1st commando battalion, marsiling, tekong, brunei, etc...
the past 2 months or so since i crossed over to the 1st commando battalion haven't been the easiest for me. you see, i've sworn off complaining about ns long ago but i guess it's the hardships and the lessons that i draw from them that have made me a different if not a better person. in a few hour's time, i will embark on my journey to brunei, where i will complete the final (well, nearly) phase of my transformation from a fresh-faced schoolboy to a full-fledged commando. it will be nothing like what i have done before. it WILL be challenging, it WILL be dangerous, it WILL be painful, but it WILL definitely be equally fulfilling. so i guess it is only appropriate for me to sum up my experiences in the battalion up to this point.
i came in with a heaviness that i found hard to dissimulate right from the beginning, no matter how i steeled myself to face it like a man. anyone can discern from the previous post my visceral disgust and apprehension towards the new situation i found myself in. but that only set the stage for the real nightmare. our laidback and relaxed lifestyles since the end of basic military training have allowed us to slip into indiscipline and indolence. the instructors really shook us up with incessant harrassment and harsh punishment for the most insignificant mistakes. area cleaning was vigorously enforced and penalties for imperfections followed shortly after. we had a major turnout in camp where our barracks were literally turned inside-out. bedsheets, pillows, mattresses, garbage, clothes and our personal belongings were strewn all over after the instructors ransacked our barracks for contraband. one the the instructors said something that convulsed me: "you must know that commandos is not just for anyone. are you ready for the next stage of your evolution?"
to be fair, the training curriculum has certainly injected in me a new burst of confidence. i managed to fulfill requirements i previously thought impossible. this includes passing the standard obstacle course and overcoming my phobia of water to complete the water confidence course. the two field camps i went through threw up everything field camps possibly could. the one at marsiling was the first that i went through in 5 months. i could barely lug the back-breaking load, endure the mosquitoes and tread the endless distances. this only prepared me for the infinitely more challenging exercise in tekong. the last night was horrible. we walked through the night and fought a mission in the middle of it. looking back, it still sends shudders down my spine.
i missed the third field camp because i injured my right heel during a parachute jump. fortunately there was no fracture or sprain. during my recuperation, while the others were enduring the rigours of the jungle, i doubted my resolve and ability to carry on with the training. some of the out-of-course trainees tried to talk me into giving up and looking for a softer alternative to commandos. it was this injury, albeit a minor one, that confronted me with the question of whether it's worth all the pain and sacrifice to achieve something that has nothing to do with the rest of my life. evidently, i won't be here typing this post if i'd arrived at a negative answer. in any case, that was the closest i have ever been to capitulation. i hope that i have settled this dilemma once and for all.
so the past few months have been a journey of self doubt and discovery. the tough times made me learn to be flexible enough to respond to group dynamics and to go out of my way to help others no matter how tired i am. i don't like to go into all the cliche about gowing closer to my teammates and forging everlasting bonds of friendship but i just hope that our familiarity with one another can transpose into solid teamwork in brunei where we depend on it for our very survival.
the road is now open before me. i hope that when i have reached my destination, the journey i experienced will be another reserve of fortitutde i can draw upon in the face of future's many vicissitudes.
i came in with a heaviness that i found hard to dissimulate right from the beginning, no matter how i steeled myself to face it like a man. anyone can discern from the previous post my visceral disgust and apprehension towards the new situation i found myself in. but that only set the stage for the real nightmare. our laidback and relaxed lifestyles since the end of basic military training have allowed us to slip into indiscipline and indolence. the instructors really shook us up with incessant harrassment and harsh punishment for the most insignificant mistakes. area cleaning was vigorously enforced and penalties for imperfections followed shortly after. we had a major turnout in camp where our barracks were literally turned inside-out. bedsheets, pillows, mattresses, garbage, clothes and our personal belongings were strewn all over after the instructors ransacked our barracks for contraband. one the the instructors said something that convulsed me: "you must know that commandos is not just for anyone. are you ready for the next stage of your evolution?"
to be fair, the training curriculum has certainly injected in me a new burst of confidence. i managed to fulfill requirements i previously thought impossible. this includes passing the standard obstacle course and overcoming my phobia of water to complete the water confidence course. the two field camps i went through threw up everything field camps possibly could. the one at marsiling was the first that i went through in 5 months. i could barely lug the back-breaking load, endure the mosquitoes and tread the endless distances. this only prepared me for the infinitely more challenging exercise in tekong. the last night was horrible. we walked through the night and fought a mission in the middle of it. looking back, it still sends shudders down my spine.
i missed the third field camp because i injured my right heel during a parachute jump. fortunately there was no fracture or sprain. during my recuperation, while the others were enduring the rigours of the jungle, i doubted my resolve and ability to carry on with the training. some of the out-of-course trainees tried to talk me into giving up and looking for a softer alternative to commandos. it was this injury, albeit a minor one, that confronted me with the question of whether it's worth all the pain and sacrifice to achieve something that has nothing to do with the rest of my life. evidently, i won't be here typing this post if i'd arrived at a negative answer. in any case, that was the closest i have ever been to capitulation. i hope that i have settled this dilemma once and for all.
so the past few months have been a journey of self doubt and discovery. the tough times made me learn to be flexible enough to respond to group dynamics and to go out of my way to help others no matter how tired i am. i don't like to go into all the cliche about gowing closer to my teammates and forging everlasting bonds of friendship but i just hope that our familiarity with one another can transpose into solid teamwork in brunei where we depend on it for our very survival.
the road is now open before me. i hope that when i have reached my destination, the journey i experienced will be another reserve of fortitutde i can draw upon in the face of future's many vicissitudes.