My Army Career

Back

All Singaporean males have to serve the SAF (Singapore Armed Forces) for at most 2 years. During this period, we are known as NSFs (National Service Fulltime). Our army service actually doesn't stop when our NSF term ends. Every year, we are liable to be called back to serve in units given to us after we leave the army (called 'NS' or National Service). Different activities include exercises, in-camp training or physical fitness tests.

Here is a page that describes my army life.

The Beginning

Enlistment occurs after we complete our high school leaving exams (or the A'levels). My exams were over on Nov 2004, and I was enlisted into the SAF on April 2005. My parents accompanied me to see me off to serve in the army.

Like the majority of recruits, I was sent to a training base located on the island. 'W' Company was to be my home for the next few weeks. Usually, we were not allowed to go home after 2 straight weeks in the base. After that, we were allowed to go home every weekend or public holiday.

In there, they instilled army values, and put us through basic routines and training. My platoon was quite close with one another, and I had good times in there. That is not to forget the punishments and bad times I had in there too.

In total, I spent 7 weeks and was posted out to serve in my next unit. This was to be the unit I would serve in until I finish my army career.

1SIR: The Leopards

For the majority of my army career, I served in 1SIR (or 1st Singapore Infantry Regiment), also known as the 'Leopards' due to the unit logo. The Leopard signifies seemless adaptibitlity in its environment. Recently, 1 SIR has celebrated its 50th Anniversary, and it is actually older than Singapore herself! The Leopards continue to serve Singapore as her premier Infantry Battalion.

During my time in 1SIR, I performed a variety of duties, such as office work, regimental duties, take part in exercises, participate in route marches, and even go to the firing range.

Most of the time, I stayed in the camp and was only allowed to return home on weekends or public holidays. Although this meant I could not be at home for extended periods, it worked well to my advantage. Being in close contacts with fellow soldiers, I was able to form close bonds within my branch, and in my unit. Also, it prepared me to be able to live seperately from my family.

The End?

My service ended with a training stint in the RoC (Republic of China), and it was the first time I had to spend a month away from home overseas. In an entirely new environment, the experiences in RoC will surely live on in my memory.

Of course, one can say that the R&R (Rest and Recreation) was perhaps the most memorable time, as we went from town to town until we reached our final destination: Taipei. We surely enjoyed ourselves in the capital, before we had to fly back home to Singapore.

Finally, a few days after coming back safely from Taiwan, I left the army in April 2007. That was about 4 or more months before I started on my college career.

However, that was far from the end for me and my army mates! I can safely say the bonds we formed while we served together grew quite strong. Before I left the US, I still met up with a few of them, and relive the our army days.

Ranks

Here is a simple list of ranks I have held in my service in the army.

REC (April 2005 - July 2005) PTE (July 2006 - Sept 2006) CPL (Sept 2005 - Sept 2006) 3SG (Sept 2006 - April 2007)

Awards

Outstanding Soldier of the Month (HQ Coy) Marksmanship

External Links

[History of 1SIR] [Ministry of Defence] [Singapore Army Website]