Operationally Ready

Gentlemen,

Two years ago on 2nd December, i left the comfort of my home and my parents for an island to begin my Basic Military training.

Now i stand before you,honorably discharged from service ,having given two years of my youth to my nation and entered my Operationally Ready Phase.

I stand before you as a National-Servicemen or the Reserves as the Americans puts it.

 

Congratulations!

 

You can't handle the truth!

hehe, funny movie...

Congrats, mate.

 

I congratulate you on serving your country. What were you in for? Where you from?

 

Happy for you Kaiser!

 

I'm from Singapore.

I was in for my national service to the nation like all 18 yr old males in the country would have to go through under law.

Got through BMT, got selected for Combat medic course and later, Underwater Combat medic course(we don't dive actually,nothing much u can do underwater except killing). Got posted to a naval base medical centre and ended up doing administration matters like the upgrading and downgrading of health status for servicemen determining if they are still combat fit or not.

 

I kinda wish sometimes America would make that 18 year olds spend a year or 2 serving there country. It doesnt have to be in the military but as construction or mail persons

 

Kaiser, congratulations! You made it through, now you can look back on it and smile...

While we wait for Grieg to butt in here, I'd just like to say that while the government is always a big employer in any nation, it doesn't really make sense for them to draft their own civilian population for the many jobs they offer when it is easy enough to find qualified personell willing to take them. For the military this is of course a different matter - volunteer armies don't tend to be anywhere near the potential size of a nation's military under mobilization.

 

It can be argued that in peace time one volunteer soldier is better than three draftees since the volunteer is there by his own free will rather than by conscription. Most people, when forced to do something, usuually find the easiest way to do it without regard to any sort of quality. A volunteer at least tries to be a good soldier.

On the other hand, I would like to see something in the USA that would encourage participation in the military, police, paramedics, firefighters, or other public service. Maybe that should be a condition for receiving college grants and such.

 

So that your entire national intellectual potential is risking its life on a daily basis? Seems a bit harsh...

 

How so? Those who wish not to do it can go for college loans rather than getting tax payers to foot their college expenses. Besides, how is public service a risky profession? There are many careers in it that are completely safe.

 

To drag this back - well done Kaiser - glad to see you got out in one piece!

 

Well, if anything, it makes for a more matured citizen.

Well Roel, the entire male population risks its life everyday in Singapore. everyone here is trained to fight and kill.Well i'm trained to save lives but that's cool too.haha

 

Congrats.Got any pics?

 

Well i have no idea how to do so...Anyway the pictures will be very limited as we aren't allowed to bring in cameras on most days.

Anyway, the place where i was based in, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changi_Naval_Base