Route Marches

37 years served in Arty 11

There was one physical training (PT lesson) conducted by Lta Mukhtiar Singh, who  planned a 10 km brisk walking exercise for us, that was the only brisk walking exercise in my 37 years served in the SAF.

Many people working with computers everyday, they had suffered from shoulder pain, I was no exception. In 2001, I was 51, I had suffered from shoulder pain.  I was Course Commander for the Basic Gunnery Assistants' Courses (BGA). I had to be lead by example, to go through with the trainees a series of 18, 24, and 30-kilometer route marches.

CO Ltc Tan Chong Boon, and both Heads Gunnery Training Wing (outgoing and incoming over the batches of  45^th and 46^th BGAs), Cpt Susan Lim and Maj Kee Kian Boon, and the MPO Cpt Helen Ang, were also participated in the route marches scheduled for the BGAs.

It was very tough for me to do the route marches at 51. However, it was really amazing, after several route marches, my shoulder pain disappeared  without medication. This experience I had over route marches was priceless, even after retired from the SAF, in 2010, when I was 60, I started doing brisk walking exercise for 40 minutes every morning and evening, walk about 3 km, in order to stay healthy.

My favour sports were badminton, table tennis, football, volleyball, basketball and swimming. I played rugby for the first time was during  the TA & SVY Course.  Lta Ng Jui Ping was responsible for games periods, he taught us how to play rugby. After several games periods, we could played rugby well and we had beaten the 20 SAB team when we compete with them.

I was adorable when I was doing my NS stint. Officers always select me when came to grouping. Once, Lta Mukhtiar Singh conducted a survey exercise. The course had to break into two groups. Lta Mukhtiar Singh took one group, and a Cpl Tan took another.

Lta Mukhtiar Singh did the grouping by using his right thumb (in the army superior would use thumb, but not index finger to point at soldiers) pointed at a person, one after another, and said, “ You go, you go, you go ... ... join Cpl Tan. “. For those who had been pointed would go with Cpl Tan. He did not point at me, he wanted me to stay with him.

In a messy stage of grouping I followed Cpl Tan because I want to avoid staying with Lta Mukhtiar Singh.

 After the practice, Lta Mukhtiar Singh called me up, questioned me, “Why you went to  Cpl Tan?” I answered, "Sir, you said, “Yue go", I am Yue, so I go ". Lta Mukhtiar Singh did not angry, just said with a smile, “don't try to be funny.” I was prepared to be punished, but Lta Mukhtiar Singh did not punish me.

In 1969, after graduated from the TA & SVY course, 25 new TASA were not immediately appointed technical assistant positions, but we were formed into five mortar detachments, and we participated in the 20 SAB, Bn Ex. Cpl Hoong Sin Fatt was my Det Commander.

Attached an old photo: Back row standing from the left: Teo Hock Chua, Ong Kheng Huat, Tan Lee Hong,  and Cpl Hoong Sin Fatt. Front row squat: Yue Kam Weng (author) and Douglas Wee.

I really envy Kechik B. Parti, and Tan Peng Hong, although they had failed the TA & SVY course, and they also had ended such suffering with us.