JUST DIG IT

Almost every Singaporean son would have endured the shellscrape-digging experience. So how would a somewhat over-age Singaporean daughter fare?

I should have said "No".

"No," when my editor proposed the task: to dig a shellscrape. Instead, l fell prey to my ego. And ended up on Pulau Tekong with an entrenching tool (ET) in hand and a combat helmet on my head.

My instructor, Lieutenant Chew Ee Zeng, demonstrated the technique of digging a shellscrape. To achieve maximum effect with minimum effort, I should lift the ET overhead and allow it to fall on its own weight, sinking the entire length of the blade into the soil at an angle towards myself. Then, pushing the handle away from me, I should break in and scoop up an entire piece of soil.

I write "should", because my first attempts resulted in haphazard pockmarks created by the sharp corners of the blade landing and picking on the soil bed. But, driven by a strong desire to finish before I grew old, I finally succeeded (i.e. scooped up a complete piece of soil) and may have let out a joyous yelp.

Although the month-long dry spell in February had dried out the soil, it was, fortunately, crumbly instead of hard. Still, I would sometimes hack into pieces of hardened soil or fine root that required multiple chops to break apart.

I also overheard someone mumble, "Ewww, I just chopped an earthworm in half." I was luckier. All I got were hundreds of baby cockroach-like bugs unleashing their vengeance upon me after I broke into their nest.

Due to the hot weather, the recruits were given breaks periodically, when they would drink up or share encouraging words with their buddies. While I didn't have a buddy, one of the recruits shared her energy bar with me, and my PIONEER photographer and cameraman took turns to help me. Maybe they were afraid of having to turn my 16-inch (40cm) hole into a six-foot (1.8m) one.

Five hours and three pairs of hands later, my shellscrape was finally complete. To test if it was good enough for defensive operations-use, I had to lie prone inside. Section 4 Commander 3rd Sergeant Bryan Gho came by with his assessment: I could have dug deeper as I was still slightly above ground-level while proning. Otherwise, my shellscrape was "not bad". And he insisted he wasn't just being kind.

Guess I was glad I didn't say "No".

What is A Shellscrape?

A shellscrape is a type of military earthwork long and deep enough to lie flat in.

Average Length: Three X SAR 21
Breadth: Approx one X SAR 21
Depth: Approx length of SAR 21