Thursday August 17, 10:17 PMArmy Museum launches website to give sneak preview of exhibitsThe Army Museum of Singapore, or ARMS, will only be ready next year to commemorate 40 years of National Service.
But the museum's has been launched to provide a preview.
57-year-old Yong Shao Chong was in the pioneer batch of NS enlistees.
He is eager to show his son Yong Sheng a picture of what his rifle looked like: the weapon which NSmen traditionally nickname their 'wife'.
These pictures, and other stories of the experiences from the first batch of 18-year-olds to enlist for national service in 1967 are now on the army museum website.
Mr Yong said: "It's actually a lot of memories and history. When I was enlisted, there was a lot of anxiety actually, you don't know what army is like. Heard so much about it, that it may be tough life. So actually wasn't very enthusiastic about it. Then went in, made the best of it, and had a lot of fun!"
Yong Sheng said: "I think the website will be an informative site for us to find out about the past, the differences and compared to now, the lifestyle in NS. It's a good experience to look back at the differences and maybe appreciate it more."
Many other enlistees from the pioneer batch also contributed artefacts and photographs - including one photo taken with the late cabinet minister Lim Kim San.
They will be exhibited at the Museum, where soldiers past and present can visit to share and relive their defining moments.
The Army Museum of Singapore is located next to the Singapore Discovery Centre.
It is still under construction, but when it opens its doors in late 2007, it will stretch over 160 metres and have some 1,800 square metres of exhibition space.
The museum hopes that contributions from Singaporeans can help to fill up the space.
LTC Kenneth Liow, Head, Army Museum Project, said: "The Army Museum wishes to do both - preserve the heritage, and honour the contributions of our soldiers. The artefacts will also do both. We're looking for artefacts that help us tell the army story, artefacts or mementos which tell the individual soldier story, the time they spent in National Service, the sacrifices that they made. How the two, or two and half, years with us and on top of that the 10 years of National Service thereafter have become a ritual in terms of the rite of passage of manhood for them as well."
Those who wish to make contributions, can contact the army museum at the email address:
[email protected]. - CNA/ch
