:: I got a medal, you know! ::

<warning: a rather long post - best read with coffee or before bedtime>

when i received the letter from the Singapore Police Force that us, their National Servicemen, now, too, well...finally, will have the similar convenience of electronic portal like the guys at the Army - i was elated.

it's about time.

i have always been rather envious for not being 'selected' to join the SAF for my National Service, that was my expectation back in junior college. my aim back then, was to be super-outstanding recruit soldier during the BMT (basic military training), becoming a recipient of the covereted Sword of Honour and subsequently, trained to be a fine officer at the OCS (officer cadet school). that was even though my ambition was never to be a soldier or an officer in the first place.

but you know how idealistic and competitve college boys can get, knowing all the army-jargon and acronyms like the ones above was our way of male-bonding.

so when i received the recall order to report to the police academy for my NS, i was rather disappointed. i reckon it was because i was the only male member of my family who was called-up for NS.

my 2 elder brothers were exempted, i suspected because of these reasons: - my eldest brother was not called for NS because he was a hippie in an era where long hair was frowned upon while the other was a college student in a generation where student activitism and communism ideals were rampant in the 70s and early 80s. guess they were perhaps categorized as 'risky'....well, lucky them! but i could be wrong in my 'analysis', so please, don't sue me.

my BMT in the police academy was a breeze ...i even had more than enough energy for 'self-training' and additional workouts...i ran around the academy and train for the cross-country. did more than required exercises, push-ups, chin ups..you name it, i did it.

i guess my 'efforts' have paid off because i came in 3rd during the cross-country race among the recruits in the academy. the 1st two winners were national runners, so not bad for my attempt and my 2.4km run record then was 7.34 minutes!

as it has been 'fated', i was selected to join the elite police unit at that time, which was known as the 'police task force' after my passing out from the BMT in the academy.

PTF, which is now known as SOC, is a para-military unit with main job is to counter any riots and terrorists attacks. immediately after the posting from the academy, i had to under 'real' training for 1 month. the route-march with heavy army gears and backs, the continuous running in half uniforms with boots and all, the punishments to drop 50 (ie: 50 push-ups)....i love 'em all...i really did.

again, because of my 'on-ness' i was selected to join the fittest and the best troop in PTF, it's called KC. i have the time of my life there...regulars or NSF, we were all brothers. one for all, and all for one. we were the only police unit, back then, that did not have any distinction between 'real' police and 'NS' police. we wore the same badges and some of us even have higher ranks than the regulars...hehehe. before i bored all of you "NS-widows" with boring NS talk, let me stop digressing here, right now!.

NOW back to the electronic portal for NS men, i discovered that way back in 2001, i was actually confered a public service medal...i really did! i guess it got lost in 'translation' somehow...because i have never received any letters to inform me, but it's there..in my NS record....see?



hmm...guess this medal would look like in my smart police uniform eh? but then again, where is it now?


but then again, i don't care...really,i guess my college boy passion about the military and uniform have died ... the military idealists have become just that. just an ideal for me.