Comments on: National service, national responsibilities

By: vote a dog

vote a dog — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:32:39 +0000

National service is a complete waste of time, a ‘wayang’ show. I don’t need 2.5 years to learn things like ‘bochap’, chow keng’, ‘taiji’, making up excuses, bypassing your immediate supervisor, etc. Please, if you are conscripted against your wishes, you won’t try to do your best. Do whatever to get yourself through the 2 or 2.5 years, do nothing also get through, do a lot also get through, why do I need to do my best?

By: Kualosong

Kualosong — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 06:45:49 +0000

The real funny thing about singaporeans unlike other country is when they cannot get answers or do anything about it, they just accept and go on another 50 years.

its time to migrate. i consider myself not suitable for such an environment. i do not want my children to have a certain unique mentality. so i must find them a better environment to grow up in.

i must become an FT.

By: Dumb and dumber

Dumb and dumber — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:52:21 +0000

please allow me one more question. Are Singaporeans incapable of protecting their leaders? Do contribute your opinions, I thank You!!

>> Which one?
>> Those I respect as leaders, I will guard them with my life.
>> Those I despise, count themselves lucky if I didn’t send them 2 grenades during war time before they send us to our graves.

Lastly, like HDB whom cannot disclose their construction costs; yet keep on telling people that they are “subsidize”; Mindef have this “White Horse” system that produce “leaders”.

Both are a joke in my opinion.

By: Humbino

Humbino — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:20:49 +0000

Some say, National Service is 2 years or 2.5 years . To me, National Service is that Plus 10 year or 13 year cycle (old batch).

I have performed national service for all the cycles and the 2.5 years.

Now, i welcome the foreigners.

By: angry_one

angry_one — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:50:54 +0000

National Slavery is the worst experience in my life as a sinkee. It’s also a primary reason for my wanting to immigrate – i don’t ever want my sons and grandsons to undergo modern slavery. I don’t understand why it’s never been an election issue when almost 1/2 the population is unhappy over it. Just look at the stories above me.
Our SAF is not run like a real army, but a slave camp. They do not trust their own soldiers, and go to lengths to oppress us and drive us to the brink of health risks.
It is very sad to see this sinkaporean psyche passing on to work and adult life. Those in power are always suspicious of their subordinates and only think of making life difficult for them, or as LKY puts it ‘digging the spurs into their hides’.

By: kangwei

kangwei — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:10:20 +0000

OK, i stumbled upon this old thing and just want to whine

My atopic eczema is pretty serious… covering all my joints (ie. neck, inside of elbow and knee), back, thigh, legs… kinda bad

you cant really miss it unless u are blind or something similar (cockeye or anything affecting ur vision)

i got PES B L1 for a start

i took me 2 memo from a specialist to certify i cant be a L1 with rashes covering the whole of my body

By: Ho Wei Pin

Ho Wei Pin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:11:16 +0000

This is not merely an issue of incompetence or too much red tape. I do sincerely wonder about the competency of those in charge of assigning us our pes status. I was diagnosed with diabetic and severe lack of potassium in my body 2 days after i entered SPF and somehow they couldn’t detect any signs of that during my body checkup at CMPB

By: Daniel

Daniel — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 17:50:06 +0000

“Are Singaporeans incapable of protecting their leaders?”

We Singaporeans only capable of protecting valuables not junks.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:54:28 +0000

National responsibilities? We had a PC that forced our guys to go for outfield exercises despite one of our guys running a fever just for the sake of looking “garang”, according to him and was only sent back to the medical center AFTER being out in the field and looking for the medic whom brought the matter up to my PC.

I remember an incident where we came back from an exercise and the storeman forgot to indent our ration. Now, it was all good and well when a couple of AI officers brought their rations over to us so that we’ll have dinner while we’re cleaning arms/vehicles and my dear PC refused the other officers by saying, No, we don’t accept help from the AIs and lo-and-behold, no dinner for us while the rest of the company was having their dinner while cleaning arms.

National service? More like a load of bullshit.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:30:55 +0000

I’d just like to share my experience; At CMPB during the medical screening I told the medic (was that even a doctor?) about my various problems and he answered me with a “who teach you say that” (sic), pretty much calling me a liar.

About my obvious flat feet, he simply said that they had special shoes for those.

I ended up in PES B and my medical conditions all worked up at once and I had to go for a review. But my sergeant forgot to write down one of the conditions and the army doctor refused to hear anything about it because it wasn’t in the med review form thing, and his attitude could be pretty much summed up as “hurry up and fuck off”.

I figured out why five minutes after my interview with him ended, as he left the room, and the medical centre, with his bags packed.

He did, however, refer me to the physiotherapist who verified my problems and finally downgraded me; Except that I had to wait over a week for my appointment with the physiotherapist and longer on OOT before they let me go.

Oh, and those special shoes they had did fuck-all for me, what with all the marching in boots.

The whole experience left me extremely bitter and I moved out of the shithole of a country after finishing NS.

By: New Domain » Blog Archive » Nineteen

New Domain » Blog Archive » Nineteen — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:57:27 +0000

[...] a totally unrelated note, a good read about National Service of which we are all compelled to [...]

