Haha...yup, an American series, starring Vic Morrow and Rick Jason and set during WWII kept me and my family glued to the screen as we followed the brave soldiers fighting their way across Europe. The TV intro was another iconic one which I can remember to this day:
I'll take the description from IMDB to share here as it is very apt:
"Combat!, a one-hour WWII drama series on television, followed a
frontline American infantry squad as they battled their way across
Europe. With mud-splattered realism, the show offered character studies
of men striving to maintain their own humanity in the midst of a world torn by war."
I was quite fascinated with the guns and tanks in the show and it also happened that two of my older brothers were in the National Cadet Corps in school during that period. They were also about to enlist for National Service then, so naturally, there was great interest in army stuff as such. But no, this did not translate into me joining the NCC when I was in secondary school...lol!
What reminded me about this show was my eldest son, T's enlistment into the military (or NS as it's popularly known as) today. It is a rite of passage for our country's 18 and 19-year-old males; one which their fathers had gone through since we became an independent nation in 1965. And one which said fathers would regale everyone with tales about their trials and tribulations during those army days.
Starting from Pasir Ris Interchange, where we boarded the buses for Changi Ferry Terminal to take the ferry ride across to Pulau Tekong, my hubby, myself and my son's girlfriend were taken on a tour of the camp premises and shown the dormitories where 'your sons and loved ones' would be staying in.
The bunk beds were quite solid; lockers were a decent size; there were adequate numbers of fans and I must say, the mattresses were much better than those I have at home...think it's time to go shopping!
There were also short talks by fellow soldiers about the equipment, training and finally a meaningful oath-taking ceremony before we adjourned for one final meal with T before his Basic Military Training commenced.
No, I did not cry during the oath-taking or when saying goodbye to him and neither did I see any other Mums doing so. But a few of my friends who had gone through this ritual told me that they did.
Maybe I've been used to T going away for some trips for a couple of weeks at a stretch since he was 15. ;)
There were, however, some poignant moments when I remembered my friends who had lost their son, Dom, only recently during a routine NS training session. I would be lying if I said I was not worried about T but at the same time, I told myself I had to pray hard for his and the other boys' welfare and trust in the Lord that all would be safe.
Well, we just heard from T tonight, when he was allowed to make phone calls during their Personal Admin period at 9.30pm. His brothers had a good time questioning him but as it was only the first day, there was not much to report. We look forward to more updates from him soon. :)
I was quite fascinated with the guns and tanks in the show and it also happened that two of my older brothers were in the National Cadet Corps in school during that period. They were also about to enlist for National Service then, so naturally, there was great interest in army stuff as such. But no, this did not translate into me joining the NCC when I was in secondary school...lol!
What reminded me about this show was my eldest son, T's enlistment into the military (or NS as it's popularly known as) today. It is a rite of passage for our country's 18 and 19-year-old males; one which their fathers had gone through since we became an independent nation in 1965. And one which said fathers would regale everyone with tales about their trials and tribulations during those army days.
Starting from Pasir Ris Interchange, where we boarded the buses for Changi Ferry Terminal to take the ferry ride across to Pulau Tekong, my hubby, myself and my son's girlfriend were taken on a tour of the camp premises and shown the dormitories where 'your sons and loved ones' would be staying in.
The bunk beds were quite solid; lockers were a decent size; there were adequate numbers of fans and I must say, the mattresses were much better than those I have at home...think it's time to go shopping!
There were also short talks by fellow soldiers about the equipment, training and finally a meaningful oath-taking ceremony before we adjourned for one final meal with T before his Basic Military Training commenced.
No, I did not cry during the oath-taking or when saying goodbye to him and neither did I see any other Mums doing so. But a few of my friends who had gone through this ritual told me that they did.
Maybe I've been used to T going away for some trips for a couple of weeks at a stretch since he was 15. ;)
There were, however, some poignant moments when I remembered my friends who had lost their son, Dom, only recently during a routine NS training session. I would be lying if I said I was not worried about T but at the same time, I told myself I had to pray hard for his and the other boys' welfare and trust in the Lord that all would be safe.
Well, we just heard from T tonight, when he was allowed to make phone calls during their Personal Admin period at 9.30pm. His brothers had a good time questioning him but as it was only the first day, there was not much to report. We look forward to more updates from him soon. :)
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