BOYS TO MEN

Eager parents gathered at the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF) Basic Military Training Centre (BMTC) at Pulau Tekong on 6 Sep, waiting for that moment when their sons would be marching past and graduating from their Basic Military Training (BMT).

The parade reviewing officer, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, shared his own experience of being a recruit more than 30 years ago, when he had stood among his peers with a sense of achievement.

You have trained and worked hard together, and have every reason to feel proud of yourselves, Mr Lee told the recruits.

It has been a three-month journey, but their basic training has finally come to an end, marking the full-time National Servicemen's commencement of more advanced training, before they embark on a 10-year training cycle as Operationally-Ready NSmen.

In his speech, the Prime Minister Lee also emphasised the need for devoted and well-trained soldiers.

More than anything else, it is this spirit and quality of our soldiers that makes the SAF a potent and credible fighting force. We must continue to uphold this system of NS, maintain the rigorous standards of training, and upgrade the quality of the SAF, he said.

But for the 1515 recruits from eight BMTC companies, the road ahead can wait for a while. After the parade, they rushed over to their family members to relate stories of brotherhood they experienced over the past few months.

Their faces said it all I'm proud to be a soldier of the SAF.