On Army
Well, ten weeks of BMT are officially over. After a relatively uneventful Passing Out Parade, my rank has been elevated to the lofty heights of "private" (it used to be "recruit" - there's a big difference).
I think on the whole it's been a great ten weeks, but of course in no small part due to the fact that I was in Leopard Company - warrant officer/welfare/white-horse company. After witnessing what some of these OCS punks do to their recruits, there's little wonder there are so many accidents in the army.
But it's been ten weeks of relative fun, and probably a great example of what our esteemed government likes to call "lifelong learning". You learn new skills, new things about yourself, new words, all kinds of things, really. I suppose
Under the Tekong Sun should now be sub-titled "A Story of Sweat, Sotongs and Field Toilets".
So now that it's all over, and I've come away with new friends, experiences and abilities, perhaps it is appropriate for me to feel nostalgic and to commit some BMT memories to virtual archives.
To my OC (that's Officer Commanding), Master Warrant Thalapathi, for being one of the best and most caring officers around.
To my PC (that's platoon commander), 2nd Warrant Char, for being more vulgar and uncouth than all the sergeants combined. Not to mention for explaining, in rather graphic detail, why it was called a "monkey ram", and how to measure six inches.
To 2nd Warrant Chew and 2nd Warrant Lim, for being so entertaining.
To my Platoon Sergeant, 2nd Sergeant Aliffy, whom we all thought was a bastard, and who still is a bastard, albeit a nicer one. For teaching us that shit gets bigger as it rolls downhill, and his various other hilarious expressions.
To my Section Commands, 3rd Sergeant Tay Wei Xiang, whom I maintain is one of the best sergeants in the company. For being both a friend and a commander.
To 3rd Sergeant Wong, for always mixing up his commands; and to 3rd Sergeant Reduwan, for always screwing something up, but usually not in a bad way.
To the rest of my platoon, for being a bunch of screwups, but screwups that made the ten weeks enjoyable. Of course, to Ow, the last butt of all our jokes and needlings.
And to some unforgettable memories - route marches, field toilets, field rations, field camp, the Basic Assault Course, the push ups and other punishments, and naturally, to the Malay drill commands.
One only hopes my next posting is as enjoyable as BMT.
