henry

Recruits

I was drafted into the army when I was an 18 year old as required under the constitution to serve my national service. I reported to the centre and all of us were herded onto a 3 tonner (military truck).

National service was still something new, being enforced just a few years ago. It send parents into worrying for their childrens. Everyone of us were glum-faced, some said "hi!', some nodded their heads when their eyes met and some just stared hard on the floor-board. I knew that army life would be tough and I prepared myself for the worst. Soon we reached the School of Basic Military Training. First day of army life was full of lectures, touching
mostly on the disciplinary aspects. Then we started to draw uniforms, army boots, eating utensils etc. In the late afternoon, we queued up for our hair cuts. The 'five by four' style. At the back, any hairs that were covered by the five fingers and... just above the ears, any hairs covered by four fingers were all considered as army properties. It was awful! I have not seen these kind of hair-cuts before. We started laughing as people came out from the camp barber shop, only to be laughed at when it was our turns.

For the next three months, we went through all sorts of training, just to name a few :
Marching - seemed easy. We got people marching with their left hand and left leg out. And because of them we did extra drills under the mercy of the hot sun.
Camouflage - Easiest way out was to cover our helmets with a single big leaf. End results? - punishment. Yelled at by the coporals, " soldier, did you see that tree over there (about hundred metres away), I want you to plunk me two hundred leaves in one minutes time."  Not possible ... additional punishment ... twenty push-ups or until he was satisfied.
Five kilometres run - overheard someone telling the coporals he was not feeling well. "If you were not feeling well, no problem, just dropped down and we have ambulance standing by for you."
Night training - we were served with bread and tea for supper. The bread, hard as stone was covered with what looked like fungus. We threw it away, some were not lucky enough. They were caught and made to eat it followed by severe punishment for wasting foods.

My three months stint with the SBMT was hell but I was toughened by all these rigorous tranings, both physically and mentally. As time passed by, the systems in the army changed for the better. National servicemen were now accorded with better treatments and foods.