THIS IS GUARD DUTY

Everybody is very eager to do it. But once the virginty is broken, they try all ways to avoid it. Welcome to guard duty.

Some will be conscripted into it. While some will need to perform mistake to earn it.

I was dead shag one day during field camp. I sat down on the floor with my rifile on my leg with the barrel facing the sky. It was also loaded with blanks. One ass-hole switch my rifile to auto, and by the curse of all mankind, i dared him to squezze the trigger. And he did just that. Two sergents began staring at us.

And we found ourself doing our part as a singaporean taking part in the nation's 41st birthday guarding an otherwise very well known island called Tekong.

The day began with a very early dinner, followed by the participting of the flag lowering session. After which, we march to the guard room to have our briefing. Once done, we will start guarding our well loved island.

My shift soon came. And i set out with my guard buddy. He was invited to guard duty as he dropped his magazine. And an officer was kind enough to pick it up for him. This also happened at field camp.

As we were not yet trained to fire live rounds yet, we were armed with a set of baton and riot shield.

We were allocated to be prowels. All we do is to walk all over the edges of BMTC 1 & 2.

It is here we were taught the hard way of how low a recuit life is. I saw a friend of mine, exchanged greetings and was screwed by his sergent.

Sergent: GUARDS!!!! GUARDSSSSS!!!! WHAT'S THE @%#!&%# TACTICAL DISTANCE???

We ignored him but my buddy and i started to distanced ourselves. Tactical distance is useful and important in case we were ambushed by enemies. In Tekong, it is the danger of the wild boars. Haha.

As we walked along the coastal areas of Tekong (it is were the O, T, W coy is) we heard fire works from the fire works vestival. Unfortuely, view was block by an zinc blockade to prevent recuits wandering into freshly reclaimed area. Only the sentries and those off duty get to watched them.

And soon, we grew bored with shoulders aching. To get over this, my buddy and i decided to hide somewhere to scare the other prowels walking the other direction. But we failed our mission.

The worst thing about guard duty is the bunk. When you are off duty, you rest in a stuffy bunk, filled with joss smoke smell coming fron the prayer room next door. Bed are so dirty, you will decide to sit on the chair and fall asleep on the table. To set your mind at peace, this is a list of things you may want to bring.

1. MP3 player for off duty uses.
2. Wet tissues for your oil filled face.
3. Toilet paper if you think you need to shit during guard duty.
4. Coins, you will need them if you are posted to do prowling.

Soon, guard duty ended on 6am, 9th August. But because the B coy who will take over us came late, we left the guard room for our F coy barracks only at 8:30am.

Without forgeting that our ferry is due to leave at 8:45am. With the fact that the guard room is beside the tekong ferry terminal and the F coy barracks is really really deep inside BMTC, marching is not an option. We had to run. And i really mean run. Put down our SBO, get our field packs, run to the ferry.

By some magical mystries, we made it on time. Only to come back on the very same day at 7pm.

When we arrived Tekong, we were greeted by the fire works display as we were alighting from the ferry. Many of us recuits stayed at the jetty to enjoy the small little romantic display of our country birthday by our country.

Happy 41st birthday, Singapore.