Nov 1981 to May 1983 - Armoured Artillery

Our Reservist Training in Taiwan circa Nov 1992.

I recall I was posted together with quite a number of NCO colleagues to C Company in 46th Singapore Armoured Regiment, in Sungei Gedong. We were the Artillery Battery Unit which was to provide artillery support fire to the entire company. 

Captain Tan was our Battery Commander and we also had 2 artillery support officers, Lta Chan CY and Lta William Wong.

It was finally the time when we had our trainees fresh from school. We had to train them for a period of 12 weeks for them to graduate to be Mortar Men. Our unit was the Self Propelled (on M113 Armoured Personnel Carrier) 120 mm Mortar Battery. Indeed a mouthful.

The new boys were a torrid bunch. They were mainly Chinese by ethnicity and most had primary education, or at best Secondary 2 education. Some were gang members, and some had been to jail before. They were not an easy bunch. 

We the NCOs who were supposedly educated (most of us were going to University) had to shape up this motely bunch of stragglers to be listening to our commands and obeying every word. In addition, when we went out to field exercise, we were going to be sharing the same vehicle out in the jungles.

I had the toughest of mental and physical challenges during my NCO training, and I was determined to give them the toughest physical and mental challenge they ever had, just as I was treated.

How wrong it turned out to be. My batch of 4 soldiers (see the first post) decided after one torrid training to 'pakang' or rebel against my tough as nails training. I had a talking to by my officer, and after some soul searching, I changed my man management style and decided I should adopt the team player cum leader role rather than the strict stand aside role, as we were supposed to be a detachment of 5 soldiers working together as a unit and subsequently as a mortar self propelled unit in part of a battery supporting the company.

We had tremendous camaderie after that, we went through a lot of exercises, and I am proud to say that our coordination as a team to camouflage and get ready for the Fire Mission set my detachment apart from the rest of the unit.

Some time later in 1982, our detachment was crowned the Best Detachment out of 6 for overall competence in commander role, camouflaging and fire mission readiness.

My team of 4, Loh Swee Chuah (driver), Yeo Ah Seng (Layer), Goh Gek Piaow (No. 4) and Tan Beng Chong (No.3 ), I have the greatest respect for and the fondest memories of.

Tan Beng Chong in particular, I recall, became a father at 19 years of age. I was honored to attend his wedding and to call him a true friend. 

I hope I can meet them again soon.   

Section Leader Course and Artilerry NCO course ; Brutally tough

A rare smile during training 

After the first 12 weeks BMT course, we were given a passing out parade, where our parents were invited. It wasn't anything special, and I believe both my Mum and Dad came to witness it. The BMT was a real change from the civillian me to the soldier me. The first 2 weeks of BMT we had 'confinement' where we had to stay in our bunks or confined on Saturdays and Sundays instead of having the privilege of 'booking out' of camp which most soldiers or NSMen get to do. 

During our time (early 1980s till 2000s) we had the 44 hour work week, so we had training for the full 5 and a half days, Saturday being a half day. In fact it was more than 44 hours a week, as most evenings we had night training. The schedule for every company was rotated so every company did something different during the same time of the day, so that the camp's resources were used effectively.

Soon after BMT, I was posted to SISL or Special Infantry Section Leader's course at Pasir Laba camp in Jurong for 12 weeks (if I recall correctly). Somehow during the callup for the various companies, my name was missed out and I ended up in Lima company.

Again the training was psychologically tough, and we had many practices, such as Standard Obstacle Course, the Physical Fitness Test,Rifle Ranges, camoflaging, marching drills, bayonet fighting, FIBUA, FIFO everything which the combat soldier was trained to do. 

At the end of the course, I was posted to the very tough Artillery NCO course. This was 12 weeks of brutal training where, the first part was to toughen us up with the basic Arty drills, to boost up our physical fitness. I had slimmed down even more, another 10 pounds, or so, and could easily do 8 to 12 chin-ups by that time.

The 12 weeks course was split into 2 segments, the first 4 weeks were spent at Kangaw camp, and the remaining 8 weeks were at the 21 SA in Mandai camp.The date was around end June 1981 till early October 1981. 

I will not go into details but it was the toughest mental and physical challenge I have and ever had to go through. I was just 18. 

