What is NS all about?
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Hi everybody, so I'm kinda new to this forum, so pardon any rules or guidelines i may broach. The terms and conditions were rather long and arduous :)
So i guess the body of this text is summarized in the title: What is NS all about? Some background info to put you guys into prespective.
I'm a [other country citizen~ i'm paranoid :)] Singaporean, who left Singapore when i was 11 1/2 yrs (havnt been back in Singapore for a while), so i'm obliged to return and complete NS (just came to terms with that). I've currently finished my 3rd yr in university, and am going in to do my ippt this dec. Heard that it takes 6 months for MINDEF to process it before you get posted into BMT, which i hope to get into the July intake.
So i suppose my priority concern is with the ippt. I was wondering if anybody reading has ever ran in the Washington, America (im not from there, but similar) climate compared to the Singaporean. I'm doing my 2.4km right now in 9min, but i heard that running in Singapore is like death, so what should i aim for? Not too worried about the other tests, except for the standing broad jump. Gold's like 242cm? How do you train for that?! I'm jumping at like 220cm right now...
Secondly, i was wondering if anybody can confirm this; after bmt, can MINDEF post you into the civil defense or the police force? I thought BMT was a military training course, so shouldnt everbody end up in the military? And if so, how do you stay in the military? I mean, in terms of honour and glory, obviously the military's the way to go ;)... just kidding.
Also, what are the requirements to get into OCS? My dad, way back from the 50's, was a platoon commander for the guards, and he said that if you had a degree, its like a guaranteed pathway to officers training. Is this true?
In regards, I've heard that people get posted to the different sections of the army based on their degree choice. So, if im in premed, does that mean that there is no chance of getting into the OCS because they will post me to be a medical soldier? I don't really want to be a med officers bitch...
Thanks in advance,
why is every name taken
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So just realized i posted in the wrong platform, so wondering if the moderator could delete this topic. I will be reposting it under SAF.
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no need to delete, move enough liao...........
but to answer your question, why the need for armed forces hence NS......................for thousands of years the answer is the same............
to serve the political/economic elite.............not to protect the citizens and all that BS...............the military is to keep these elite in power, protecting their interests in the country or overseas and to expand their interests abroad...........
that's why after/before every war, there's always a re-distribution of wealth and resources among the elite of the warring nations.............
it's the same for S'pore too............the SAF is to keep our elite in power here andalso to the extent of a pre-emptive strike on Johore for food and water..............otherwise, no need for SAF to train in open terrain at all...............
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Originally posted by As romanista2001:
no need to delete, move enough liao...........
but to answer your question, why the need for armed forces hence NS......................for thousands of years the answer is the same............
to serve the political/economic elite.............not to protect the citizens and all that BS...............the military is to keep these elite in power, protecting their interests in the country or overseas and to expand their interests abroad...........
that's why after/before every war, there's also a re-distribution of wealth and resources among the elite of the warring nations.............
it's the same for S'pore too............the SAF is to keep our elite in power here andalso to the extent of a pre-emptive strike on Johore for food and water..............otherwise, no need for SAF to train in open terrain at all...............
I can see that you havent done NS before.
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Just train yourself in the singapore weather. Running in stadium will be good. Time yourself and keep improving your timing. I guess strengtening your leg muscles will help in standing broad jump. Or try to practice more to get the feel of it.
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To answer one of the qns, those going to police, civil defence force don't get posted to BMT. BMT for those posted to SAF not SPF, SCDF which are separate orgs. Service with any of the 3 orgs do fall under NS.
You can get more info from the following website.
As to NS, there are those who serve with pride, there are those who don't serve with pride. There are also those who haven't or won't serve. There are also those who haven't or won't serve. and make a lot of noise.
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Originally posted by whyiseverynametaken:
Hi everybody, so I'm kinda new to this forum, so pardon any rules or guidelines i may broach. The terms and conditions were rather long and arduous :)
So i guess the body of this text is summarized in the title: What is NS all about? Some background info to put you guys into prespective.
I'm a [other country citizen~ i'm paranoid :)] Singaporean, who left Singapore when i was 11 1/2 yrs (havnt been back in Singapore for a while), so i'm obliged to return and complete NS (just came to terms with that). I've currently finished my 3rd yr in university, and am going in to do my ippt this dec. Heard that it takes 6 months for MINDEF to process it before you get posted into BMT, which i hope to get into the July intake.
So i suppose my priority concern is with the ippt. I was wondering if anybody reading has ever ran in the Washington, America (im not from there, but similar) climate compared to the Singaporean. I'm doing my 2.4km right now in 9min, but i heard that running in Singapore is like death, so what should i aim for? Not too worried about the other tests, except for the standing broad jump. Gold's like 242cm? How do you train for that?! I'm jumping at like 220cm right now...
