Ok so ATEC is over. What’s next?  Well ATEC is to test the unit’s combat readiness. Once you have completed it, you are supposed to be combat ready. But since Singapore has no war at that time, what will these old reservist soldiers do? We had to do a real operation to protect key important installations in Singapore. Also called Protection of Installation (POI) or “Operation Bacinet”.

So the battalion will be broken up into 3 huge teams. The places that we will be deployed to protect and patrol are, Singapore Changi Airport, Jurong Island and Sembawang wharves. 

ICT 8

During ICT 8 in 2012, we reported to Jurong Camp 2 to go through training and preparation for this operation. We had to go through weapons drill, SOPs, contingency drills, etc. This was a high key ICT so it was more than 5 days. How many days exactly, I cannot remember. But I can remember we were happy as we did not have to the jungles anymore. No more chiong sua. Everything was in camp. We could eat in the cookhouse, sleep in our bunk, eat at the canteen, played street soccer in the afternoons. I think we had one or 2 nights off where we went to Al Azhar Bukit Timah for supper. Finally a camp that felt like a camp.  

Nest thing we know, the ICT is over and we will meet again the following year. 

ICT 9

ICT 9 came promptly the year after. When I received the notification, I was shocked. It would be 23 days. That’s the longest reservist duration in my lifetime. 

This time we reported at Clementi Camp. It was our first time there. I met someone I knew who was serving his full time NS. The camp housed this new formation called the Security Trooper. We found out that it is the new name for what we know as Regimental Police. The guy told me he wanted to go to SISPEC but he didn’t pass his IPPT and was posted to become a Security Trooper. That’s when I found out that soldiers now do not have to pass IPPT anymore to be posted out from BMTC. I had 2 section mates having to redo his BMT when we passed out because they didn’t pass their IPPT. 

I mentioned about it here

https://www.anwarhadi.com/blog/the-army-series-part-3

It is unfair but that’s how it is. 

We were at Clementi Camp for only a few days. Thank good because the food at the camp cookhouse was terrible. It’s the worst army food I have ever eaten. I am not picky but really, the food there was really bad. Not sure if it is still bad now. 

Our time there was spent on briefings, deployment administration, scheduling, etc. before we get deployed. So many of us hoped to be deployed to Changi Airport. Because got aircon. They said, they will only send physically fit looking and tall soldiers there. I think I had a chance. That’s what they told me too. Really. And then suddenly all of us realised, “eh cannot send Anwar to Airport la. He is GPMG Commander. All GPMG go to Sembawang.” Aawww damn…. but ya la. It made sense.

We were then given our schedules and then we could go home. I cannot remember the sequence but for the next 3 weeks, we will be working on rotation. Something like 4 or 3 days work and then 2 days off. We will report at Maju Camp when on our scheduled days. We will be split into 3 groups and sent to Sembawang, Changi or Jurong. We will be there for 3 / 4 days and then we will be sent back to Maju Camp where we could go home for our 2 days off and then report back to Maju Camp again. This would go on for 21 days if I remember correctly. 

SEMBAWANG WHARVES

So my GPMG team, like all GPMG teams in the unit was sent to Sembawang Wharves. It’s not bad. Quite cool to be at a place that is not opened to the public and see how it is inside. We had our mini camp. It was like a 2 storey shophouse. The first floor was the armskote and the store. The second floor was our bunk. It was air-conditioned but it was crammed. There was a game room with board games and a pool table. There was a canteen with a playstation and one FIFA game. It was not bad. 

My team was to man the machine gun bunker facing the sea. It was actually quite nice. Quite peaceful. A new view. The operation was real though. We had live rounds and had to operate in a real situation. Not a training. I was quite nervous. I hoped nothing serious would happen where we had to engage pirates or something. Well nothing actually happened. I was grateful. 

We had to man the bunker for 6 hours and then take a break for 6 hours for 2 days. And then we made an arrangement with the other teams to work on 12 hour shifts instead so that we can have longer breaks where we can properly sleep and eat. We spent the time looking out at the sea, chatted, take naps, feed the cats there. I finished 7 seasons of That 70s Show on Youtube. The only eventful thing that happened was, at that time, Singapore was hit by a thick haze. It was the Southeast Asian June 2013 haze. For a few days, we were pulled out from the bunker and had to seek shelter in the bunk. I mean, I don’t mind. More slack time. Air con. But time passes so so slowly during these days. It was the longest reservist ever and it really felt long. 

23 days eventually came to an end. All of us came back to Maju Camp after our final deployment. And that was it. Our 9th ICT. We could slowly feel the end coming. Morale was high. For the first time in our lives, we couldn’t wait for the next ICT.

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