty. Some Hindu bodies stepped in and objectively distanced themselves a bit from the case instead of circling the wagons blindly. Kudos to that. Anyway, the SAF is a big bad rigid behemoth, and asking it to bend over via a web campaign outside of chain of command is a lost cause right from the time of its net open mob.
July 25, 2009
NSman drops protest
Teen punished for disobeying orders despite counselling
By Melissa Sim
A FULL-TIME national serviceman, who objected to having his hair cut and refused to eat camp food, claiming it was against his religious beliefs, was charged and sentenced to five days' detention.
In response to media queries, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) confirmed that Private Madana Mohan Das, 18, a trainee driver, was tried on Friday for refusing orders to cut his hair according to SAF requirements and eat military food, despite being counselled and given ample opportunity to comply.
The sentence was backdated to Monday, when he was sent to the SAF Detention Barracks for repeated misconduct which undermined discipline in the SAF. He was released from detention on Friday afternoon and returned to his unit, after he complied with orders.
His father, Mr Sundar Gopal Das, described himself and his son as priests at the Sri Krishna Mandir, a Hare Krishna temple in Geylang Lorong 29.
He maintained that as priests, they could not cut all their hair and had to keep a tuft at the back of the head. As for meals, he said they could only eat food prepared at the temple as prayer offerings.
He said his son was initially allowed to keep his hair and have temple food delivered to him, but this was stopped later. While in detention Pte Madana ate only uncut fruit.
Mr Sundar said his son dropped his protest only after he found out that he could face three years in detention.
He said his son became a priest when he was 15 years old, after two years of training here. The temple is a registered society but does not come under the purview of the Hindu Endowment Board, which manages several Hindu temples and organises major Hindu festivals here.
Mr Sundar's views are also not shared by all Hindus. Mr Shriniwas Rai, the Hindu representative of the Inter-Religious Organisation in Singapore, said Hindu priests can eat food prepared outside a temple, as long as it is vegetarian. He added that priests should be trained in India, and not everyone can claim to be a priest.
Mindef said Pte Madana was treated like any other serviceman and all personnel had to follow orders and abide by rules on military turnout and bearing, and discipline. 'The SAF cannot allow deviations from its rules and regulations for any serviceman as this weakens military discipline which could compromise the SAF's operations effectiveness and safety of SAF servicemen.'
Some people think that Madana is chao keng and that his malingering is uber lame. I don't think it is that simple. SAF pushing that it is a case of clear insubordination. Not that simple either. However, daddy and son were trying to blow the issue up into SAF against Hindus. Naughty naughty. Some Hindu bodies stepped in and objectively distanced themselves a bit from the case instead of circling the wagons blindly. Kudos to that. Anyway, the SAF is a big bad rigid behemoth, and asking it to bend over via a web campaign outside of chain of command is a lost cause right from the time of its net open mob.
July 25, 2009
NSman drops protest
Teen punished for disobeying orders despite counselling
By Melissa Sim
A FULL-TIME national serviceman, who objected to having his hair cut and refused to eat camp food, claiming it was against his religious beliefs, was charged and sentenced to five days' detention.
In response to media queries, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) confirmed that Private Madana Mohan Das, 18, a trainee driver, was tried on Friday for refusing orders to cut his hair according to SAF requirements and eat military food, despite being counselled and given ample opportunity to comply.
The sentence was backdated to Monday, when he was sent to the SAF Detention Barracks for repeated misconduct which undermined discipline in the SAF. He was released from detention on Friday afternoon and returned to his unit, after he complied with orders.
His father, Mr Sundar Gopal Das, described himself and his son as priests at the Sri Krishna Mandir, a Hare Krishna temple in Geylang Lorong 29.
He maintained that as priests, they could not cut all their hair and had to keep a tuft at the back of the head. As for meals, he said they could only eat food prepared at the temple as prayer offerings.
He said his son was initially allowed to keep his hair and have temple food delivered to him, but this was stopped later. While in detention Pte Madana ate only uncut fruit.
Mr Sundar said his son dropped his protest only after he found out that he could face three years in detention.
He said his son became a priest when he was 15 years old, after two years of training here. The temple is a registered society but does not come under the purview of the Hindu Endowment Board, which manages several Hindu temples and organises major Hindu festivals here.
Mr Sundar's views are also not shared by all Hindus. Mr Shriniwas Rai, the Hindu representative of the Inter-Religious Organisation in Singapore, said Hindu priests can eat food prepared outside a temple, as long as it is vegetarian. He added that priests should be trained in India, and not everyone can claim to be a priest.
Mindef said Pte Madana was treated like any other serviceman and all personnel had to follow orders and abide by rules on military turnout and bearing, and discipline. 'The SAF cannot allow deviations from its rules and regulations for any serviceman as this weakens military discipline which could compromise the SAF's operations effectiveness and safety of SAF servicemen.'
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