Secondly, i was wondering if anybody can confirm this; after bmt, can MINDEF post you into the civil defense or the police force? I thought BMT was a military training course, so shouldnt everbody end up in the military? And if so, how do you stay in the military? I mean, in terms of honour and glory, obviously the military's the way to go ;)... just kidding.
Also, what are the requirements to get into OCS? My dad, way back from the 50's, was a platoon commander for the guards, and he said that if you had a degree, its like a guaranteed pathway to officers training. Is this true?
In regards, I've heard that people get posted to the different sections of the army based on their degree choice. So, if im in premed, does that mean that there is no chance of getting into the OCS because they will post me to be a medical soldier? I don't really want to be a med officers bitch...
Thanks in advance,
why is every name taken
Yes, with a degree, you are almost certain to be in OCS.
However, you will also have to do relatively well for your SIT test.
Don't worry about being a Medical Officer. If you do not wish to be one, you don't have to be one (Note that this is the only officer role which you can choose not to be).
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Originally posted by weasel1962:
To answer one of the qns, those going to police, civil defence force don't get posted to BMT. BMT for those posted to SAF not SPF, SCDF which are separate orgs. Service with any of the 3 orgs do fall under NS.
You can get more info from the following website.
As to NS, there are those who serve with pride, there are those who don't serve with pride. There are also those who haven't or won't serve. There are also those who haven't or won't serve. and make a lot of noise.
many NSPIs from SPF and a number of SCDF's Lieutenants went through BMT
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Originally posted by SBS2601D:
I can see that you havent done NS before.brudder, no more reservist for me liao......................the year i got out was when France won the World Cup..............
don't tell me you're naive enough to believe that NS is to protect the poor citizens of the country ?
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Just to get ready first.
Without NS, Singapore will have only the lau lang playing soldiers in the PDF for defence. And the artillery is only for the 21 gun salute on national day.
And if the people up north want to take back whats theirs, they only need to march in.
To start training at that moment would be too late.
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Hey guys last question about NS.
Since i will be finishing my degree, will i be put into a recruits group where everybody is like 20yrs over? cuz ill be 20 yrs old turning 21... will feel kinda out of touch with 17/18 yr old boys.
Also, heard a rumour tht theres a group with just emmigrants in it... is this true?
Or is BMT allocation entirely random?
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brudder, no more reservist for me liao......................the year i got out was when France won the World Cup..............
don't tell me you're naive enough to believe that NS is to protect the poor citizens of the country ?
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Your childish & silly statements makes one wonder what role you were assigned to you during NS. You were also probably not in the SAF & even if you were , then you had clearly not contributed at all to our nation.
NS is among other things also nation building. Singaporean 18 year olds from all walks of life ,races , educational & social backgrounds are thrown into a melting pot giving them a common experience and bonding which makes them , hopefully better citizens of Singapore. I am sure many of us in this forum are proud to have served NS and have become better persons as a result of this experience.
Looks like you have neither learnt nor benefited from NS.
The nation is happy that you are no longer serving as a reservist or whatever. Good riddance !
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Cheers for taking that bold step to return to Singapore to serve your NS !
It is a personal sacrifice to serve two years in NS and I hope you will be better for the experience. Make the best of it and good luck !
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Haha. I'm really excited. A 2 yr hiatus before med school is a needed break. My dad was a platoon commander for the guards and he has the most interesting stories ever. said it was one of his best times...
only problem with NS is that if i were in Singapore, id be 100% for it since it builds character and really acts as a learning growth. However, since im not in Singapore, it actually sets me back compared to my current peers. Also, I know nobody in Singapore anymore (other than my relatives), so its gonna be sad. haha, but w/e, just gonna tear up the clubs and local bars.
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Originally posted by As romanista2001:
brudder, no more reservist for me liao......................the year i got out was when France won the World Cup..............
don't tell me you're naive enough to believe that NS is to protect the poor citizens of the country ?
That's too bad for you then....I won't trade my NS for anything else you people like to say, because I gained plenty during my NS.Of course I'm not saying I wish to repeat my NSF years again.
If you enter NS with a negative attitude, and leave with a negative one, then that's really too bad....most people I know are of my sentiments.
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Originally posted by whyiseverynametaken:
Haha. I'm really excited. A 2 yr hiatus before med school is a needed break. My dad was a platoon commander for the guards and he has the most interesting stories ever. said it was one of his best times...
only problem with NS is that if i were in Singapore, id be 100% for it since it builds character and really acts as a learning growth. However, since im not in Singapore, it actually sets me back compared to my current peers. Also, I know nobody in Singapore anymore (other than my relatives), so its gonna be sad. haha, but w/e, just gonna tear up the clubs and local bars.
