Thursday, September 19, 2013

Loyalty In Uniform

It's the rite of passage for every Singaporean male to spend a couple of years in Temasek green. The experience which is supposed to separate the men from the boys, the committed citizens from the flitting foreigners, can also be deadly - suffocation from smoke grenades, amputation by naval mooring gear, or simply crushed by runaway army vehicles. Someone should do a tally of the cost of national defence in human terms.

Author Joel Chasnoff took the leap of faith from Chicago to Tel Aviv to sign up with the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) because he thought it was cool to fight for his race, threatened with extinction by nasties like Hezbollah suicide bombers. It turns out that in-camp training with the IDF was no boy-scout camp, and graduation meant a posting to the Lebanon Security Zone, where a real war is fought out amid orange groves teeming with seasoned guerrillas. Told with humour, his accounting also includes shedding of blood and loss of limbs - Joel fired his first anti-tank missile and rained artillery on a stray dog, that looked suspiciously like an enemy.

The real kicker is when he tries to marry his sweetheart - other reason for trading his stereotype American Jew comfort zone for a Uzi and dog tag - only to be told he's not a Jew because his mother's conversion was not Orthodox. Explaining that the mitzvah certificate used to join the army is unacceptable, the rabbi deadpanned, "That's civil law. Marriage is religious law. It's the law of God." His best man screamed, "He's in the army! He's in Lebanon! What could be more Jewish than that?"

So it comes down to that. Will two years in uniform make one a loyal citizen? The answer depends on whether we are called to defend our loved ones or some bureaucratic machinery who spends millions on a welcoming party for foreigners.

15 comments:

  1. The entire military service everywhere is a silly joke played by the elites on and to victimize the ordinary.

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  2. What are soldiers?

    They are remote controlled human beings
    no better than daft.

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  3. Our so called professional soldiers are nothing but sucking money from the NSF men..

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  4. Singapore govt is putting the cart before the horse by allowing PRs to serve NS. Makes a mockery of NS since PRs are still considered foreigners. Instead, they should limit PRs to 5 years and give option to those qualified ones to apply citizenship. Those still undecided should lose their PR and revert back as foreigners.

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    1. PRs who are born, raised and educated here but still hold blue ICs should be given a choice to decide and serve before citizenship conversion. That I think is fair.

      However, 1/3 of them in similar background is reported to give up this option. For this group, I think their parents (if both are long term SPR) should also have their residency permits terminated for good. Because it is clear the family has no desire and wish to contribute to the society, other than just selfish economic loafers. Once this 1/3 group are removed, it frees up the space for refresh and allow other new talents who wish to do so a chance to sink their roots. If their children are girls (ie. no boys), they should serve in nursing or healthcare roles. SG has far too many parasites who are here to enjoy the good life without giving back. And no, I don't mean giving back by being a consumer!

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  5. I have a lot of respect for our NS boys/men. They risk their lives so that I can sleep better at night. My family has two generations of NS men (total 10) and I'm very proud of them.

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    1. You won't be sleeping that well if NSmen are commanded to point their guns towards the citizens in the event of a "freak election result".

      "If I have to shoot 200,000 students to save China from another 100 years of disorder, so be it.'" - what LKY said in support of Deng Xiaoping's treatment of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protestors.

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    2. The current PRC leadership must have taken note of the above including his service to the Japs...hence none deemed it fit to acknowledge LKY's 90th birthday.

      Is'nt it worrying when LKY and son have 60% of the votes, 92% of the seats in parliament and a president as a stooge ?
      What have they pledge to make us sleep better ? Have they earned our trust so far ?

      My family and I will sleep well if more ordinary NS men (jr officers, NCOs, etc) pledge openly they will turn their guns "without hesitation" on those who give the command to shoot civilians and follow up on those at the apex, hunting each and everyone down where ever they may be on this planet. Only then can I say confidently that the males on our island truly understand what it means to be a Singaporean Son...i.e. looking out for each other and taking on any elite group that is self serving.

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    3. Dun worry, my 155mm artillery will know where the rounds should land when the time comes.

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    4. I know for certain where the gurkhas will point their guns. Our local boys...I'm not sure if they will do the same.

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  6. /// It's the rite of passage for every Singaporean male to spend a couple of years in Temasek green. ///

    Errr, just to nitpick and split hair. Only the early batches of NSmen wear Temasek green. It subsequently gave way to those camouflage thingy and now to those pixelated grey, blue and green for RSAF, RSN and landlubbers respectively.

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  7. Why use Gurkha soldiers (foreign talents/mercenaries) to guard Ministers' bungalows?
    Why not use our Singapore army?

    Don't you trust our own Singapore army to do the correct thing?

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    1. This question should be directed at MG Chan CS and BG Tan in parliament, why Gurkhas are still deployed ?
      They should ROD together at old fart's funeral.

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    2. The change from police constables to Gurkhas took place after 9/11. Apparently they were worried the guns will be pointed in the wrong direction.

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  8. Singaporeans are not reliable la, period.

    That includes the rulers themselves of course.

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