Detail

The article continues a two-part series following a group of young men through their nine-week Basic Military Training (BMT) after eight weeks of physical training. Part 2 zooms in on the field camp — one of the toughest phases — where recruits spend five days and four nights in the jungle with no mattress, electricity, or showers, learning by doing under challenging conditions. Recruits dig shell scrapes (protective trenches), practice fire and movement drills, and take part in situational leadership tests. They endure heat, mud and exhaustion, and cope with limited hygiene (using wet wipes and antibacterial powder) as part of training resilience and realism. One of the recruits featured is Mr Haravin Shaun Sivakumar, a Diploma in Biomedical Science alumnus from SP. He describes the gritty realities of field camp, especially digging trenches and wearing camouflage cream, and pushes himself through the physical strain. Another recruit, Mr Javis Goh, who studied the Diploma in Aerospace Engineering at NP, also struggles with the physical demands but perseveres. 

[The Straits Times]