Wednesday, 2 July 2008
Somewhere in between the monotony of lessons and books I attended this MINDEF scholarship talk today.
For the benefit of all who don't know, MINDEF is the Ministry Of Defence.
Me and Shi Hao ran into Felix, Hen and Justin attending the talk as well.
I guess great minds do think alike.(HOCKEY)
The speaker was a Major who was there to speak to us about the various SAF scholarships.
But rather then bore us to death with technicalities, he spoke rather of pride and the need to protect our country.
All the guys present were utterly spellbound. Never before had NS seemed like less an annoying necessity than a glorious opportunity for us to learn to defend ourselves and our loved ones from all enemies.
He spoke of the various combat vocations, the units, their specialties and so on.
I could literally see Felix's head bobbing up and down with each mention of the word 'Pilot'
Fat chance dude, you're a diver for sure haha.
Anyway his speech inspired all of us to the core, resonating within everyone's childhood dreams of carrying a gun and doing battle, weapons blazing.
Of all the things he spoke of, a few stuck in my mind.
"The hardest decision is probably the right decision."
That struck a chord within me right there and then.
I am a living testament to that line.
The next:
"Often there is no wrong decision. Both decisions are right in their own way."
His example was that sacrificing your friend for the greater good.
Do you stop to save a friend from being tortured or leave him be and rush to end the war as a whole?
If you save him, more people die in the war with each second wasted. If you don't, how could you ever forgive yourself?
It is the kind of decision you will struggle with your whole life.
The most inspirational though, was a story the major told us.
He was trying to explain to two 'tatooed from head to toe' ah bengs why they had to serve NS.
Say you don't serve NS.
You never learn how to use a gun.
In the future one day enemy soldiers enter your house during an invasion.
They proceed to rape your wife and daughter.
In the process, they leave their rifle unattended.
Yet you know nothing about how to use it; you're helpless to save the people you care about most.
If only you knew how to use that gun.
(I was in NCC believe me guns aren't just point and shoot. It's harder than that)

After he was done, I felt a renewed passion for the military that had since died since I last donned my NCC uniform and left it hanging on the wall of my room now.
To protect our loved ones.
That is why we serve.
Suddenly, I can't wait to enter NS and become an officer.