Original post can be found here: so basically it meant uncheck cs1020 tut 6 (its alternative) and replace it with tut 5.. same placement order.
17544 hours: the number of hours that I am rightfully employed as a National Serviceman Full Time by the Singapore Armed Forces. This amount of time is considerably shorter compared to most regulars in the regulars-dominated RSAF(the service I am in) but I dare say that my Air Force story is as colourful as any regular in the service. I enlisted with a heavy heart on 2nd August 2011 to Pula Tekong. Up to the time when I was taking the “penguin ferry”, I still could not comprehend why there was a need for National Service. It was so disruptive and intrusive to my life.
I was recruited into Leopard Company, Platoon 1, Section 4, Bed 11. (L1411) under the charge of 2SG(NS) Wei Chong and LTA(NS) Weng Yew for my Basic Military Training(BMT). I was very lucky to have them as the sudden change of environment was certainly a culture shock to most of us but their patience allowed us to settle down and transit smoothly into this phase of our life.
In BMT, I made lots of friends and buddies. From strangers to friends, we rolled in the mud together, punished together, and trained under the sun together. The first time we stripped our “wife”, had our IMT(known as real-life counter-strike), went into a live range and shot real bullets and even threw grenades, it was certainly an experience that one would never forget.
I went on to AFTC as an AOS(trainee). I had good course commanders who listened to us and to the feedbacks of the course and improved from there. The new friends, new buddies, bunk mates that I made undoubtedly made our compacted and stressful syllabus much more fun and easy to learn allowing us to be competent in our skill-set in our upcoming unit life.
Shortly after my Passing-Out Parade(POP) in Sembawang camp(under the rain), I was posted to Air Combat Command from Air Force Training Command. I knew that signified the start of my unit life. Horrible stories had been spreading around on how bad unit life can be and most of us were very reluctant to move on from AFTC, myself included; I was quite apprehensive to move on to my new unit.
The day came and I was supposed to report to my unit in Changi Airbase (West). My uncertainty was very soon eased. I really enjoyed working with my superiors. They put their trust in me and did not treat me like an NSF(not in a bad way). We worked together with the same agenda and objective in mind. I learnt a lot from their leadership and better understood their decision-making calculus from a HQ point of view.
Not forgetting the 4 squadrons, their officers, and their specialists whom I have crossed path and worked together with, as well as the advice and guidance they have given me, I am really glad I made great friends inside.
A special thank you message to the following people (usually people will say in no particular order but in this case, in the order of rank)
SLTC Mike – Sir. Thank you for your patience with me when I was covering your secretarial work especially during the times of uncertainty. You are very close to the ground and many SQN personnel appreciate you. You shared with us your stores of the Air Force and you did not distant yourself from us despite of your appointment as the Commanding Officer. I have also learnt a lot from you like the process of understanding situations and making certain decisions. Sir, thank you!
LTC(NS) Song – Sir, once again, thank you for your guidance and showing me your drive in your work. You are really knowledgeable. While you may or may not have noticed, you changed my life, the way I view things, and the way I handle things. Sometimes when I am confused on what decision to make, I ask myself, “What would you do if you were in my shoes?” Sir, thank you very much!
LTC Ian Tan – Sir, thank you for your unlimited amount of patience when I approached you randomly on advice on my life and studies. You are like a mentor to me. The smile that you always wear on your face makes me wonder sometimes if you ever have worries. Thanks for your guidance!
LTC Ravi – Sir, despite the fact that I had barely worked with you for 3 months, I can never forget the cheerfulness you brought to the office. I have, right in front of my eyes, seen how you pulled things together and got it working(to your ideal state) and thought of the situation from a broader view for the organisation. Your constant care and concern for the people (including me even after you posted out) around you certainly brought a warm touch to our life. I am glad to have worked with you. Congratulations once again on your promotion.
MAJ Kevin Tan – Sir, even though the time I got to work with you was short, I had always been amazed by your straight-forwardness and foresight.
CPT ChuaJ – Sir, it had been an honour to be able to work under you. Despite the fact that you get a lot of injects from all over the places, it was always miraculous to see how you could pulled things together and get the stats/data and information submitted to respective stakeholders on time. All the best to your upcoming endeavours.
CPT Derrick Kong – Sir, your exciting life(that you shared with me) before you signed on was truly amazing. The calm composure that you portrayed all the time coupled with the smile(and the spiky hair that you always gel) is something that I would never forget about. Your sharing of your university life benefitted me and allowed me to be better-prepared for the life I am about to embark on.
Mei – Mdm, thank you for everything and for being around when I was at my all-time low(due to the sudden demise of my bro) and all-time high(most of the time). You have taught me a lot, so much so that I will not be able to list them all here. Wishing you all the best in your health. Thank you so much!
Ryan – Bro, we may very well be working together in the future. :p I hope you will not have to cover Mdm Mei as much as I do(in a positive way).
Yan Yang – Bro, like I always say, you are lucky to be here. Enjoy yourself well and spend your time fruitfully! Thank you for contributing.
*There are so many more people that I have crossed path with in the service that I did not mention here, this does not mean that you did not impact my life. My Air Force story is so colourful that I would be able to go on and on for a few pages. It is just that I have decided to only credit the people in my office to keep this short…. relatively short.
Not forgetting my brothers and sisters, friends and families who had supported me throughout my 2 years stint with the service. Your constant support and encouragement made me realise my contributions to the National Service is worthwhile.
A verse from Every Singaporean Son : “Through the years, we have realised why we fought the battle deep inside.”
2 years later, on 1st August 2013, I collected my pink IC and change the status on my 11B from enlistee to NSman. Reflecting back, these 2 years of contributions were small yet important to ensure that our homes and freedoms are safeguarded. I realised the importance of National Service and was glad that I had so many people around me who supported me and made this journey more fun and more fruitful. Thank you!
While I am excited and am looking forward to the next phase of my life, the 2 years’ worth of memories(the friends and buddies I made, the lessons I learnt) are kept deep in my heart.
Allow me to conclude with a video titled Priceless ( http://youtu.be/XrGXtLHfJRM ) by Kenny Tan. It was one of the nomiations for ciNE65 and the film won Overall Best Film and Best Screenplay. The boy who acted in this short film happened to be one of the students i taught in Wufang previously.
I certainly know what I am protecting now and thank you for giving me such a wonderful Air Force story!
3SG(NS) Lim Guo Hong
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