Enlistment season is dawning upon us JC kiddos once more :D It seems so long already, but just one year ago I was eagerly (yep, you read that right) awaiting enlistment and all the excitement and challenges NS has to offer. K I was naive okay, I seriously thought NS was gonna be a really meaningful experience. Maybe it is, maybe I'd just been unfortunate enough to experience a less-than-ideal journey, but no matter. I went in knowing all the "right" stuff about NS, so now I'm going to write about the "left" stuff that everyone knows but no one publicly acknowledges. :)
Okay, this is gonna be a disorganized mess of information. I'll try to keep it in order, starting with BMT.
BMT
BMT is gonna be a really fun time. People ain't kidding when they say BMT is the most memorable part of NS. It's the shortest (2 months for you fit enhanced kiddos and 4 for the PTPs), but the most unforgettable. I theorize it's because BMT's the first stage of a totally and radically new experience in your lives, so it's gonna leave the deepest impression.
I'm not gonna delve into the standard tips on what to bring and what to do - there're plenty of "official" guides and articles on that already :) I'm gonna be talking about the "left" way of surviving prospering *partially evil glint in eye*
1. Phone chargers. You're going to hear a lot of crappy excuses why you can't charge your phone. The one my Sergeant told us was that someone's charger started a fire, and so now they're banned for safety reasons. Bullcrap la. The sergeants themselves are charging their phones/PSPs/Nintendos in the coy office while you're upstairs squinting at your screen at minimum brightness to squeeze one more day of battery life out of that darned thing lol. So yeah, you're not allowed to charge, but I think it's more of a R&D (regimentation and discipline) issue than safety (*roll eyes*). So how?, you ask. Which brings me to point #2.
2. SAF's 8th 9th core value. It used to be affectionately labelled the 8th core value, until Safety became the official 8th core value. "Do what you want, but don't get caught." Want to sneak a quick charge during your admin time? Just charge la! But don't get caught, or in an ironic turn of events, you'll be the one getting charged (hahaha so punny). Also, make sure you're not that guy that everyone gossip about/shun/dislike, because camaraderie is arguably the most important asset you can have in there. I'm talking early warning system, if you get my drift ;) Or direct intervention. Because you wouldn't wanna be caught red-handed by your Sergeant, who ostensibly is omnipotent and all-mighty, right? Nnnnnope.
3. In Tekong, Sergeant is King. Pleeeease do not hate on this, all my fellow sergeants. But truth be told, outside of BMT, a 3SG (3rd Sergeant)'s powers are considerably limited. However, in BMT, the Sergeant's rank, power and influence seems to be grossly inflated, to the point that Sergeant seems to be "king". (I don't know why this saying came about, seeing as you have 2LT officers in every platoon and a LTA/CPT OC for every company... but I digress.) Don't be embarrassed fearing your Sergeant, only to realize how foolish that was later on in your NS journey. I was like that once #embarrassingconfession. But please don't disrespect them either; they went through a lot of shit to get that 3 black chevrons. This paragraph is to provide clarity, not encourage insubordination.
4. You're NOT going to meet people from all walks of life. People are gonna tell you that in Army, you'll meet all kinds of people from all stratum of society. That's true, just not in BMT. Because how the system works is that enlistment batches consist of people from roughly the same educational background, barring a few exceptions (deferments and what not). So if you're enlisting in February, you're gonna be enlisting with the JC batch. I've heard rumors that within a JC batch, recruits are further sub-divided by academic potential/performance (i.e. you have your "scholar" coy). I can't confirm this because I don't have enough information, but suffice to say that 2/3 of my BMT company were Raffles/Hwa Chong students (I've been told mine was a scholar coy). But anyway. You're definitely going to be enlisting with a bunch of JC kiddos, so if you're having nightmares about that huge, tattooed gangster making you his manservant, you can rest assured (for 2 months, at least) that won't happen, UNLESS SAID GANGSTER HAPPENS TO BE AN A-LEVEL STUDENT. In which case, tough luck. So yeah. I had only 2 smokers in my Platoon, and both of them weren't JC students (I say this factually, not discriminatory/prejudicially, okay?)
