National Service in Singapore

[Atrecord]

1 hour ago, 13177 said:

Sounds ulu le, only 50 or less people walk there? Wonder why these people walk to there in the first place?

NTU so big. That part of it which i described, is at the edge of one part of NTU. But later on, i found out that there are hostels all over NTU, so there should be one nearby. Long long one time got people jog or stroll past, or walk to/from bus stop lor.

[Weez911]

1 hour ago, Atrecord said:

But i had the impression that from my time (or even before that), there was no more pure mono intake as what you described. All enlistees will go to either tekong or nee soon camp already, and there was no more 'direct enlist into unit' anymore leh.

Commando and naval divers are still mono-intake, and will forever be this way, because their tekan and physical trainings are epic and have to start earlier.

Mono-intake means the bus fetch you directly from CMPB to Hendon camp, and the tekan starts from Day 1. 

Suffer or die. Never ask why.

Edited September 25, 2020 by Weez911

[Weez911]

1 hour ago, Atrecord said:

but if i were the one making the decision, i will want the NSFs to do the washing. NS is afterall the phase where a pampered prince at home, learn and experience life less-sheltered, and grow up.

Wasted opportunity. Best way to let a kid grow up is to make him clean the toilet using toothbrush. I don't know how to make a toilet more clean other than using a toothbrush to brush every inch...

Edited September 25, 2020 by Weez911

[Atrecord]

9 minutes ago, Weez911 said:

Commando and naval divers are still mono-intake, and will forever be this way, because their tekan and physical trainings are epic and have to start earlier.

Mono-intake means the bus fetch you directly from CMPB to Hendon camp, and the tekan starts from Day-1. 

Suffer or die. Never ask why.

well said. 

what was the drop out rate like?

[Atrecord]

8 minutes ago, Weez911 said:

Wasted opportunity. Best way to let a kid grow up is to make him clean the toilet using toothbrush. I don't know how to make a toilet more clean other than using a toothbrush to brush every inch...

Can imagine one going through it thinking that i must do the same to the next batch after i've successfully overcome this... sadist in the making 😆

This reminds me that just after we ROD'ed and went univ., during one chat among classmates, one girl when asked to guess what are the worst tekan things guys were subject to in the army, she innocently said 'wash toilet?' 🤣

[13177]

1 hour ago, Atrecord said:

this one i dunno. maybe i try to ask my nephew...

but if i were the one making the decision, i will want the NSFs to do the washing. NS is afterall the phase where a pampered prince at home, learn and experience life less-sheltered, and grow up.

Everything no need to do, will be same as staying at home...

For current generation, most of the guys really pampered prince at home, no need to do housework at all. Unlike me, even before going to army already helped out housework at home liao and washing toilet is one of them. 😂 Then in army, even got standby toilet to be inspected by PS/CSM lo. 😅

[13177]

29 minutes ago, Weez911 said:

Commando and naval divers are still mono-intake, and will forever be this way, because their tekan and physical trainings are epic and have to start earlier.

Mono-intake means the bus fetch you directly from CMPB to Hendon camp, and the tekan starts from Day 1. 

Suffer or die. Never ask why.

Mono intake indeed the tonner would take you straight to the camp posted to after you have collected your barang barang from keat hong camp. PTP/BMT phase all the way until ORD, same camp and same people. 

[Weez911]

24 minutes ago, Atrecord said:

well said. 

what was the drop out rate like?

We started with 240 in 1 company. On our last day, we were left with about 100. Most dropped out because they can't meet the physical requirements, some got downgraded, a handful went to pilot, 1 or 2 disrupted to study as doctors, 1 transferred to police as he is a scholar. That's all I remember.

Edited September 25, 2020 by Weez911

[13177]

36 minutes ago, Weez911 said:

Wasted opportunity. Best way to let a kid grow up is to make him clean the toilet using toothbrush. I don't know how to make a toilet more clean other than using a toothbrush to brush every inch...

Using toothbrush yo clean the toilet is tekan la, not the correct way. But still remember we were commanded by a WO to wash toilet until can see our reflection, if not have to wash again! 😓

[mersaylee]

14 minutes ago, Weez911 said:

We started with 240 in 1 company. On our last day, we were left with about 100. Most dropped out because they can't meet the physical requirements, some got downgraded, a handful went to pilot, 1 or 2 disrupted to study as doctors, 1 transferred to police as he is a scholar. That's all I remember.

