kahhan is
entering a new world soon

I have finally POP-ed!

For those who don't know what's POP, it stands for Passing Out Parade, which signifies the end of my BMT journey, along with other recruits (or should I say to-be privates) in School 3. It's really a damn happy day for me, and definitely more for others as they have marched 24km and then paraded in the Tekong Parade Square in front of so many parents. Too bad I could only participate in the BMTC Roar! But it was still quite fun! The feeling of tossing your jockey cap up high is like a relief.

It is also a good time for me to sum up my thoughts as a Raven recruit.

As you all might know, BMT for me isn't such a good experience that I have thought it would be. Physically, I wasn't one of the best. I came in and couldn't do standard push-ups, and I could only do 4 chin-ups, and that number slowly decreased as the days passed. I couldn't pass my IPPT as a result. I couldn't pass my SOC as well because I couldn't clear 3 out of 11 obstacles.
Mentally, I am not the strongest and I needed a lot of support from my peers and even my commanders. At times, I really felt like giving up. To make things worse, I had chicken pox in the middle of Field Camp and had to stay home for 2 weeks. I had to miss BTP and SIT test. Even though there was a reshoot for BTP, I missed out on the re-SIT test and that implied that I missed out on my chance of going to command school. It was really unlucky and I felt greatly saddened as I missed out on a chance to lead others, something that I really want to do and have experience in schooling times. At that moment, I really thought my BMT was screwed up because nothing has worked out for me. I was determined to pass out from this course, and I trained hard, working mainly on IPPT. In the end, I passed my chin-ups and I was really damn happy as I dismounted the bar after doing 6 pull ups! It was the best feeling in the world. I still failed my final SOC test, but it doesn't matter. I can still pass out! Hearing my commanders saying that they were very happy for me for passing makes me feel proud because they have put in a lot of faith on me and gave me the required mental support I needed to pass.

For all the support that my platoon mates, friends, commanders and parents have gave me for the past 9 weeks, I sincerely thank all of you for making my BMT a successful one. I am thankful that I am able to pass out and move on to the next stage of my Army life. Even though I am not able to get into command school, I am hopeful that my posting to a unit will present me chances that will allow me to develop further as a soldier and a man.