Guards / Commandos / Rangers / NDU FAQ

• Spaghetii

  13 Oct 09, 17:28

  Okay I just got my letter. It's an orange letter with another green letter inside.

  It reads "... you will be posted to Commando Training Institute, Special Operations Tactics Centre in Pasir Ris Camp for Basic Military Training..."

  I guess this confirms the earlier online posting.

• cdos.boyz

  13 Oct 09, 20:08

  hey, spaghetii.. ur going in 5th feb 2010?? meaning you are not ptp batch? ur in enhance batch??

• Spaghetii

  13 Oct 09, 20:11

  Nope I'm not in the ptp batch. I didn't do well enough for SBJ to qualify for a Gold, as a result I only managed a Silver.So yes, i'm guessing i'm in the enhanced batch?

  
  Though I do feel like joining the ptp batch to get my fitness up.

• dkcx

  13 Oct 09, 21:26

  Originally posted by Spaghetii:

  Hello eveyone!

  I went for my VA on the 28th of july this year and I just received my posting online. Turns out i'm being assigned to Special Operation Tactics Centre. And my enlistment date is on the 05-Feb-2010.

  I'm guessing this is Commando camp? Yes? No?

  I have a question though. I live in the north in Sembawang. The last time I travelled down it took me almost 2hrs. Does anyone have a shorter route in mind? I'm travelling by bus and mrt.

  P.s I'm okay with the distance, just that I dont mind a shorter route if anybody has any opinions.

  Thank you!

   

  You be able to find buses in woodlands (168, 969) and yishun (39) that goes to tamp or pasir ris in less than an hr and from there make your way to the camp.

• redwiner

  14 Oct 09, 12:41

  So is it safe to say that if i hadn't receive a letter, i'm not in commandos?

  Besides, i just went to ns.sg to check my enlistment status and it's:
  
  Your enlistment is between December 2009 and May 2010. An enlistment notice will be sent to you two months before your enlistment date.

• dkcx

  14 Oct 09, 13:52

  Originally posted by redwiner:

  So is it safe to say that if i hadn't receive a letter, i'm not in commandos?

  Besides, i just went to ns.sg to check my enlistment status and it's:
  
  Your enlistment is between December 2009 and May 2010. An enlistment notice will be sent to you two months before your enlistment date.

  Likely but letters are generally sent out in batches. If you don't receive it soon then you might not be in commandos

• Spaghetii

  14 Oct 09, 14:17

  Originally posted by redwiner:

  So is it safe to say that if i hadn't receive a letter, i'm not in commandos?

  Besides, i just went to ns.sg to check my enlistment status and it's:
  
  Your enlistment is between December 2009 and May 2010. An enlistment notice will be sent to you two months before your enlistment date.

  Hmmm I'm not too sure about that. But one thing's for sure my friends in school, the ones who are enlisted into SOTAC, have already received their postings online.

   

• redwiner

  14 Oct 09, 15:57

  Originally posted by Spaghetii:

  Hmmm I'm not too sure about that. But one thing's for sure my friends in school, the ones who are enlisted into SOTAC, have already received their postings online.

  
  Online? Via email or on ns.sg?

• Spaghetii

  14 Oct 09, 16:11

  Originally posted by redwiner:

  
  Online? Via email or on ns.sg?

  Via ns.sg.

  Specifically from this website.

  http://www.ns.sg/nsPortal/appmanager/nsp/default?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=nsPortal_NSREG_5

   

• redwiner

  14 Oct 09, 16:16

  Originally posted by Spaghetii:

  Via ns.sg.

  Specifically from this website.

  http://www.ns.sg/nsPortal/appmanager/nsp/default?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=nsPortal_NSREG_5

   

   

  Alright. Thanks! Guess i'm going into NS through Tekong then.

• cdos.boyz

  14 Oct 09, 18:30

  oh... by when if i don't get the letter means i am not in commandos ? i pass my napfa so i am in the enhance batch... so all enhance batch letter has been dispatch already ??

• Spaghetii

  14 Oct 09, 18:39

  Originally posted by cdos.boyz:

  oh... by when if i don't get the letter means i am not in commandos ? i pass my napfa so i am in the enhance batch... so all enhance batch letter has been dispatch already ??

  By when? Hmm i'm not too sure about that.