Dude, your NS friends have the potential to become your best friends you could ask for, so you don't really have to worry about lack of contacts in S'pore when you begin your NS. -
For many of us who do NS , it was a character building exercise both for ourselves and the buddies who went thro the experience together. I personally learnt in NS that one can be very surprised who one can trust ones life with when in a dire situation - it may not be the well educated dude but may be the gangster with the tatoos on his arms and chest.
Also, as SBS2601D said , your NS buddies may become your best friends one day.
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I'm not sure what the climate in Washington is like, but all things being equal, the biggest issue is humidity, followed by heat. Then again, I actually found it more difficult adapting to lower humidity, rather than higher. Latitude-wise, the closest I've been to Washington is New York, but a New York summer is a reasonable approximation of Singaporean weather.
If you've already done a med degree, you'll get posted as a medical officer somewhere, but it's not that cut-and-dried if you're in pre-med. As forbiddensinner has said, he degree's most likely to point you straight at OCS (medical problems notwithstanding, but from what I've read there are none), rather than being sent off as a medic.
Who you end up bunking with is an interesting question - if you're sent off to ITD (or whatever they call it these days), you're probably going to end up with guys whose circumstances aren't all too different from yours. However, mono-intake units like Commandos would probably find you in a group of wider socioeconomic strata, but that's where the real fun begins. Speaking for myself, coming straight out of school and learning to live with Hokkien pengs was a real eye-opener and a real opportunity to develop one's social skills.
I think romanista's being too cynical, but on the other hand there's obviously more to NS than the "protecting the nation" ideal. There's a strong business case for NS - without a standing army, the likelihood of Singapore being taken over by a neighbouring country is sure to make investors nervous. It's not a pretty picture, but that's just the way it is.
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Originally posted by Gedanken:
I'm not sure what the climate in Washington is like, but all things being equal, the biggest issue is humidity, followed by heat. Then again, I actually found it more difficult adapting to lower humidity, rather than higher. Latitude-wise, the closest I've been to Washington is New York, but a New York summer is a reasonable approximation of Singaporean weather.
If you've already done a med degree, you'll get posted as a medical officer somewhere, but it's not that cut-and-dried if you're in pre-med. As forbiddensinner has said, he degree's most likely to point you straight at OCS (medical problems notwithstanding, but from what I've read there are none), rather than being sent off as a medic.
Who you end up bunking with is an interesting question - if you're sent off to ITD (or whatever they call it these days), you're probably going to end up with guys whose circumstances aren't all too different from yours. However, mono-intake units like Commandos would probably find you in a group of wider socioeconomic strata, but that's where the real fun begins. Speaking for myself, coming straight out of school and learning to live with Hokkien pengs was a real eye-opener and a real opportunity to develop one's social skills.
I think romanista's being too cynical, but on the other hand there's obviously more to NS than the "protecting the nation" ideal. There's a strong business case for NS - without a standing army, the likelihood of Singapore being taken over by a neighbouring country is sure to make investors nervous. It's not a pretty picture, but that's just the way it is.
I agreed i find that i struggle more running in low humidity dryer and colder air. in Sing once you get used to the heat breathing isn't a problem.
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Originally posted by Sepecat:
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brudder, no more reservist for me liao......................the year i got out was when France won the World Cup..............
don't tell me you're naive enough to believe that NS is to protect the poor citizens of the country ?
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Your childish & silly statements makes one wonder what role you were assigned to you during NS. You were also probably not in the SAF & even if you were , then you had clearly not contributed at all to our nation.
NS is among other things also nation building. Singaporean 18 year olds from all walks of life ,races , educational & social backgrounds are thrown into a melting pot giving them a common experience and bonding which makes them , hopefully better citizens of Singapore. I am sure many of us in this forum are proud to have served NS and have become better persons as a result of this experience.
Looks like you have neither learnt nor benefited from NS.
The nation is happy that you are no longer serving as a reservist or whatever. Good riddance !
so you saying the govt implemented NS for social bonding ? just who's the childish and naive one here man ?
yeah, you maight make friends from NS but won't help racial relations much..............when the going gets tough, you think people from different races will look out for each other ?
you should know theanswer in real life..............even when in times of trouble, Malays will not help each other much less another race...............
***) if ever M'sia were to be winning in a war with S'pore, all they need to do is say they'll spare all Malays that surrender or reward them if they switch sides.............you se what will happen ?
***) by the way, if the govt want different people from different races/religions to have bonding, why is it that you hardly see Malays in the Army now ? they're mostly sent to the Police...............
the thread is about the purpose of NS..............and the purpose is to train people to defend the financial/political elite...........and/or expand their interests overseas..............those who say otherwise are the naive ones..............
think about it, who stands to lose the most and gain the most when nations go to war ???
