There's a series currently screening on National Geographic called Every Singaporean Son (which you can also watch on YouTube). It chronicles the lives of some army recruits as they experience Basic Military Training (BMT) on Pulau Tekong. I admit that sometimes, the show makes me cringe when the recruits start crying, but it can be quite entertaining at times. 

It does make me wonder whether today's army training is less tough than it used to be. Maybe some things have been tempered for television's sake, but I guess each generation of soldiers will always question the next batch's toughness. My seniors always told us that my batch had it easy (even when we thought we'd been through hell twice over), and I remember my peers and I complaining that our juniors were having a good life compared to our time. I am sure this practice still continues today.

There were definitely plenty of questions raised when a particular picture surfaced over the weekend. I am talking about the army boy who had his maid carry his fullpack while he walked ahead of her. Shameful stuff, really. Many of you would agree with me as well, judging from the furore the picture created on our Facebook page.

A strapping young man, probably in the prime of his physical fitness, who can't even support the load of his backpack? That's today's 3G soldier? The one who's supposed to defend the country? The horror. For many of us guys, it's a big slap across the face because we've all been through National Service (NS). As reader Chew Chee Guan commented, "What is that guy thinking?? When u r (sic) in uniform you represent all of us. Frigging grow a pair and man up."

Man up. That's one of the points of NS, isn't it? To turn boys into men and men into warriors? Maybe this guy is still a chao (smelly) recruit and hasn't figured it out yet. Maybe he has some injury that doesn't allow him to carry his own bag (which could be true) or maybe he really is such a pampered little brat that he can't even be his own man. I don't know the answer, but for now I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. I just hope when push comes to shove, that soldier is ready to stand up and be counted. 

Photo credit: STOMP