We finished the toughest training all in one piece. Some of our trainees did not complete, I believe about a quarter (perhaps 4 to 5) could not complete the course due to injury or just mentally too tough to handle. 

By the end of October  1981 I was a newly minted Artillery NCO. 

   

My National Service Days 1981 - 1983 ; Basic Military Training ; Chin Up Torture

My Detachment No. 4 ; Callsign 34 F4 

L to R : LCP Goh Gek Piao, LCP Loh Hwee Chuah, Me, LCP Tan Beng Chong, LCP Yeo Ah Seng

I was enlisted to serve in our National Service (NS) from 26th December 1980 till our Run Out Date (ROD) of somewhere in May 1983. 

I had just turned 18 years, and 1 month, and was called up. Lucky me. No deferrments, no medical boards where the less than healthy 18 year old boys were checked for physical impairments or congenital defects. A good friend I know Au Mun Heng and my cousin Rick Phoon were totally exempted from NS as they had heart 'murmur' or one aortic valve did not close properly.

Me ? I was 'only' severely myopic and apart from that, I was classified as PES 'A' which was fit enough for combat duty. Suffice to say, the 2 and a half years were one of the defining moments of my life, and I served out the service as a 3rd Sergeant. My last posting during 'active' days was in the 46th Singapore Armoured Regiment then located in Sungei Gedong Camp all the way South East of the island some 45 minutes by car.

The first 12 weeks were called Basic Military Training (BMT) for us new recruits. We all had the 'botak' hair cut, the automatic shaver cutting off our wavy locks or Bangs. The Bald Look made every recruit look the same. Like tortoises staring out of our thick glasses. The rationale for shaving the hair off our heads (at least for the 12 weeks) was that we would be wearing a helmet and be rigorously exercising in the hot sun some 8 - 10 hours a day. Our heads would heat up like  hot potatoes :). Every night, in the camp, before we had 'Lights Out' we would have a Water Parade where all of us recruits (40 to a platoon) had to drink 1 full plastic cup (some 300 ml) of water.

The logic was to cool our bodies down, and prevent 'heat stroke'. I still practice drinking 2 cups of water at the start of each day. I also squeeze half a lemon into the cup, as this apparently cleanses the liver and detoxifies the body. 

My son Andrew's enlistment first day at Pulau Tekong 10 weeks BMT on 4th October 2017

The 12 weeks BMT  training was held at Terror Camp in Sembawang, I have driven past it of late, and it is now a vehicle camp for supporting the brigade. The 12 weeks were physically tough. I had great stamina to run, but my arms were weak like a girl's (no disrespect to those fierce MMA fighters), so the greatest challenge I had before each meal was to summon the strength to do as many chin-ups as possible. That was the precondition each and every recruit had to perform, do as many chinups as you can before you can go to the cookhouse to eat your breakfast, lunch or dinner. The absolute minimum was 1.

Chin-ups are essentially stomach core and whole body exercises whereby you pull yourself from a hanging position under the bar till your chin literally crosses above the bar.

At the start of my BMT, I couldn't even do a single chin-up. Yes, I started at 0. By the end of the 12 weeks, I had lost weight (over 20 pounds, I am serious) and gained muscle that I could muster 6 chin-ups relatively easily.

The motivation to do chin-ups were like this. Chin Ups were conducted by the NCOs before each meal, you had to do at least 1 ; so if you didn't you would hang there and the whole platoon would look at you like you were the worst idiot who held up the remaining 39 for their breakfast, lunch or dinner. So I learnt pretty quickly not to 'sabotage' the entire platoon and trained so very hard, with my mates help by pushing my backside up and slowly I got the hang or the coordination right. 

You start by using your upper arms, the biceps, and then your core muscles will tighten to jerk you upwards. You then glide over the chin-up bar. That is counted as 1 chin up.

In my case, I was a clumsy recruit, so the first one, I always 'cheated' by jumping up from the side base, and getting over the first chinup. The eagle eyed NCO or corporal would pull me down and shout 'No count' recruit.    

So I would then hang forlornly under the bar, like some pathetic puppy denied his biscuit, look up at the bar as the goal and will my puny arms and flabby stomach to get over the bar.

