Exercise Starlight
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First time go ROC? IF yes, good luckOriginally posted by Ashearo:Hi everyone. I am a Transport Supervisor at 1 SAF TPT BN. I was just informed a few days ago that I will be going to ROC as a driver to support 5SIR during their ATEC Evaluation exercise. I was told that I will be there from 7 April to 24 April, and I will likely be part of the advance party to do recce. Can anyone give me for information? Because that the above is all the info I have. What is it like there? Recce party do what? Stay outfield for the entire time there? Nothing was mentioned about RnR. In fact, i know nuts about it.
Taiwanese mei mei very sweet and friendly.
Advance part: You will go there and do preparation works like collecting SAF vehs from the ports mostly at the southern part of taiwan. Kaosiong harbour. If you are driving the vehs back from there to ur camp, good luck. Sibei siong and tiring. Becareful when driving.
Or they may send the vehs to somewhere near ur camp by using railway. Then its much easy for u.
After collecting the vehs, u maybe needed to go for orientation driving to get urself familiar with the roads and ex area. And do bear in mind, when u stop by the roadside outside those stall selling binglang, dun go in and disturb the chio chio binglang mei mei. They are protected by gangsters.
Some of these stalls do have a dark partition
and if the mei mei asked u go in. You better say no. 
Wait u come out with ur wallets empty
Life as a MT line spec is ok lah. Not siong.
Of course stay in camp lah. U think the SAF book hotel 81 for u meh?
Think everyday also can get nites off. Going for nites off, if u want to get those 'pirated' taxi its fine but if the taxi driver ask u about SAF thingy, dun say too much. Juz say u SAF cook can already. And pls note: There are PRC spys there driving a cab jus to get info about SAF.
I'll tell u more later about veh ops. -
For reece, they will ask u lead a group of drivers, mostly NSF. Together wif the officers, u will drive to some areas far away as ur deployment areas. Remember one thing. If the ground area or places too dangerous for a 5 tonners to go, just tell the officer sitting beside u ( mostly u will driving a LR ): SIR, this place not suitable for a 5Tonner to go up. Dun be a hero and tell them can drive up if accident happens, u will be in deep shit.
After the recce, u will do veh ops in camp. Park vehs for use during ex. Top up fuel and water cans. Camo net so and so. Once main group/party arrives, u will also bring the NSF drivers go top again let them familar wif the roads condition and ex area. Dun speed. Keep within road limits. Lets say if u happen to drive ur veh over a chicken or dog, dun stop. Just carry on driving.
For R & R, ur camp officers will brief u on this. -
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For first timers. Be prepare for a small cultural shock.Originally posted by Ashearo:Another thing, how is the accomodation at the camp like? Is it well maintained? If got time in the morning, do wake up early and see how Taiwanese PT lesson. See how they kena tekan. Then compare it with our SAF ones. -
Should be between 5 to 7 days before main body arrive. Your drivers of course have to stay out field together with the SIR troops. Ex for main body depends. Some 2 weeks some 10 days.Originally posted by Ashearo:Any idea when main body will arrive? Do my drivers need to stay outfield with them? Also, any idea how long the entire exercise will last for the main body? -
You guys better know what should/should not be discussed.
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that's right. hover tank and gundam is a strict no no.
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Btw, a warning for u ...
5SIR is known as Stingray Bn, everytime outfield will rain .... -
5SIR will be going in much earlier than and coming back later than your supposed dates, so i guess you will only be purely supporting the ATEC people.
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should b in base 4.
if u go during april, the weather is quite good.
although the bunk is old, u will have hot water for shower.
jus outside the camp has a small shop selling food. there is oso a canteen inside the camp. -
Google for Heng Chun (or Hengchun) Camp. Plenty of feedback of the ATEC experiences there. Even found a detailed blog of the infantry exercises conducted: http://hongjun.blogspot.com/2005/09/roc-training_15.html
BTW, ATEC itself traditionally takes place in Kenting (almost on the southernmost tip of Taiwan). Hengchun town is listed as 7km away, according to one online source. If you get to R&R, it'll probably in Kaohsiung or Tainan at most. Don't hope for Taipei, unless you're with Arty ~lol~
The chore of the advanced party as described sounds like something what my reservist unit once did, which was to "movement south" a whole BN of 155m howitzers to support an infantry EX. Bladdy journey took a whole day from Touliu (middle of Taiwan), quite taxing for the drivers who had to drive continuously for 3-hour stretches mostly on expressways & in strict convoy at that. Then they must negotiate the off-road tracks & the mountainous terrain is quite something else. So be careful either way, esp. if there's heavy rain & winds at the same time (typhoon-related).
The camps themselves were quite spartan in my time, compared to those in S'pore. They'd even practiced water-rationing then, though it wasn't as bad as in Brunei. Yet IMO the S'pore part of the camps was quite "atas" compared to how the Taiwanese NSFs were living -- most vividly contrasted (for me) being "our" individual shower cubicles vs. "their" dank public baths (everyone scoop water from the same trough like you see in their old military comedy films). -
I stayed in TouLiu Arty camp during 1993 ROC ex. We dun have those individual shower room. All using the 'open view' ones and no water heater. Try bath wif water temp as low as 20 cel. You little brother shrink till cannot see
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no such thing in Heng Chun Camp.Originally posted by Manager433:I stayed in TouLiu Arty camp during 1993 ROC ex. We dun have those individual shower room. All using the 'open view' ones and no water heater. Try bath wif water temp as low as 20 cel. You little brother shrink till cannot see
anyway, Arty is using another camp now. very new & nice. but share with ROC troops lah. -