‘Return to camp’ visits and reconnecting with buddies: How to really celebrate 60 years of NS
Beyond next year’s awards and parades, let’s see the personal side, with camp visits for all, heritage trails, and a Day of Service reuniting unit mates.
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Singapore celebrates 60 years of national service in 2027.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Mike Hou
Whenever I think back on national service, one of the first places that comes to mind is my bunk in Pulau Tekong during basic military training. What I remember most is not any single exercise or parade, but the conversations we had in the bunk after training. The bunk itself was unremarkable. Yet, it became the setting for friendships, shared frustrations and the small moments of encouragement that helped us get through an unfamiliar and demanding experience.
For many national servicemen such as myself, memories of service are attached to particular places: a bunk, parade square, cookhouse, training area or guard post – or in my case as a former regular in the Republic of Singapore Navy, a ship’s bridge. These places may appear insignificant to anyone else. But to the servicemen who spent formative years there, they contain stories of hardship, friendship, mistakes, achievement and personal growth.