The day of enlistment was interminably hot. Well, it normally is hot, one-degree north of the equator. But that day was hot and humid. Not your typical November day in Hartlepool.
How often is he home and how does he seem?
The first two weeks of Basic Military Training (BMT), are confinement weeks, there is no book-out. Basically this is to get the recruits familiarised and settled in.
I remember crying behind my sunglasses when we took the ferry from Pulau Tekong (where the BMTC schools and quarters are located), to the SAF Ferry Terminal at Changi.
You certainly can't go awol at Tekong, it's a bit of a swim back to the main Singapore and the water is a tad murky.
They make them call home every evening at around 9pm for the first 5 days. Which was comforting for all of us, and this is something that Jason has done every evening, unless he was on guard duty or field camp ever since.
Jason got his first book-out on the second Friday afternoon and then had to fall in at the bus pick up at White Sands in Pasir Ris on Sunday afternoon.
After that it has pretty much been home every weekend. Sometimes it was Friday night book out ans sometimes Saturday morning and a couple of times, he's taken the MRT and surprised me.
Before his passing out parade (graduate from recruit to soldier/private), I was supposed to collect him one Friday morning. He messaged me and told me he was nearly at Sixth Avenue station, so we met at gurthrie house and had breakfast at simply bread. The ladies were all over him as in his uniform as they've watched him grow up.
It took a few weeks for him to settle in - Jason is an introvert extra-ordinaire. However, he began to realise that life is very structured and there are lots of rulea that he likes.
Is he eager to go back?
He enjoyed camp, most of the time because it was structured. But, he was also pleased to come home and have home cooked food and a bed that was long enough for him. Ha ha.
Jason loves to run and he is one of the fastest in his platoon and company, so even at home on rest days, he would go out in the evening with me for a run.
Probably the most annoying part for him was when other didn't pull their weight. Everyone gets punished then.
He was the only ang moh in his training camp platoon and company.
He was accepted and I think they began to appreciate his caustic sense of humour and his whatever attitude.
Is he changing already?
Definitely. He's got more confidence, he's very responsible (but then he always was).
His room looks like a bomb has hit it when he comes home. I asked him how come he can be so neat and tidy in camp, and yet a slob at home.
Answer: it's home, and my room, not camp.
I'll try and write again about the parade and also his training camp.
He's now a private and is training for his vocation as a CQMS (quarter master) sergeant. He'll be in charge of a contingent responsible for logistics for some area of the army after 9 weeks of course, and about 3-4 months of OJT.
He will have another passing out parade as a sergeant in November. He has to wear Smart Ones for that. The black trousers and white jacket. So he'll be an officer.
He's told me lots of funny stories, but I'll need to be careful what I describe as they're a bit funny about that. Right down to the fact that Jason will now only cross the road at a proper crossing area. Ha ha.
Fuad had a chat with Dyson, but not much came of it. Nor sure they had anything for him. But we'll see. He's now in charge of asset management and an area of BD (that's engineering focused).
Must go now as I have to sort dinner. We went out at the back along the canal and Jason made Max run 2.4km. He's such a bossy soldier
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