It was horrendous, the first few weeks, when I managed to clear one, I was allowed to go to the cookhouse for my meal, and we all had like only 10 minutes to collect the messplate from the rack, queue up for our food, wolf it down, drink some tea or milo, wash the messplate and show it to the Duty NCO for cleanliness inspection and then assemble back at the barracks all in 10 minutes.

I recall throwing up most of the meals I ate in those days. The strenuous chinup had me out of breath and with absolutely no appetite. Eating the cookhouse food those days was like eating something inedible and shoving it down your throat. Then slurping some black tea or milo and then rushing back to the barracks for some serious training either in the parade square or in the jungles adjoining to the camp. So, the combination of throwing up, and profuse sweating from those 12 weeks resulted in my losing 10 kg or over 20 pounds.  

To be honest, after those 12 weeks, I looked pretty good. 

I was a rather plump teenage kid. The Army changed me to a man.  

Using Social Media to offer the Greater Good.

I have mentioned before in earlier posts. If we know the enemy, and its make-up, we can defeat it. So COVID -19 (aka SARS COV - 2) is plaguing the whole world since the start of the year. We should, no MUST use all resources at our collective authorities to fight this.

The whole world needs to pool together its resources to overcome it. There are tremendous pitfalls and failures a) politically  b) pyschologically c) socially and d) economically if we fail in this medical war. 

WE HAVE NO OTHER OPTION. 

Hence, we now have access to the world wide web where virtually everyone has a smart phone,  and we can share tips, DOs and DONTs of  practically anything pertaining to this pandemic. For example :  What to do if you think you have contracted it, Contact Tracing apps, Take Away Food apps, Where to get Mask apps, Youtube videos of what exactly are coronaviruses, health supplements to eat to maintain your immunity and videos of people who have had it and survived and sadly those who did not. 

My point is that when SARS or SARS COV - 1 was so prevalent  17 years ago , we didn't have any of the above.

So take heart, the vaccine will be ready. It will take some time. HOWEVER, we ALL NEED TO DO OUR PART, TO STAY HEALTHY AND ALIVE, so that our healthcare heroes are not overwhelmed and under equipped.

With my cousin Doris Abisheganaden and her hubby Robert Saunders in Melbourne April 2019 

Chris Cuomo - The Secret to Kicking the Coronavirus ; Use your body immunity to fight it !

Chris Cuomo is such an inspiration ; Here he is battling with his own Coronavirus and everyday he is fighting it, not giving in to the fevers, doing stuff and keeping the global community informed. 

Just as Dr. John Campbell the ER Head Nurse in the U.K. these guys are changing the way we battle the new global pandemic, through openness, through sharing of tips and just the amazing will to survive even the most difficult of time.

We should never cover up the real facts. Because at the end of the day, our battle with this virus stems from the ENTIRE GLOBAL community coming together to fight it. From each country's tips and past experiences from tackling it, from each Government's individual steps to battle the toughest unseen competitor in modern times, right down to each individual's personal responsibility not only to himself but also to  his family and closest friends and colleagues. We all have a part to play.

Right now, I call upon my fellow Singaporeans to STAY AT HOME. For 30 days until the cycle of local transmission is broken and until the new cases are reduced to a level where out critical care and first line medical responders (heroes each and every one of them) are not overhwhelmed. They are also human and need our support and our help.

STAY AT HOME. For 30 days. 

Go out only when necessary. To buy food or to see the doctor.  

Our Government has put in a rash of measures called the Circuit Breaker ; this is to stop the human to human contact through droplet transmission and possibly airborne transmission.

WEAR A MASK IF YOU ARE COMING TO CLOSE CONTACT WITH PEOPLE OR GOING INTO A CROWDED PLACE LIKE THE LIFT. 

We will ALL emerge stronger from it.

I am so sure of it now. 

Ho Chi Minh Rex Hotel and Reunification Palace Oct 2019

Having a Tiger and enjoying the Vietnamese Spring Roll from 5th Floor Rooftop Bar

Last October, during my  3rd ever trip to Ho Chi Minh, I went again to have a cool beer on the 5th floor of the Rex Hotel, not very far from my own near the Ban Thanh  Market. Rex Hotel in Ho Chi Minh (formerly Saigon) is as iconic as our Singapore Raffles Hotel.

