I am enjoying every bit of my United States experience and I bet that I will continue to learn and enjoy. Just like being a Soldier in Singapore, there is a continual need to manage the public impression of Army and taking good care of the soldiers. After all, they are main the structure that supports the military mission; the need for defence and deterrence.
I was having my daily news diet and find that SAF is in the news again. This time, a STOMPER, caught a soldier traveling in public transportation wearing earrings that makes him looks “girly” in uniform. The important impression is that a Soldier must look “gungho” and there must not be any suggestion of “weaklings” in our Army, as suggest by the news clipping. I feel that the more important aspect of this is much more than the impression that we portray as Soldiers; discipline. It has been mandated since the formation of SAF that earrings, bearing long beards (unless for religious reasons), smartness of uniform in public, or for so long it does portray an unprofessional Army, it will not be tolerated. So the rationale of this image upkeep is explained.
My experience in US has brought a new lesson and an important one; public support. It is just simply amazing on how much the public appreciate the military. To them, military is the reason for the freedom they enjoy. There is once an elderly man I took the lift with, turned around and asked me, “Are you from the military?” I replied, “Yes, I am”. The next response then brightened my day, “Thank you for protecting the country”. Wow, I felt great purpose and pride in me for that split moment. Every other big store I visit, including key tourist spots like winter sports area, Vail, Colorado, there are military discounts to appreciate the presence of military that protect their freedom. How amazing is that? This naturally gives the Soldiers the pride and morale push to continue to do well in the military.
In contrast, Singapore has not reached a stage that public recognise military is playing a huge part in freedom that the country enjoys; Who can blame them anyway for we have not come in serious military conflicts nor military threats from others. There might be something that maybe related to; upbringing. Structure drives behaviours, the public education system has also perhaps played a big role in our society expectations. Parents are protective over their child in school; scrutinising the teachers’ behaviour, teaching methods and treatment, just to list a few. Our younger generation thus grew up a more self-centered environment; and these male citizens will serve the nation and the military eventually. This leads to this complicated matrix of public expectations with the same upbringing surroundings that our soldiers grew up in; expectations of their own. I personally do not see that the public will change their expectations toward the military in the near future but one thing I am sure; while there is a change in demographics in the Soldiers we enlist, there is no change in the purpose of our existence, the quality of training that we put in and the readiness for armed conflicts.
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