Issit still serve 7 years max as reservist? 

[Kopites]

16 minutes ago, 13177 said:

Using toothbrush yo clean the toilet is tekan la, not the correct way. But still remember we were commanded by a WO to wash toilet until can see our reflection, if not have to wash again! 😓

Toilet bowl Abit too much asking for your kids.

How about basin?

 

[Weez911]

37 minutes ago, mersaylee said:

Issit still serve 7 years max as reservist? 

6 years for Strike companies and 8 years for Reconnaissance companies IIRC. I finished my ICT way before I hit 40, even as I only started ICT after university. 

[13177]

1 hour ago, Kopites said:

Toilet bowl Abit too much asking for your kids.

How about basin?

 

Depends how old is your kids la.

[Watwheels]

6 hours ago, Atrecord said:

bo lah, never had 3 yr. 

that time was simple. 2 stripes (CPL and above) will serve 2.5 yr. 

LCP and below, only 2 yr.

and of course 'Air' level ones almost certainly sure 2.5 yr. Hokkien pengs will be only 2 yr...

Me pai maih max. NCO niah, enlisted in Mar, on courses till the next year after SAF parade then posted to unit... TMD on course longer than typical occifer 🤦‍♂️ si bey bo huah...

when posted to unit, already took out calendar and started to countdown to our disruption date (we were going to disrupt in June the subsequent year to go univs)...

My men (the armoured pioneers) all mono intake. They lagi pai miah, cos all 'Air' level ones and not hokkien pengs. Some of them had some ambitions/pride, but ended up as men... so initially morale low... 

but because of the rule above, the whole battalion all the men also promoted to CPL before 2 yr up, so had to serve 2.5 yr 😅 also... I think that was first time got such issue - men and NCOs all CPLs... so SAF soon made the NCOs 3SG to differentiate between NCO and men.

During reservist time, when no PC came for the cycle, we took the appraisal forms to score ourselves (the NCOs) very poor - so that we no need go what Pl SGT/CSM courses. And we scored the men (all CPL) very high, with remarks that got good leadership qualities, etc... 😂 Hoping that they will be promoted instead 🤣

Oh, combat engineer was bad enough... then we got posted to do armour conversion to become armoured pioneer. Had to learn to take care of M113, strip track, servicing, etc... pui pui pui...

the only plus side was didn't need to walk as much as if we had stayed in SCE 😁

Covert to armour pioneer? Oh so you all are under armour bn, support coy?

Yeah, anything with armoured vehicle will have to maintain it. 

I was with the armoured brigade. So can say is very heng. We are always "controller" to the armour bn. I got to see how siong it was for the bn men, armour fighting groups, armour infantry and their support elements.

[ToyotaShuttle]

4 hours ago, Atrecord said:

hmm... you could be right - yours is maybe more precise definition. 

when i mentioned my battalion was mono intake, it was meant to mean that the whole unit people (or most of them) were enlisted at the same time, but could be different companies and different camps (tekong/nee soon), but once they got posted to the unit, then they're 'stuck' there, and they go through further trainings there to prepare them for the unit life and also reservist, all the way till MR.

Except for those who for whatever reason (disrupt for further studies, downgrade, sign on, etc.) leave the unit, in which case will try to find replacements from other units, otherwise the whole bunch will stick together after BMT, all the way to end of reservist which is MR.

But i had the impression that from my time (or even before that), there was no more pure mono intake as what you described. All enlistees will go to either tekong or nee soon camp already, and there was no more 'direct enlist into unit' anymore leh.

So seems like you lagi old bird...

I think you are super new bird. Just ORD last year? haha

mono intake only cancelled in 2018.

https://www.straitstimes.com/politics/all-nsfs-except-those-in-elite-and-support-roles-to-do-basic-military-training-together-ong

[Confusedboi]

7 hours ago, Atrecord said:

wah good life you...

we did quite a few 24 bay MGBs here and in crescendo... and even did APB once, even though it was phasing out. still remember instructors would tekan us by making us touch the tree and come back - when carrying those bloody heavy bridging parts!!!

i actually got posted out to armour later, so i had both blue and black berets. After spending like (fastest ever was) bit more than 2 hr to build the 24 bay MGB in SOCE, when we went 38 SCE, the bloody AVLB could launch bridge of about the same length in just a few minutes!!! Really should have phased out bridging long ago...