The evening 5 o'clock sky was fading blue and there were only a few guests at that time. It has been rated as 'one of the 1000 places to visit and do before you die' from some  international travel magazine.  

During the Vietnam war, the South was managed by President Diem and General Duong van Minh and the U.S. Generals used the Rex Hotel as their base during the military activities. The hotel is indeed 6 star quality and the facade indeed reflects it.

Sipping an ice cold Tiger, having the nice Vietnamese Spring Rolls and observing the hustle and bustle of the city below, I am truly appreciative of life. 

The Hall of the People's Committee where the surrender papers were signed between the North and the South is all lit up at night. 

North Vietnam overthrew South Vietnam in the summer of 1975 and General Vo Ngien Giap (after the death of Ho Chi Minh in 1969) oversaw the surrender ceremony in the building in the picture above. 

Today's Vietnam is a picture of peace and prosperity and there is tremendous uplift of people's standard of living as can be seen by each subsequent visits to the country. As of writing today, Vietnam also has a very low COVID 19 infection rate, as they put into place very strict immigration and visitor regulations at a very early stage. Kudos to their fast actions and strict contact tracing. 

Handing over the keys to the city 

Vietnam Oct 2019 - a Momento reminding me of my NS Days in the past.

Bike Helmet reminiscent of the CVC (Communications Vehicle Commander) Helmet during my NS days 

Now that I am confined to my house, and nearby environs, I would like to add more random posts to my blog and take up the hobbies which require some focus, which I will put up in my next blog. In the meantime, here is the writeup of my 6 months ago trip to Ho Chi Minh city which still brings back many good memories.

The helmet below and above is pretty cool. I paid something like S$ 40 for it. In Ho Chi Minh, the traffic conditions are awful and there are literally thousands of vehicles mainly Motorbikes (80%), cars (15%) , bicycles and scooters all making a mad dash to and fom their destinations.

Fits me to a 'T" 

I was fortunate to arrive in the morning of the customer visit in District 1 and had a second full day free, before heading back for home on the third day. The places I visited were the Notre Dame Catholic Church (or a replica of the one in Paris), the Reunification Palace,the Imperial Palace and the War Museum.

I last visited Ho Chi Minh in 2011 and had the opportunity to visit the Cu Chi tunnels. That in itself is another fascinating story. 

At the Imperial Palace, I chanced upon the vendor selling this bike helmet and I bought it on a whim. No regrets whatsoever as I enjoy putting it on just to remind me of the days when I was a mortar detachment (or section) commander in charge of a team of 4 soldiers and riding atop the M113 Armoured Personnel Carrier. 

Now that I am past my peak, I can safely say that those days were the 'salad' days of my youth and I served my country with pride. I was attached to the 46 SAR or Singapore Armoured Regiment at Sungei Gedong Camp in Lim Chu Kang from late 1981 till 1983.

My training was very tough, and I was trained as an Artillery Non Commisisoned Officer (NCO). Boy that was one of the most mentally and physically challenging times of my life. When you have trainees throwing up blood, fainting and having major stitches to their limbs, and continue on the next day, I can say that we had to be very mentally tough, for the training was very very brutal back in the early 1980s.  

Mentally, we had to cope with the risk serious injury from falling from the vehicle, the vehicle overturning or the possibility of the mortar bombs (we were involved in live firing sessions I recall twice) not ejecting out of the barrel during a live firing session.  We had one incident when my good friend's mortar did not eject out from the barrel and it was a tremendous stressful procedure to eject out the unexploded bomb from the barrel. 

Luckily we followed proper protocol and the unexploded bomb was kept safely.  

I finished serving my 2 and a half year's  Naitonal Service in 1983 and thereon followed on to University undergraduate studies at the National University of Singapore from 1983 - 87, majoring in Mechanical Engineering.  

When you have been through such tough times, your will to survive and press on gets even stronger. 

I am very very sure that given time and with the social distancing in place we will lower the numbers and life slowly will return back to normal. Its not a quick fix, it will be as early as end of this year but we will overcome this once in a lifetime worldwide crisis of uninmanageable porportions. 

I will take the down time as 1 - 3 months of finding and understanding myself.  

T 59 Tank inside the Imperial Palace Grounds