Besides range (i.e. shooting practice), I think field camp ranks as the other Most Memorable activity during BMT. Our first field camp took place in Marsiling, not far from Mandai Road. The track is now blocked, but you can still gain access to it on foot. We always seemed to camp in former rubber plantations, probably because of the space afforded by the trees. Also, the army liked going back to familiar training grounds. Before setting off for camp, we were of course taught how to set up a tent. All one needs is commscord (green nylon cord), a groundsheet and six pegs - two for the front and back, four for the corners, and of course, a changkul (hoe). To prevent flooding, we would dig a trench around the tent to drain water away. More often than not, this worked better in theory than practice. The reason is that the rain here pours. So unless you have dug a moat around your tent, be prepared to sleep a little wet. Our first field camp introduced us to field rations. In those days, such ready-to-eat food did not reflect what we could get from our foodcourts. It was more like "hey, what did you grab off a supermarket shelf?" - just like it was during school camp. We often ended up with a can or two and some biscuits. Our rations in the army then were no different. The items in our field rations were standard and came in a clear plastic pack. Only the hard tacks were distributed from a tin. Hard tacks were a kind of hard, milk-based biscuit packed in army green plastic. It was supposed to be baked solid ("Hard as a tack board" - hence its name) with nutrition. In our ration pack was a can of sardines, a pack of shortbread (an oily butter biscuit), a can of pork cubes (savoury), and a packet of Tang-like lemonade powder drink that we would empty into our water bottles. Tang was a famous brand then, like Staminade. It had no relations to the other icon CK Tang, which sold pots and pans. The army said they had canned braised chicken on the field rations menu but we never saw any. To open the cans, I didn't use the army-issued Jack Knife. I preferred to use my own miniature can opener, something my dad had gotten from the US forces in Vietnam in the 60s. Made of hardened steel, it was still sharp. That's not the only thing I like about it. This tiny can opener folds in on itself flat and in a length no longer than an inch and a half. An adventure store in Beach Road sold them too. It's probably the simplest and best product I've come across. My mom loves it too and still has one in her kitchen. The first thing we did at the field camp was to act like settlers, i.e. mark out territory. This was because no one wanted to be near the latrines. The latrines were simply deep holes in the ground. They were dug with augurs using arm power. Everyday, a section from each platoon would take turns to do latrine duty which only involved throwing disinfectant powder into the holes. But with so many men in the company needing to "do their business" everyday, this method was only marginally successful. Going to such an open-air latrine was often stressful and done in a hurry - you fought the smell as well as the bottle flies and mosquitoes. We often protected our asses with insect repellent (like OFF) before going. (am ok with keeping this) To build our tents, we would use angle irons and a monkey wrench (which was actually not a wrench at all but an angle iron pounder). The angle iron was a general purpose bar with notches for fencing. We used it between tents to hold up their center lines. Then the tent cloth (a groundsheet with eyelets, basically) would be stretched out with guylines and pegged down. We had to tighten the guylines each morning as dew always weighed it down the night before. Lessons at field camp usually entailed sitting on an open sandy ground surrounded by trees and in front of a flipchart board. That's when you discover the secret tactics of the army as well as the wonders of nature - the birds chirping, the leaves falling. (am ok with keeping this) At first we sat through the lessons hugging our rifles. Later, we were allowed to lean them into a pyramid shape. What we wore to the lesson depended on what was taught. If it was field craft with practice afterwards, we would wear our SBOs (army 'bra') with helmets by our side. If it was just theory, we would simply wear our No. 4s. But we still hugged our rifles. There's a cardinal rule during field camp: Don't ever lose your rifle. Our section corporals would attempt to steal them when we are not looking. They then would accuse us of being careless and hand out severe punishment. If they were in a good mood, they might let you off with just a Drop 50. If someone had seen them taking the rifle in the first place, then they've got nothing to say. One of the key lessons we learned at field camp had nothing to do with army tactics. It was how to bathe. It all centred around the principle that water is precious. We were instructed to bathe with just one mess tin of water. Think about it: we would probably use up one and a half pails of water in the same endeavour at home. But now we are asked to use a fraction of it. Girls reading this might cringe, but the reality is that when you have to do it, you will find a way. The end result is to be as clean as possible without playing host to different kinds of skin infections. There is a logical way about it and it is this: the various creased parts of your body are first priority when it comes to cleaning, namely your neck, armpits, thigh pits and behind the knees. Besides soap, foot powder was the other great necessity when keeping one clean. As a matter of fact, you could go without soap but DO NOT EVER leave home (i.e. base camp) without adequate foot powder. Of all things that the army has ever issued, I'd vote foot powder as their most "powderful" item. It did prevent us from getting foot rot and Hong Kong Feet. Used sparingly all over, we could sleep like a newborn baby all comfy and talcum powdered-up like. It was also essential in dry-washing underwear. One desperate day, we would simply flip them inside out, powder it surreptitiously and wear it again like new. If you have trouble with this, just recite this Cantonese saying: "Slap your butt and pretend nothing ever happened." It works. Of course, one cannot go on bathing like this or else the whole SAF would look like a clan of armed beggars like in a Jin Yong novel. After four or five days, we were given a chance to take a full bath, usually at a nearby army camp. Then we would wash hair, body, clothes and everything. Clothes were secondary as we were all supposed to have brought extra sets. All platoon sergeants were pretty strict about this. Fresh clothes were not only essential to hygiene but morale as well. Some recruits liked to bring a set less so their fullpack is lighter. But if found out, the punishment was severe. Finding a tent buddy was often left to our own discretion. It was best to choose someone with no BO issues. I know, after a few days, we all smelt the same of stale sweat, grime and mud. But I did come across someone whose BO overpowered all these. The more important criteria is to find someone who is neat and would help pack up in the morning. Equally important is to find someone who could talk-cock with you at night, when everybody is lying on their fullpacks trying to catch some sleep. Routine at field camp did not vary from normal days at base camp. We still did early morning 5BX exercise and area cleaning. Then it was back to our tents for ration breakfast and afterwards, our "morning business". Like our baths, freshly cooked food was available after some days, usually when intense field exercise is over. We often had overcooked vegetables (because they were left in the food containers for too long) and oil/lemon grass stewed chicken (its sounds better than it tasted). It's true, the breakfast beehoon was like barbed wire. But hey, I like beehoon. I also liked the hard tack very much (I'm a biscuit person and would even put plain biscuits in my sandwiches for that extra crunch) and so had no issue whatever with our field rations - only that the pork cubes were perhaps too salty and the shortbread too oily. As a kid, I could not take oily biscuits with water and would have need of a toilet afterwards. But during NS I found I had outgrown that malady. But it was still at the back of my mind and so, I would eat shortbread and drink little water. Most times, I gave them away. The one food that really bothered everyone was the sardines. If you happened to spill any, it created a sticky mess and fishy stink. We often took care to make sure the cans were not crushed in our fullpacks. Water, it's the most important commodity during field camp. We had water parades where our bottles were inspected to make sure they were full, else we had to drop 20 (punishment) and afterwards, run to the jerry cans to top up. BMT field camp for recruits was mostly about basic field craft and wasn't very eventful. It simply gave us a taste of what was to come. And much would happen in the first three months of OCS. (Contributed as part of the NS45 campaign which commemorates the 45th anniversary of Singapore's National Service, with the theme of "From Fathers to Sons")