Kena tekan
...but survival training must be rough and tough, say NSmen
By Jason Leow, Jane Lee And Suzanne Ong 'WE'RE taking you prisoner now!'
With those words, the enemy blindfolded the soldiers and took them captive.
Their uniforms were turned inside out and they would be known just by the numbers assigned to them by their captors.
Some had their hands bound; others, their legs as well.
This was the start of two days of prisoner-of-war, or POW, training, to prepare the soldiers for what they might experience in enemy hands, all part of combat survival training on Pulau Tekong.
This is training for soldiers expected to operate deep in hostile territory - scouts, snipers and reconnaissance troopers - who must be trained to survive, evade or resist the enemy, and to escape if they are captured.
These details come from eight operationally ready national servicemen who were put through the same kind of training as the one that went wrong and resulted in the death of Second Sergeant Hu Enhuai on Aug 21.
His death and Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean's firm promise to get to the bottom of what happened have turned the spotlight on POW training.
The eight NSmen spoke on condition of anonymity.
All but one said that they never had their heads held under water - the treatment 2nd Sgt Hu and at least six others on his course were subjected to.
What they remember of POW training was that it tested them physically and mentally. Some soldiers might say they kena tekan (were put under mental and physical pressure), but all of them agreed it was essential.
Said a former reconnaissance trooper: 'Nothing except this would prepare you for the real thing. You realise that all those scenes in movies where a soldier goes into enemy territory and single-handedly saves the day are nonsense.'
One NSman said he had a water hose shoved into his mouth and he was 'fed' water until his stomach was bloated.
Another said he was put into a steel drum while his captors beat on the outside with sticks.
A third said that he and his fellow trainees were made to kneel on the rough surface of a basketball court all night.
They remained blindfolded throughout the two days, were forced to stay awake and given only small portions of food and water. These were designed to wear them down so that they would divulge military information to the enemy.
'It definitely felt very real. You can't see anything, you're tired and hungry. You really feel at the mercy of the instructors, as if they were really the enemy,' said a former scout who gave his name as Thomas.
'Only the thought of the exercise ending soon kept us going,' said the 28-year-old.
Trainees would be interrogated individually for information on their troops' whereabouts and the nature of their mission.
Sometimes, the 'enemy' would try the soft approach first, tempting the soldiers with candy and soft drinks. When that failed, they would graduate to more forceful means.
'They could rough you up a bit, a few slaps, a few punches and kicks,' said an NSman, who used to be a sniper.
But most of the time, things went by the book, said the NSmen. Tough but never life-threatening.
A posting on sgforums.com, an online discussion network, said this: 'Compare our training with those conducted by other armies - ours is definitely very, very tame.'
Only one of the NSmen interviewed, now a 28-year-old executive, witnessed a close call, when a trainee was doused with water while he had a sack over his head.
He said: 'He was struggling to breathe and the instructors stopped the exercise immediately. He was okay. That was the only close shave I remember.'
Another NSman who was in the scout unit said instructors did get carried away at times.
He said: 'Maybe it's because they are commandos training non-commandos so they feel like they want to show off a bit, or maybe they just want to make it tough for some soldiers they feel are slacking off.
'Also, the more senior you are, the tougher the torture is.'
This could mean a longer interrogation or more manhandling. 'But it's natural; that is what would happen in a real POW situation. They assume the seniors have more information so they would do more to get them to spit it out,' he said.
The exercise ends with the 'prisoners' being allowed to escape. They would have to trek through the jungle and join friendly troops in a designated area.
Said an NSman: 'It was tough but necessary as part of our training.
'After all, in a real war, there's a high chance we could be captured and so we need to know what to expect.'
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Second Sergeant Hu Enhuai's death has turned the spotlight on military training. Speaking to reporters yesterday, Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean had this to say:
Kids become men after NS
'I can understand that parents can be worried for their children, but national service is a growing-up process for our kids. They face new challenges and many of the young men who go in, go in as boys and come out as mature young men. We hope to give them a good, safe experience.'
Enough rest, enough water
'It's not just talking about the incident. As I explained in Parliament, it's the experience soldiers have in NS. The typical soldier... will know we take a lot of care. They have enough water, enough rest. If they are not well, they can say so, there are medics there. There are many precautions taken.'
Commandos will bounce back
'They are the aces in our pack. I know many of them well. I know the former chief of commandos well too and I know they are good people and they will face this challenge, overcome the difficulties and come out stronger... While this incident is definitely a blow to the morale of the commandos, I have confidence in them. They are resilient people.'
Train them well, care for them too
'I've asked all instructors and anyone who is responsible for soldiers to look after their soldiers well, train them well.'
Public has been understanding
'MPs and the public understand that Mindef has to conduct tough and realistic training and they do expect Mindef to do so in a professional and safe way. I think they do understand the balance. For national defence, we need to have tough training but, at the same time, we have to be responsible to our soldiers and look after them.'
- from the Sunday Times
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seems someone from Sunday Times is reading this forum. not the first time we were mentioned.
They have this section on webchat where they will be looking at the more interesting topics on forums.