Army Daze

So here I was.. a Poly graduate.. not knowing what it was all about.. the electronics part anyway.. I remembered learning about valves being used in elctronic equipments like the television. Then the stupid professor started teaching transistors...even before he finished with valves ( for those of you too young to know, valves are like light bulbs and they glow when in working order, so to repair equipments it's very easy...whichever valve is not lighted, just replace that and ta-da the set is working again!)..and he did not know what he was doing.. probably because he read on it the night before.. Once he even came into the class and asked us to forget all he taught the day before and he started over again... Very confusing.. Then he went on to the Flip-Flops..don't ask me to explain what this is all about.. My mind was flipping and flopping when I saw the professor jumping from one end of the blackboard to the other pointing and saying something like "when this flip from one to zero...(here he run to the other end).. then this will flop from zero to one!" .. My eyeballs just rolled backwards!!

So, because of this lack of knowledge I couldn't get a job for more than a year...went to a lot of interviews but gave a blank stare when they ask about transistors and i-c's (intergrated-circuits which are made from a series of flip-flops... the basis of modern day electronis.. anybody want to elaborate on this? be my guest). Then one day, a letter came with a job offer... JOIN THE ARMED FORCES! Be an instructor! In the first place, I didn't want to be a teacher because I don't think I can handle kids so I didn't go to the Teachers Training Colledge like my mother wanted me to.. She didn't like the idea of me going to Poly...and here was an offer to be an instructor.. that's like being a teacher, and to army boys... Hmmm... Okay.

So I went to CMPB HQ at Dempsey Road (then) and signed up...got a medical check-up and told to go to Changi Air Base for an interview with the Chief Instructor of the Electronics Department.. So I went to Changi Air Base and went down the bus as soon as I saw the sign that says A.E.T.I. (Air Engineering Training Institute).. Well it was the wrong department.. This is the AE (can't remember what it stands for - Aero something or other) and the CI was a Lta George Tan who immediately claimed me as his younger sister when he found out that I'm the new instuctor..the only female one.. Then he told his right hand man Sgt Speedy Gonzales to send me over to the right department and I rode the jeep there.

The Chief Instructor of the Electronics Dept was an ang-moh Cpt Campbell (not quite sure.. long time ago...forget ) , a chee-ko-pek and always drunk.. He approved my job application without second thought and promised that I won't need go for Basic Military Training.. but unfortunately ( or maybe not) the British forces withdrew six months after I joined and the Singapore Government took over.. I felt that the name change was a let down .. From Singapore Air Defence Command to Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and for the navy from Maritime Command to RSN...Such a boring title..

To continue... There was also another ang-moh.. SSG Hayword...quite a cheeky guy.. he got his wife to smuggle in a PLAYGIRL magazine for me.. with full page male nude!! At the first meeting, the Cpt did ask me about my medical check-up though and I found it weird that he should ask that. Later I was told that my ex-Poly classmates were also stationed there. When I went to see them in their instructor's room, they also asked me about the check-up and then I found out that there was another girl who also applied for the post but during the medical check-up, the doctors forgot to secure the room and a whole bunch of army guys walked in when she was naked! I think she slapped the doctor! My friends thought it was me... One of these guys was the one who teased me in Poly and he was the one who spread the rumour that I knew kung-fu.. Anyway, Cpt Campbell also got a threat from me.. He came into the store one day when I was there and he slapped my butt.. I turned around and told him "Do that again and you'll regret it!" He never dared but then again he was posted back soon after and never got the chance.

When the RAF left and RSAF took over, the new CI was a Lta Kumar.. a guy who stuck by the book but not altogether unreasonable.. not like another officer who I first knew when he was a sargeant. Loh Shee Tong ( not his actual name). This Neanderthal No.1 passed a remark about the women's toilet when the trainees were asked to clean it for some VIP visiting and the trainees told me... I stormed into his office and just scolded him.. not caring who else was in the room.. I said " The ladies toilet do not stink and even if it did, you should not have passed that comment!" and stormed out! Apparently an officer from another unit was there and Loh Shee Tong was embarrassed and from that day on he got a thorn in his side and later when he was promoted to Lta and sat in on officers meeting, he put in his two cents when it came to promotion time for the enlisted.. when my name came up he shot me down saying I got no respect for authority. If people in high ranking posts are like him I couldn't be bothered with them.. Who cares if I'm not promoted... At this point I was already fed-up...

In poly, I was top student in draughting and the second place was William, (the teaser- maybe jealous because of this) and he told the CI that I'm good in drawing and such.. so I was asked to make charts for the office and the CI said he would give me an extra Saturday off.. So I made the charts but never got my day off.. Lta Loh Shee Tong was there with Lta Kumar, saying I should be proud to be doing this for my country, blah blah blah, and not have to do it for a reward and they asked me to question myself why was I there. I gestured with my fingers "For MONEY" That pissed them off.. Well I was pissed too!!

Then there was another incident with Neanderthal No.2... another officer.. can't remember his name.. There was a civilian Au, (a Malaysian) also teaching there and he lived in Redhill and he had a red sports car, with white down the centre..very cool in the 70's... So sometimes he would give me a lift from Bedok where I change bus and sometimes on Saturday he would give me a lift from home if I don't wear my uniform... He didn't want to be seen with any person in uniform.. his choice.. and sometimes he would give me a lift out of camp to Bedok, saving me time. Now these people at the office see us coming in and leaving together and what do they assumed?? Neanderthal No.2 said to me " Hey, cpl Tan, do you know that Au is married?" I answered "So?" It didn't matter to me that he's married.. he's only giving me a lift in his car and we are just friends.. Can't a guy and a gal be friends without anything going on? Dumb Ass...

Case number three with Neanderthal No. 3.. SSG Teh a Chinese educated dim-wit.. I entered the instructor's room which I shared with all the other guys. At the far end of the room were those friends from Poly and Tham (he was never my class mate but a nice guy all the same) remarked " Now that one is a B.I.T.C.H." refering to me. I just sat there and possibly had a smile on my face because I admit that I could be quite bitchy sometimes. Then SSG Teh said "Wah.. first time I see a girl don't get angry when somebody said she's been sleeping around." HUH?? WHAT?? I was shocked!! Is that the only meaning to the word 'bitch' ? The guys at the corner were also shocked and quickly sat up straight and Tham very quickly exited with some other guys, mumbling as he passed my table, that he didn't meant it that way.. I told him.."Ya, I know".. Richard stayed behind and sat down opposite my table and tried to explain, and that's when I started crying.. At this point Neanderthal Teh left the room.. I was crying for quite a long time and Richard didn't know what to do.. Other people came in and wondered what's going on... I wasn't crying because somebody said that I'm a bitch.. nor because an idiot only got one meaning for the word, BUT because I got to work with IDIOTS like that!! Boy I'm still pissed !!

Other than these three incidents with CRAPPY SHITTY PEOPLE, my days in the air force was alright, working with Poly mates John, William, Richard, Tham and Teo.. and getting to know Lily the storegirl, Nah the clerk and Carlos, a Filipino... and some of the trainees like Justin Chen and Justin Lam who called me tai-kar-che (big sister in Cantonese)... Of course all the other trainees of EM1/76 and EM2/76.. I can't possibly name all of you even if I can remember your name...Actually I don't remember your names. Hahaha. I was sent for BMT though ( to teach me discipline) and I also went for Outward Bound training.. Those were the fun times in the RSAF for me.. AT YOUR OWN TIME, OWN TARGET...FIRE!!!