  The big picture now is that there are 2 groups of people.

  The first group being friends who received their posting online, along with the letter, to enter SOTAC. Yes they are from the enhanced batch.

  The second group being friends who have YET to receive any news, ie no letter, no online reference given from:

  http://www.ns.sg/nsPortal/appmanager/nsp/default?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=nsPortal_NSREG_5

  I don't wish to assume anything but like what dkcx mentioned

  "Likely but letters are generally sent out in batches. If you don't receive it soon then you might not be in commandos"

  Hope this helps!

• cdos.boyz

  14 Oct 09, 19:38

  haha ok, i got friends enlisting to commando training institute in december, guess he is the ptp side one.. but why commandos will want to take in those that fail napfa?? so how many ppl will ptp have and how many will enhance batch have? from what i heard only total about 250 get chosen..

• Spaghetii

  14 Oct 09, 22:36

  Originally posted by cdos.boyz:

  haha ok, i got friends enlisting to commando training institute in december, guess he is the ptp side one.. but why commandos will want to take in those that fail napfa?? so how many ppl will ptp have and how many will enhance batch have? from what i heard only total about 250 get chosen..

  Haha to quote the seniors, "fitness can be trained".

  I'm not sure what are the exact figures from ptp batch and enhanced batch. One thing's for sure, when I went for my VA, my detail IC told me his intake was about 270 plus I believe. While it is 250 is usually the case, CMPB will choose more for the initial enlistment because the ooc rate is really high.

  Enlistees are chosen based on recommendation given by the Commando who interviewed you. After which CMPB will decide who are the final 250+ to be enlisted into SOTAC.

  What I was told was that it is the people of CMPB who make the final decision. Therefore even if you have performed well during the VA ie Interview, physical + psycho motor excercises and the IQ test, you might not make the cut.

  Nevertheless I believe if you're PES A, with a clean family background, plus you did well for the IQ test taken during the first medical checkup, you're likely to be selected for the final enlistment.

  Hope this helps!

• cdos.boyz

  14 Oct 09, 23:08

  Wow spaghetii u seems to know alot.. haha i guess ur a person that love to go into commandos ?? well yeap shall wait for the letter. but seeing all of you thats is also in the enhance batch have already receive your letter saying to report.. so well guess i will not be in the commandos haha..

• jus-tea

  15 Oct 09, 09:11

  Welcome to the family Spaghetii

• Spaghetii

  15 Oct 09, 20:28

  Originally posted by cdos.boyz:

  Wow spaghetii u seems to know alot.. haha i guess ur a person that love to go into commandos ?? well yeap shall wait for the letter. but seeing all of you thats is also in the enhance batch have already receive your letter saying to report.. so well guess i will not be in the commandos haha..

  Haha I wouldn't say that "I love to go into commandos". I feel really privileged to be selected instead.

  I mean, you hear and read about stories of the people who have been through it all, and you just can't help but to really respect them. These were young men, just like you and me, who had families. Sure, they could have easily given up halfway and decide to take the easy way out, but instead chose to risk it all to gain the distinction of being a full fledged commando.

  Now that I'm given a chance to go through the same journey, I feel a sense of responsible to learn more about them, to try my best to meet expectations and to try my best to honour the tradition and the red beret.

  So ya, not love, but really, privileged.

   

• Spaghetii

  15 Oct 09, 20:36

  Originally posted by jus-tea:

  Welcome to the family Spaghetii

  Thank you! I will try my very best!

• cdos.boyz

  16 Oct 09, 00:37

  haha, yeap indeed its a privileged to be a commando, but is it really worth it going through all the tough obstacle, risking our lives and also people out there playing and commandos in camp suffering and all for just the red baret. and who out there knows that your a commando unless they ask? cant be wearing your red baret 24/7 right ? and also people respect NDU more then commando( because of hell week?).. don't know why also. but ultimately i think commando is still the best. but just thinking, all the suffering just for a baret. kind of not worth it yea ?

• Spaghetii

  16 Oct 09, 20:27

  Originally posted by cdos.boyz:

  haha, yeap indeed its a privileged to be a commando, but is it really worth it going through all the tough obstacle, risking our lives and also people out there playing and commandos in camp suffering and all for just the red baret. and who out there knows that your a commando unless they ask? cant be wearing your red baret 24/7 right ? and also people respect NDU more then commando( because of hell week?).. don't know why also. but ultimately i think commando is still the best. but just thinking, all the suffering just for a baret. kind of not worth it yea ?

