The army opened my eyes to the “real” Singapore. I met people who thought that secondary school, let alone university, was a privilege. I was dubbed “kantang” (westernised) for the way I spoke.
My perspective on money changed: I mixed with people whose parents earned what mine spent on holidays.
Despite this, I regard this period as one of the most important of my life. It taught me to look beyond who a person was and to look at what they are instead.
Life in the 23rd Battalion Singapore Artillery was not a bed of roses by anyone’s standards. However, it was where I made some of my best friends, including one whose father owned a plastic factory and the son of a single mother who ran a fish stall.
This was the beauty of the real Singapore.
Would I have rushed to serve in the army? No. If I could have avoided it, I would have.
However, I went through it and accepted the lessons it taught me.
When I returned in 2000 to start life, I came back knowing Singapore for what it is, warts and all, rather than what someone would want me to believe it is.
I respect anyone who volunteers for NS or insists that their sons go through it. This tells me that they want to be Singaporean for what it really means rather than what it can buy them. These are the people who should be welcomed as Singaporeans.
I know because my NS experience made me a Singaporean.
Singaporeans Say 