Actually 30 SCE was just about to move when we left SOCE. Our bunk downstairs got a small field... small in terms of width, but quite long... We used to do trainings like the pipe charge there (so it's not all that small). At the far end of the field, was a 'highland' with fence on top. Beyond the fence, was higher ground... and it's NTU... could see the bus (can't remember number) going past now and then... even more interesting would be when once in a blue moon would have char bo undergrads walk there. 

A few years later, this field became no more, as LTA must have arm-twisted Mindef to give that field up to build the PIE extension over it. So the bunk had a much nearer fence, and NTU sits on the other side of an expressway.

We used to have scheduled tonners to bring us out from deep inside the jurong camp, where our bunk was, to the main gate, but one time got no tonner. We were forced to carry our bag (full of dirty uniforms to go home wash) and walk that >1km inside camp to the main gate... siong... 

30 SCE had another gate one right?

For my batch  still got APB  but got crane to help us move the heavy shit parts around most of the time, only fine tuning then need manual manpower not like your time all by hand i think. Did APB once only during NSF days , one month plus  after Crescendo just before going to ORD

The old grounds where you did your training during your time now converted to ITI ( infantry training institute) where the infantry and  guards reservist units report there ( think its called Jurong camp 3 now) they are cordoned off from the rest of Jurong camp. Now 30 SCE is next to the main road ( opposite HQ 3 DIV). Yes there is a side gate which we use. You can see the map below where i think you used to train ages ago 😄

You are sergeant ranking? Is that why you got posted to armor engineers for further training? Nowadays unheard of to go for double vocation training ( Field engineer to Armor engineer) unless sign on. Your time must be 1990s or earlier😅

 

 

[Atrecord]

1 hour ago, Watwheels said:

Covert to armour pioneer? Oh so you all are under armour bn, support coy?

Yeah, anything with armoured vehicle will have to maintain it. 

I was with the armoured brigade. So can say is very heng. We are always "controller" to the armour bn. I got to see how siong it was for the bn men, armour fighting groups, armour infantry and their support elements.

Orrh horrr... so you are part of the sadists who like to tekan unit pple huh? 😆

the most buay tahan thing abt the stupid vehicle, is need to grease the wheels, i remember. those bloody grease nipples on the wheels, after going through the mud, the grass, the rocks, the sand, and even water... how the heck to be not clogged up already... used the grease pump pumped like siao, also can't pump in... then need to check the different types of oils and top up where necessary. Some times must even strip and change the tracks!!!

yes, me in support coy. section commander of AP platoon, will join other AI PCs go attend their OC's ops orders... sometimes felt si bey shiok, when the OC ops orders say this say that halfway, then i will say, "sorry, Sir, this one cannot be done!" 😎  Cos the OCs also not pioneer-trained, still must seek advice from me on whether his planning (on the obstacles parts) can jalan or cannot jalan...

For one Ex Crescendo, during debrief time back in SG, Brigade Cmdr told our CO that my platoon si bey vulgar, at one point his rover went past our exercise area, kept hearing all the #$%^!<?*&+^@#!  😂

lucky our CO said we needed aggressive soldiers 🤣

[Kopites]

2 hours ago, Atrecord said:

Orrh horrr... so you are part of the sadists who like to tekan unit pple huh? 😆

the most buay tahan thing abt the stupid vehicle, is need to grease the wheels, i remember. those bloody grease nipples on the wheels, after going through the mud, the grass, the rocks, the sand, and even water... how the heck to be not clogged up already... used the grease pump pumped like siao, also can't pump in... then need to check the different types of oils and top up where necessary. Some times must even strip and change the tracks!!!

yes, me in support coy. section commander of AP platoon, will join other AI PCs go attend their OC's ops orders... sometimes felt si bey shiok, when the OC ops orders say this say that halfway, then i will say, "sorry, Sir, this one cannot be done!" 😎  Cos the OCs also not pioneer-trained, still must seek advice from me on whether his planning (on the obstacles parts) can jalan or cannot jalan...

For one Ex Crescendo, during debrief time back in SG, Brigade Cmdr told our CO that my platoon si bey vulgar, at one point his rover went past our exercise area, kept hearing all the #$%^!<?*&+^@#!  😂

lucky our CO said we needed aggressive soldiers 🤣

I hate washing of vehicle.