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Sadly , you must belong to an age from long long ago & you must really have been traumatised when in NS - I do encourage you to seek help.
As you can see, our forumers generally have a good NS experiences with our fellow Singaporeans of all races and social / economic backgrounds. We cannot help it if you cannot integrate well into NS. Perhaps you are a social outcast ?
I guess you have closed your eyes and thats the reason why you fail to notice that the SAF has Malays in very high ranking positions and also in many combat vocations. We also have Indians, Eurasians etc in important positions in the SAF. -
high positions for Malays, Indians, etc is for show only..........to show that S'pore is not totally dominated by Chinese.............go to Tekong or ask those new recruits there and see if there are many Malays there.......?
ever since 9/11 the number of Malays in the Army have plunged off the cliff...........their numbers have skyrocketed in the Police..............so much for the multi-racial bonding BS............
i was at Tekong twice and there were hardly any Malays there among the new or existing recruits..............i don't think i even saw like 5 of them..............of course, they may all be on MC or hiding those 2 days...........LOL
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Originally posted by As romanista2001:
high positions for Malays, Indians, etc is for show only..........to show that S'pore is not totally dominated by Chinese.............go to Tekong or ask those new recruits there and see if there are many Malays there.......?
ever since 9/11 the number of Malays in the Army have plunged off the cliff...........their numbers have skyrocketed in the Police..............so much for the multi-racial bonding BS............
i was at Tekong twice and there were hardly any Malays there among the new or existing recruits..............i don't think i even saw like 5 of them..............of course, they may all be on MC or hiding those 2 days...........LOL
Funny, I saw a lot of Malays in Tekong when I was there. They were PCs, Sect Comds, Platoon Sgts etc etc. Maybe you didn't see them cos you didn't open your eyes wide enough or they were all on duty. Ironically, I saw the most malay servicemen on Tekong than anywhere else.
Btw, you said you were at Tekong twice? Both visits or have you done your BMT there?
As for the TS, don't worry about your age gap. Your section mates will be more excited than anything else and will ask you endless questions about the US and life there. Of course, your American accent will come under close scrutiny, but it'll be more tongue-in-cheek rather than discriminatory.
One tip though, don't call the Sergeants "sarge." Refer to them as "Sergeants." As for Medical Officer Cadet School, I'm not too sure of that. I'm under the impression those who disrupted from BMT to study medicine would head back as Medical Officers and serve some kind of bond. Since your medical school was not paid for by the Singapore government, I doubt they will bond you. Of course, I won't exclude the possibility of a short tenure there.
During my stay at Shangri-La Tekong, I encountered quite a few multinational platoon mates. One guy who studied in an American school in Philippines, 2 Indonesians who came back to serve and another Indian who came back to serve.
Enjoy your BMT at Tekong and make friends. Its fun when you have a whole bunch of dudes to bitch about training with. And throughout your stay as an NSF in Singapore, you'd definitely meet a lot people from all walks of life. Get to know them and find out more about this tiny little island. Maybe you'd figure out what NS is about through your own experience. =D
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Originally posted by As romanista2001:
high positions for Malays, Indians, etc is for show only..........to show that S'pore is not totally dominated by Chinese.............go to Tekong or ask those new recruits there and see if there are many Malays there.......?
ever since 9/11 the number of Malays in the Army have plunged off the cliff...........their numbers have skyrocketed in the Police..............so much for the multi-racial bonding BS............
i was at Tekong twice and there were hardly any Malays there among the new or existing recruits..............i don't think i even saw like 5 of them..............of course, they may all be on MC or hiding those 2 days...........LOL
My sect comm was a Malay, my understudy sect comm was an Indian Muslim ....and our sister sect also had a Malay dude for sect comm.
And they all obviously came from Tekong as recruits.
The exception was really my unit, or more of my SAF arm I served in. There, what you say really applies.
Like I said, if you did not like your NS, that's too bad for you. I just went for IPPT with some of my buddies, and boy did we enjoy ourselves.
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i like your nick....whyiseverynametaken.....that sums up everything about NS...
everyone shares the same situation in a highly disciplined and organized scheme...one do wrong...all wrong.....all for one and one for all concept...the spirit of camaraderie....no one but everyone takes the same honour and name for their platoon...
there is no one great leader but all are leaders for one another...towards the nation...
NO MATTER HOW SMALL U R....U R ONE OF THE MANY NUMBERS TO MAKE IT WORK....NS is a MUST AND MUST CONTINUE TO CARRY ON FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY SAKE...NO MATTER WHO THE GOVT IS