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Date Posted: 11:44:43 05/17/02 Fri
Author: Oahiz PC 1FMC (RET)
Subject: Thoughts (Very Long ones)

It had been long before anything in life triggered my thoughts enough to leave some comments in this place. Perhaps it's the Army, but then again, that's another irresponsible way of pushing responsibility in life.

Somethings that happened just recently set off my train of thoughts that have laid dormant for ages.

I have men under me, 100 of them, even WOSEs and Regular Specialists. Different backgrounds and upbringings. One of them was a young bubbly PTE with fervent interest in Bikes and Scramblers. Hardworking yet knows to hide from unnecessary work like a good NSF conscript should. In January, upon buying a new bike he met with an accident. A cab crashed into him. His left leg was shattered, ironically after a successful ops on his ACL injury on his RIGHT leg, and spent a deal of time in TTSH removing fragments from his pelvis and leg and letting his condition stabilise before recuperative ops were to be further performed. Countless operations reduced the naturally skinny young man to skin and bones. The last time I saw him was when I personally visited him in ICU, heavily sedated, and I wrote him a card "Get Well Soon, we'll play soccer again one day - PC 1FMC".

Two days ago, he passed away.

Discharged last month, he was at home, seemingly fine in recuperation. Playing with Playstation one of our chaps lent him. Almost ready to go out in a wheelchair. Doctors said a crucial vein from his injuries leading to his brain ruptured causing complications and ultimately his premature death at the promising youth of 21. On his death cert it was written "respiratory complications pending further investigation".

There, Death claims another unknowing victim...


I have men under me, some struggling to support a family with conscript NSF allowance and desperate to sign on, some parents facing divorces, some working overtime to earn for studies and family, some cry because his girlfriends leave them, some cry because devastated by deaths of parents, some sign on to fund their tertiary studies....different lives....different personalities....good men, under PC 1FMC....I dare say I have influenced and advised some of them and stood with them in the harsh selfishness of a primarily performance based Regular Army.

We have been sheltered in an environment that artifically supports our growth with fertilisers. We have been streamed from EM1, to Special SAP Schools, to premium JCs and now a straight route to U. We have some time in our lives silently scoffed at people going to ITEs and even Polytechnics because of the imbued Elitism throughout our spoilt upbringing. We have been once and again reminded that to earn money we must study hard....to what expense....? To the extend we are still studying at the age of 25 and undermining our parents hard earned CPF....?

Maybe everyone have thought of these issues before, with deeper meaning than what I contemplated. Unconsciously we are all grown adults at 21. It's time to know what we want in life, financially, emotionally and mentally. The following 10 years from now will determine the rest of our lives. It's time we have to step out of our Elitism mindset almost all JC students live with, and learn to grow in the rough climate, and grow towards where the sun shines brightly....

All i think is Live with a direction, Life can be fragile, Society is harsh, and we are all responsible adults now....

And I'll miss the chance to play soccer ever again with PTE Md Sufhaat, rest in peace my dear friend, we'll miss you....

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