5 types of BMT recruits that would definitely be in a platoon

Last Updated on 2016-05-30 , 9:36 am

Most of us have watched Ah Boys to Men—and would know that in BMT, there are all kinds of recruits. However, like what Ah Boys to Men portrayed, there are usually a few kinds who would, strangely, always be in a platoon. It’s like the army knew them personally, and ingeniously allocated them evenly in each platoon.

Let’s see a few that I (and many of us) have encountered!

The garang soldier
There is a difference between the garang and the wayang. The garang does things (charge before anyone else, spend admin time with his rifle, do chin-ups during break time), while the wayang merely talks. In other words, the garang is respected—the wayang isn’t.
The thing is that it’s hard to differentiate between a garang and a wayang in the first few days.

The sissy
I saw first-hand on how a recruit literally screamed when he fired his first live bullet. Scream! I meant, I was surprised at the loud sound, the strong recoil and the echo…but to scream?

The chao keng
These are professionals who think they are professionals. What do I mean by that? If you’re sick, you don’t need to look as if you’ve not eaten for days, or keep on emphasizing that you really miss the training. Just go sleep and hope you’ll get Attend C and you cheer, or Attend B and we cheer.

The blur king
I think I was one. In other words, after each lesson, it’s almost 100% that I’ll have to ask someone to teach me again. It reached a stage whereby after every lesson, my buddy would usually approach me and ask, “You understand?”

The made-for-soldier recruit
I don’t know why, but some recruit seems to be born to be a soldier. They ace their IPPT—okay, that’s fine as long as we train when we’re free. Then they ace their shooting. Eh? Okay, good eyes and good breathing. Next, they ace their SOC. SOC? SOC how to train outside? Playground? I was made to do it again and again, and eventually, I barely passed!

I’m sure some of us would have more fond memories of these recruits! After all, BMT has become one of Singapore culture. Do you have any to share? Please do so!