5. Field camp is a holiday. In the preparatory days leading up to the much-dreaded field camp, you're going to have this largely-false notion that field camp will be tough, laborious and probably going to kill you. Nope. BMT field camp is a... joke, by operational standards. IMHO, it's just to get you guys used to the idea of getting dirty and smelly. It's a far cry from the real field camps you will have in operational units. Yeah. Here're some tips/cool info about field camp.
a) Conduct your body maintenance religiously. That basically means powder baths. Don't forget to PB your feet (especially between the toes), or your privates. You don't want to get a heat rash, or fungal infection, or whatever ailment/condition there. (I'm a hygiene freak, so therefore not speaking fromexperience.) Oh, and there is a lot of conflicting advice regarding powder and the prevention of heat rashes. Some preach that powder bathing prevents heat rashes because it cleans the skin. Some claim that excessive powdering will clog up your pores and cause heat rashes. Others (wisely) suggest that powdering prevents heat rashes, but if you don't dust off (or you use A LOT), it'll cause heat rashes. Personally, I stick to the 3rd school of thought.
b) Change your uniforms, underwear and socks. Explanation not required. If you're fortunate enough to be given the liberty to change as you deem fit, try to strike a balance between hygiene and setting spare sets aside in case of rainy days (uh, literally).
c) Dealing with rubbish. Ahh, this is my personal favorite. In field camp, you'll be made to carry your rubbish around (combat rations packaging, used tissue papers, food wrappers, etc.) for tactical reasons (i.e. not leaving rubbish around for the imaginary enemy to spot). My primary suggestion is that you double seal it with two ziploc bags. Because the remnants of your food (especially the wet ones like your combat rations) are going to be in there decomposing under the hot sun and the stench is nauseating. You don't want the ziploc to leak in your field pack, trust me. My secondary suggestion is a high-risk, high-reward one. It's genius, if I may say so myself ;) BURY THE DAMN TRASH. Yeah, I dig a small hole somewhere and empty half my trash inside. Half, because it would be absolutely suspicious if I suddenly did not have any more rubbish. And half, because you can explain the lack of trash by saying that you threw them in your buddy's/friend's ziploc. But if you're feeling ballsy, go ahead and bury everything. Just remember tip #2 ;)
d) Trash bag to waterproof. I've no idea if this is allowed, but try, anyway. Before the commencement of your field camp, go look for your CQ and get trash bags from him. SAF's trash bags are huge and made of very thick and quality plastic. They're great for waterproofing your field pack items.
e) Piping hot meals. You'll be given accessories pack (one for each day) with matches and solid fuel inside, but you're not allowed to use them. The reason is that these accessories pack are not designed exclusively for recruits, but rather for use across the Army/SAF (people in operational units can cook with them). All I'm saying is, you have your ingredients for a fire, and you have your mess tin, and I've told you about tip #2. P/S: some of the deserts in the combat rations are absolutely marvelous hot.
6. The vulgar. It came as a huge shock to me when my Sergeants started spouting vulgarities. Perhaps because I subconsciously view them as "teachers", given their instructional/mentorial role. Imagine your teacher yelling "Eh f*** you lah, ch**b**." or "Oi everyone shut the f***ing hell up!" Hmm. But get used to it. It's part of the NS package. And you will get accustomed after a short while. Heck, you may even join in, lol.
7. Route marches. Nothing much to be said about this - your sergeants will be brimming with advice and pointers which are really helpful (so heed them) - except that you may want to have a pack of gummy bears or what in your grenade pouch on your iLBV. They're very good at boosting morale and energy during your 15 minutes breaks. Also, you can buy sachets of Pocari Sweat at NTUC to add to your water bottle. Personally, I like to eat the powder straight out of the sachet. Delicious :P
I think that's all the advice for BMT at the moment. I'll update this if I think of anything else. Have fun, guys.
Sudo Nym
*Article first appeared on http://literallykidding.blogspot.sg/2014/01/the-unofficial-ns-guide.html