I spent the past week in the jungle. Yup. A place with lots of trees, and trees. No infrastructure, no toilets, no lights, no fans, no beds. Just you and nature. Its called "Field Camp" in the army. Which really means to stay in the jungle and see how it is like.
My field camp started on Sunday. 11/02/07. Packed my fieldpack the night before so we started gathering at about 7am. Had a very very tiring 8km route march to our designated camp site in the forest. Apparently we took like 2 rounds so the instructors could make us walk for 8km, horrible. After walking for 8km in under 2 hours, we finally reach the site. By then, we were super super tired. But no break for us. Immediately we are instructed to set up our "bashas", or also known as tentage. That was crazy. I could hardly concentrate on what I was doing. After building our tents, our instructors told us that we were too slow! So we had to tear down the tents and build again! So we did, and again we were too slow! So we teared down and build again. Wah, by then I was already totally tired out. Then we were told to build drainage around our tents, which requires us to build little drains around the place. Wah, at that point of time, I nearly fainted. Thank God I managed to pull through, and after that, finally had a lunch break. Had our field lessons after that then slept in the tent when the sky turned dark. Tiring start to the camp.
12/02/07. Monday. Woke up to find myself very very cold. Its still dark at 6am. I wore my boots and took my rifle and went to the bushes to do my business, brush my teeth and stuff. I need to get use to nature. Then went for 2km run and after that was field lessons again. Learning quite alot from these lessons about tactics and how to engage enemy. Lessons all the way untill night. Then had night walk. Night walk was cool. My instructor brought us around the jungle in the dark. No torches to be used. We spent the time to get our confidence in the dark built up. Then we sat down at a bridge and looked at stars. Wah, the stars were really beautiful. Can see many of them, alot more than when I saw in Singapore. Then we walked back to camp and we rested for the night.
13/02/07. Tuesday. Once again I woke up in a very cold state. Somehow the forest becomes very very cold at night. Did my usual morning business, went for another 2km run and was told to tear down our tents and pack up our bags. Apparently, my commander told us that "enemies" has been spotted trying to enter through the reclaimed land and we are to move over to set up defence. Ya right, great story. Well, we had field lessons again and after that, walked to the other site where our defence was supposed to be. Reclaimed land. Another 8km walk. Instructors made us walk 2 rounds again so we will walk 8km. So horrible! Ok, reached the reclaimed land and many of my friends were going to faint already. But it was alright. Because we reached near evening. So we were allowed to rest for the rest of the night. Great. I threw a groundsheet on the floor and just slept on it. Lots of mosquitoes. They were just buzzing around me. But I just slept, really really tired.
14/02/07. Wednesday. Valentine's Day. What am I doing in the forest with 200 men on Valentine's Day?!?! Crap. I woke up and felt really stupid. I miss her. Seriously. Woke up at 6.30am and was supposed to be on high alert untill 7am. To defend the site. Ok, so we just prone on the floor and be on alert with our rifle untill 7am. After that had breakfast. Then learnt how to build shellscrape. Shellscrape is a hole in the ground which is quite deep and as long as our body. Basically its like a grave. Meant to protect us from enemy fire. Then I started building my shellscrape. Dig and dig and dig. Wah, super tiring. Just kept on digging and digging. Dug for a good 3 hours then finally managed to complete it. By then I was really tired already. We had the rest of the day free. Had our lunch and all. Then I had an idea. Heh. I took a piece of wood and did a little woodcraft. Shave the wood, carve the wood. After that night came and I can't see anymore, so I paused my work and slept for the night. Slept in the hole I dug.
15/02/07. Thursday. Woke up to find myself even colder than ever before! Wah, I wonder whats going on. Nvm, we woke up and went on alert again, but this time untill 7.15am. After that had breakfast and went for a briefing by my commander. This time, he says that enemy has been spotted in the vicinity and we are supposed to patrol the are and engage the enemy when we find them. Ok, he's a great story teller. We were just supposed to go for "Group Battle Course". So for the whole day, groups after groups went out on patrol. My group was second to go so we went off really early. We engaged 3 enemies and fought them using the tactics we learnt. After that, my group just slack for the rest of the day while other groups go patrolling. I continued with my woodcraft. Ha, then I cut my finger. Sian, blood was flowing from my finger like crazy. Drip drip drip all over the place. I tried to first aid myself but still bleeding. So no choice had to go to the medic to get bandaged. After bandage, went back to my shellscrape and continue my wood carving, heh, but more careful la. After a whole day, my commander had another briefing and told us the enemy has been wiped out. Haha, yeah. Then he tells us some of the last few remaining enemies has been found concentrated at a site not far from us. Great, which means we needed to walk there again. Tomorrow. So we rested for the night and waited for tomorrow, our last day in camp.
16/02/07. Friday. Final day of field camp. Woke up and went on alert again. Then we covered up the hole we dug, picked up our bags and walked to the final site where last remaining "enemies" were supposed to be. Ok, its actually just the "Battle Inoculation Course". But my commander like to make things sound interesting. So we reached the site and was sent groups by groups into the site. My group was 2nd. So we entered the site and was supposed to crawl from one end to another. Why? Because theres a machine gun firing over our head. And there are thunderflashes which sounds like grenades booming around us. Made me feel so kanchiong. Haha. Then I crawl crawl and realised that the woodcraft which I made had dropped from my pocket! Crap. I don't care and just crawled back to look for it. Haha, I actually found it! Woo, thank God. Or else my efforts all wasted. After crawling finish, I was super tired already, and my body is full of sand. But I was happy. Because the camp is finally over! Went back to my bag, sat around then went back to my bunk in a tonner, which is a truck of sorts.
Ha, then spent the rest of the day cleaning my rifle. Clean clean clean. And realised that we didn't have much time left. We were going to be late for the ship to book out!! So my platoon quickly went to clean ourselves up, went for dinner, and quickly packed our bags. Rush rush. Thank God we made it in time. But I forgot to bring alot of things. Haha, like my specs, my spare batteries etc etc. Took the ship and went back. Wah, relief. Heh, and I went to church to catch "Vanity". Only got the ending. But nvm, at least I was there.
Went for supper with my friends after that. Many things have changed. And my heart was broken.