  Hmm cdos.boyz, I think you might have misunderstood me.

  As mentioned in my earlier post, the mindset that I bear is really to do justice and to honour the beret, not because I want recognition or people to know that I'm a commando.

  I believe that if I i'm entering the course just for the sake of getting the beret or to gain the respect of my peers, I probably will not make it through the first 3 months.

  I believe what matters most is to really understand the history and tradition behind the beret, to know that so many people have selflessly given themselves to the beret.

  You know, I'll be lying if I said i'm not afraid of sustaining a long term injury. I have a bad knee and an injured back. I may even be the first recruit to be OOC to be honest.

  But injuries are really inevitable if you think about it, big or small, you can't really run from it.

  That being said, I think it's really more important to go through the course not for the sake of getting the beret, but really to understand and respect what the seniors have been through, to appreciate the rigour, and to hopefully have the aptitude to earn the mark of a commando.

  I believe there's really so much more to it than acquiring the beret for respect. I say that because when I listen to stories shared by ex commandos (local or foreign), they don't really care about how nice the berets look on their heads nor the amount respect they get from people simply because they are commandos. But really, what has stuck with them most, was the blood, sweat and tears that they have shed in their time, and how ordinary men, like you and me, would unconditionally sacrifice themselves in times of war and terror, just so their love ones would be able sleep peacefully in the night.

  I mean, what do you say to that really? Personally I cannot be more thankful enough for such men who risk their lives for the safety of ours.

• cdos.boyz

  17 Oct 09, 05:48

  haha oh no spaghetti you misunderstood me too.. i don't mean it that way.. i am just asking how u feel about that thought that is in my mind. haha well yeap really its a honour to be in the commandos. if i am really given a chance to be one, i will too be like you and go through all the tough obstacles to push myself to my best of my ability.

  Well as of now i don't think i have that honour to be one as i have yet to receive my posting. Do i still have chance to be in the commandos ?

  Seriously i would rather be in the commandos than to be in the naval diving unit.

  This is my latest update:

  
  Good morning Mr Lee jun xiang, darren

  Your enlistment is between December 2009 and May 2010. An enlistment notice will be sent to you two months before your enlistment date. For further enquiries, please call our Call Center at 1800-3676767 or email to us at [email protected].

• inglourious

  17 Oct 09, 16:58

  Hey Spaghetti:

  Looks like we're gonna be batchmates for CDO. I just got my letter this wednesday also for the february enlistment, only heard of one other guy from my school who got the letter.

   

  Oh ya and i'm pretty sure the letters for SPF, civil defence, CDO and NDU are out already.

• cdos.boyz

  20 Oct 09, 03:05

  Good morning Mr Lee jun xiang, darren

  Your enlistment date is on 04-Feb-2010. Your reporting unit is TRAINING LIST BASIC MILITARY TRAINING CENTRE SCHOOL 1.
  

  Looks like i don't have the chance to go commandos, sad here.. And also i heard from my friend in commandos they select commandos through the VA from the 300 question they do, thier physical must all be there. Is It True?? i thought fitness can be train? How to they select the candidates? anybody knows ?

   

• dkcx

  20 Oct 09, 10:29

  Originally posted by cdos.boyz:

  Good morning Mr Lee jun xiang, darren

  Your enlistment date is on 04-Feb-2010. Your reporting unit is TRAINING LIST BASIC MILITARY TRAINING CENTRE SCHOOL 1.

  Looks like i don't have the chance to go commandos, sad here.. And also i heard from my friend in commandos they select commandos through the VA from the 300 question they do, thier physical must all be there. Is It True?? i thought fitness can be train? How to they select the candidates? anybody knows ?

   

  Sorry to OT but this should prove that the future intakes will be Dec, Apr, Aug for PTP and Feb, Jun, Oct for direct BMT i guess instead of the old system we are all used to.

• eTan

  22 Oct 09, 19:05

  Wanted to know a few things about the selection process . Am really curious about if one's height is taken into consideration for selection of CDO/Guards. I m roughly 1.72m and really want to know if it will ruin my chances.