$100 vouchers for NSmen to mark 50 years of NS

FIRST BATCH OF RECRUITS: 50 years ago, Mr Albel Singh, then a student at St Andrew's School, was weighed on the first day of registration for national service at Kallang Camp. Yesterday, he returned to the SAF to witness an oath-taking ceremony for new enlistees at the Basic Military Training Centre on Pulau Tekong. PHOTOS: ST FILE, ALPHONSUS CHERN

Updated

Published

Feb 08, 2017, 05:00 AM

All men who have served national service (NS) and those who are enlisting this year are set to get $100 of vouchers to commemorate the 50th anniversary of this key Singapore institution.

In total, more than a million national servicemen will receive the vouchers, which can be used at selected retail and food and beverage outlets.

Those who have completed their full-time national service will also get a year's free membership in either the Safra or HomeTeamNS network of clubhouses.

The benefits were announced by Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen yesterday, as he launched a series of events to mark the jubilee year of NS. Speaking at a ceremony on Pulau Tekong, where 100 enlistees were sworn in as recruits, he noted that Singapore built its armed forces from scratch through NS. "Together with the nation on the 50th anniversary of NS, young and old, parent or child, new recruit or old soldier, we want to reaffirm our collective and unwavering support for NS," he said.

A new HomeTeamNS Clubhouse at the Tampines Hub will also open next Monday, Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said yesterday. In a letter sent through various platforms, including e-mail to all Home Team national servicemen thanking them for their contributions, he wrote: "The Home Team salutes you for all that you have done to keep Singapore safe and secure."

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