By: mr kit

mr kit — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:42:25 +0000

yeah, its true. I was a platoon medic and I started the job with so much hope that i’ll actually help people. The whole medical system in the SAF is severely outdated with no actual enforcement and checks. I gotta really disgusted halfway and volunteered to keep going outfield cos when Im in the medical centre, even as much as I try to help my fellow colleagues, I am forced to cover-up and lie for the system. It’s sad how many cases of misdiagnosis that gets sent to us from other camps and its not just small cases like flat foot and stuff. A lot of them were serious things like drug allergies and most were hospitalised. I even got some cases of NSmen coming back 10 years after their service trying to get the saf to pay-up for training accidents and all i can do is to pass them back into the system. Allthough I gained the respect and friendship of many of my patients, it shouldnt be that work can only be done around the system. Some of my fellow medics even have to run the place from their own pockets to supply patients because of the system not working. It’s really sad.

Its really sad that my oath of Seek save and Serve has been thrown into the gutter and run over with. By the time I orded, me and all my friends are all disillusioned servicemen so its quite common to come across stories of medics that are just totally pissed off. Sometimes keep in mind that its not the medics or the mo that is bad but sometimes we’re just disillusioned. We dont and cant care anymore.

By: patriot

patriot — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 08:14:11 +0000

Fellow Singaporeans;
please allow me one more question. Are Singaporeans incapable of protecting their leaders? Do contribute your opinions, I thank You!!

patriot.

By: patriot

patriot — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 07:07:55 +0000

Btw, I completed my NS in 1972 and may I say, it was done grudgingly and also just that I did not want to be charged and got my parents worried.
My only son on the other hand, liked his stint(NS) and completed his this year 2008 and I said well and good.

Do I want to protect my family, country and countrymen? The Answer is a definite Yes, if we are invaded but not otherwise.

Do I want to protect the Leadership? The Answer is a definite No. I have no love for them.

Do they(Leadership) want us to protect them? The Answer is another definite No.
Why? The Answer; the Leadership is by virtue of Leadership to lead and protect us and they show it. They are presently engaging foreigners, the Gurkhas, to protect themselves. Why? Because they do not need us to protect them or because they(the Leaders) do not trust their own subjects? Please contribute your opinions!
Why do they(Leaders) used foreigners for personal(families) protections?

patriot.

By: patriot

patriot — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 04:21:20 +0000

When one has decided not to be a soldier for whatever personal reason, he shall and should not be a soldier, even if he is conscripted by Law for the so-called defence and protection of his country. Should he be forced to be one, he shall be entitled to do whatever he can to evade it, fair and square.

Conscription in the first place violates Human(personal) Rights to the extreme. Any nation must be capable of engaging professional fighting men, if it cannot, then it should and shall not be a nation, pure and simple. No one can stop an unwilling soldier to point his weapon away from the enemy.

patriot.

By: disenfranchiseddr

disenfranchiseddr — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:56:18 +0000

It’s interesting to note the spectrum of reactions this post (clearly by a disaffected NSF, and mostly certainly not a MO judging by the length and sheer verbosity) has generated.

Yi Long rightly condemns malingerers (so-called CKB) whose indiscriminate reporting sick results in MOs taking a rather jaundiced view of all those seeking medical attention.

Fever guy however, seems to think we live in an era of socialized medicine. Welfare is most certainly not a “full body check-up” every year. Incidentally, what is a full body check up? I think it’s high time that the public at large should educate themselves on the limitations of medical investigations and “check-ups”. Our MOs and medics are stretched enough as is without having to conduct “full body check-ups” for 330,000 NSMen.

By: Fever Guy

Fever Guy — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:18:03 +0000

All NSmen and Regulars should be given a full body check up every year. This is welfare at its minimum. Why do we have so many mo and medics for? Do some work lah! Are they send to battlefield to tend to the wounded every day? No War at all. So why cant a simple thing like a full body check cant be carried out? We have a biomedical hub right? Invest in out of patent generic drugs and medicine for use in our soldiers health checks to reduce mindef costs. X rays can be digital, no need to print out on film. Invest in some 2nd hand machines from hospital for use in x-ray and heart detecting devices. Stop spending money buying F15 and expensive toys. Without the man behind the wheels they are just toys. Keep a soldier healthy a day keeps the enemies away.

By: Yi Long

Yi Long — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:11:31 +0000

Loyola, agreed.

Anyway, have anyone think about why is this happening? Why don’t we blame those who have malingered their way through NS that caused the MOs, commanders to be paranoid?

Of course, I believe that a sick man should not be made to serve his NS out of his physical capabilities. But I strongly condemn those who try to find an easy way out. It’s these people who are screwing up the system.

Pt to add though, my very own injury report took a year to be approved. From the first day I stepped into my unit, till days before I ORD.

By: Loyola

Loyola — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 04:23:19 +0000

CB,

Not all commanders are narrow-minded.. some of us place the welfare of our lads ahead of our own.

I always believed that having rank means having a responsibility towards your men, the ability to make sure they get the best welfare, and in return, everyone’s job gets done much faster because morale is improved.

By: guojun

guojun — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:19:01 +0000

whoa relax man. LHL’s son already kena slap wrist…think for us will be thunderbolt… hahaha…blog about it lah. enough blog entries liao publish a book lor. im sure every soldier has a story..