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Gen Y soldiers soft? Not us
I REFER to the commentary by senior writer William Choong ('Are Gen Y soldiers soft?'; last Friday). I was in the same basic military training unit that was shadowed by the filming crew of reality TV series Every Singaporean Son.
The article suggests that we are soft because we were seen crying in the Breaking Point episode, after successfully completing a gruelling field camp. We didn't break down because the field camp training was tough.
In fact, we had gritted our teeth and pulled through five days of strenuous training. It was an extremely tough experience, as it was our first field camp since our enlistment.
It began with an 8km route march, after which many of us were near exhaustion due to the heat in Pulau Tekong. Yet, we continued with the training, despite having to spray cold water over ourselves to cool down.
We cried because as a result of that experience, we realised the importance of our family - the care they provide us, the love they give us and the joy they share with us.
We knew then that we were training for a reason - to protect our families.
There is nothing wrong with tears as an emotional expression or outlet. Crying does not mean one is soft, and stifling one's tears is not necessarily a good thing. Perhaps our generation no longer holds on to the stereotype that 'strong men don't cry'.
An army of soldiers who believe in their country is a greater deterrent than an army of soldiers lacking a sense of purpose, no matter how strong or rugged they are - especially now when soft power precedes brute force.
Eruza Tan
I REFER to the commentary by senior writer William Choong ('Are Gen Y soldiers soft?'; last Friday). I was in the same basic military training unit that was shadowed by the filming crew of reality TV series Every Singaporean Son.
The article suggests that we are soft because we were seen crying in the Breaking Point episode, after successfully completing a gruelling field camp. We didn't break down because the field camp training was tough.
In fact, we had gritted our teeth and pulled through five days of strenuous training. It was an extremely tough experience, as it was our first field camp since our enlistment.
It began with an 8km route march, after which many of us were near exhaustion due to the heat in Pulau Tekong. Yet, we continued with the training, despite having to spray cold water over ourselves to cool down.
We cried because as a result of that experience, we realised the importance of our family - the care they provide us, the love they give us and the joy they share with us.
We knew then that we were training for a reason - to protect our families.
There is nothing wrong with tears as an emotional expression or outlet. Crying does not mean one is soft, and stifling one's tears is not necessarily a good thing. Perhaps our generation no longer holds on to the stereotype that 'strong men don't cry'.
An army of soldiers who believe in their country is a greater deterrent than an army of soldiers lacking a sense of purpose, no matter how strong or rugged they are - especially now when soft power precedes brute force.
Eruza Tan
fucking fatty okt.
