Saturday, June 23, 2007
1st In-Camp Training - Day 1: The In-processing
1st In-Camp Training Day 1
The In-processing
11 June 2007
(This is the beginning of a series of posts on my first In-Camp Training)
My phone alarm went off at precisely 5.30am. It was no different from my usual schedule, since I wake up at that time everyday, but the irony hit me when I remembered that this was the time that I was forced to wake up at during my Basic Military Training on Pulau Tekong. Prior to my enlistment, I had been waking up at a bum-blistering time of 10am. Come to think of it, I’ve been through a lot since then.
I looked at my brother, also a polytechnic student, sleeping like a dead log, and wondered how he would take the shock when the time comes round for him. What the heck, if I can manage, surely he couldn’t do no worse?
Since the reporting timing was at 7am deep in the bowels of the Tuas industrial estate (the beloved Tanjong Gul Camp), we easterners had to share a taxi down in order to reach there in time.
On the PIE, the four of us marvelled at the peace of the 6am traffic. Half of the country is still dead asleep! Remembering that we were wearing uniform, somebody commented, “It is as if we are enlisting for the second time…”
“Yeah,” I concurred. It sure felt like that. My boots felt weird around my legs, and my uniform was a tighter fit than the last time I remembered wearing it. It was as if I had grown fatter.
“Of course you have! I’ll bet that nobody has lost weight since ORD!” another friend of mine retorted.
6.30 saw a mini-gathering at the road side when we saw our company re-forming slowly. It was a magical reunion of sorts as people flowed into the in-processing centre, bantering about university life.
When the in-processing centre finally opened at 6.45am, we queued up to be processed like the same old times. Mechanically, each person was carefully scrutinised by the camp RSM.
“Go kiwi your boots,” he ordered. “Go cut your hair first,” he told the next.
I managed to pass the test and was shepherded by the white-tape (you can’t imagine how much the armed forces love white-tape) to the next station, where my luggage got carefully checked by the Regimental Police. They made me show them that my phone didn’t have a camera (that means no photos for the blog!), and then stamped my hand.
I collected a camp pass, and had my identity card scanned at the in-processing centre. Since many people failed the RSM’s boot and hair check, it was smooth sailing for me all the way to the accommodation blocks.
That was then things started getting all messed up. We had to draw out weapons for a parade later from the armskote, but I was listed in the books as a Section Automatic Weapon user. For weapon-philes, the Section Automatic Weapon is actually the Ultimax 100, made in Singapore. While it’s one of the lightest automatic weapons around, it was too long for my liking, since I am not a very tall person!
My organic (normal) weapon is the SAR21. You know, the new rifle introduced just a few years back to replace the M16. Never mind, let’s just say that for some odd reasons, my organic weapon listing was swapped with someone else in my platoon, and he was really happy to have a lighter rifle for once.
We went up to the temporary bunks to keep our barang-barang. There would be a parade later, followed by a cohesion march. I only hope that things run smoothly as they are right now…
[to be continued..]