Do you remember your enlistment day? If not, this Facebook album would jog your memory:
From the sheepish walking from one place to another to the swear-in ceremony to the last good western meal in the cookhouse, it’s an experience that no one can forget.
But during the whole process, you’d know that your loved ones are somewhere nearby to check out your bunk, your equipment and your life for the next few months.
And after everything, you’d hug your loved ones one last time before your IC turn from pink / blue to green, and your hair disappear from your head.
But now, even COVID-19 has to disrupt this milestone that most male Singaporean has gone through.
Parents Now Cannot Send Their Kids to BMTC on Enlistment Day So They Can’t Taste The Goody Food
In a video by The Singapore Army, BMTC Commander COL Pang Lead Shuan addressed the enlistees who would be chao recruits soon, and their parents as well.
And no, he’s not there to tell you to swear that you’d protect the country with your life.
Instead, he’s here to tell you that COVID-19 is going to make the most depressing day of your life even more depressing.
Unlike the good old days whereby your parents or visitors would take the ferry to Pulau Tekong with you and send you off to your doom to your training, that is going to change.
Parents or visitors would not be able to step into Tekong.
Instead, goodbyes have to be said at Selarang Camp, a camp located so far off in the east of Singapore that you’d have to take a 30-minute bus ride from Tampines MRT Station (I’ve been there many times so I know).
And suffice to say, there would be no visitors—enlistees just book in like any other book-in days.
Poor recruits; the experience is going to be different, because I’m 98% sure you won’t be having western meal on your enlistment day.
The goal is to prevent crowding, which you’d agree once you’ve seen the crowd at Pasir Ris MRT Station during enlistment day.
Here’s COL Pang’s address:
Other than that, he also spoke about how training would be a tad different: safe distancing would be implemented everywhere, and there would be more area cleaning enhanced hygiene.
No more “whole lot squeeze!”
Enlistees would be receiving an SMS for more details.
And if you’re an enlistee who doesn’t know what an SMS is, please learn to use it. You’re going to receive many messages from Ah Kong on this ancient technology.
If you want to know more about NS in the army, you can watch this video we’ve done:
(Check out our YouTube channel for more informative and entertaining videos!)