Forget the rifle, we now have a new “wife” in BMT

The old adage of how the SAR 21 is every recruits’ “wife” is hackneyed and too much of a cliché. On another island now, I have ditched my 20 year old SAR 21 rifle for a new 6 decade year old “wife”.

We recruits interact with our “wife” a lot.

We often receive lessons and scoldings from our “wife” and somehow in the midst of all these he always slips in a casual sex joke which makes all of us laugh uproariously in jest.

He also shares his prawn cracker with us and all the sergeants could only stare with seething annoyance but not being able to say anything, for my “wife” holds a considerably high rank.

My “wife” is not only about guns and wars but he also talks about family and love.

I hadn’t realize it then, but only 5 weeks later, I realized that the man who offered us prawn biscuits, scolds us, teaches us and forgives us, talks about family and love; the man we call our Encik has been caring for us like a “wife” all these while.

My Encik, is my new “wife.”

I remember an incident when I was caught using my phone after lights out. The next day, I was called into Encik’s office.

As I trekked down the stairs sorrily, Encik was glaring at me with his hands stabbed by his waist. With a swift hand motion, he gestured me to follow him into his office. Knowing I fucked up, I ran as fast as I could into his office like a child carrying a silver of foolish misplaced hope, wishing that my sentence would be lighter if I at least looked enthusiastic.

As I stepped into his office, I was struck by the old chinese love songs chiming softly in the background. It was a simple office devoid of any excessive luxury, but one has to pay the price if he ever gets to see this view.

Shortly into the interrogation, I was presented with 2 choices.

1. I could walk out of his office scot free with my phone but I must promise him that I would not use my phone until tomorrow night.
2. He will keep my phone and only return me tomorrow night.

Obviously option 1 was the easier way out, but something didn’t sit right with me in choosing the former. I knew I made a mistake and it’s obvious I broke a rule. Every rule broken needs a punishment, I deserve mine too.

I thought for a while, clenched my jaw, cursed at myself under the mask and then went for option 2.

Hearing my answer, he questioned me and I shared my views on why I am taking on option 2.

His response to me? I was ordered to leave his office right now with my phone but I can only use my phone after dinner today.

I couldn’t understand him, so I stood my ground insisting that I rather receive my phone from him in person the next day.

Instinctively, he handed me my phone and waved it right in front of me, almost as if he was taunting me to take it or asking me to take it. But I decided to remain steadfast to my values and I stood in position, unperturbed.

Eventually I left the office with my phone in my pocket but I could only use it after dinner. Wether I liked it or not, Encik realized that I was remorseful and decided the punishment for me.

Maybe I got off easy, but I withstood a mini test of character. I wasn’t scolded, but I was spoken to on equal terms and presented with options to decide my own fate.

It wasn’t much, but it showed me that more than anything he only wanted to care for us and wanted us to learn from our mistakes. That was his only goal right from the start.

On another incident, he addressed the entire platoon on a grave matter. In his 30 min address he shared his perspective on what it means to be a man.

Being a man is to be fully responsible for your own actions. If you fucked up, you man up and face the punishment. You don’t call your parents and get them to handle it for you, that is the act of a spineless boy.

He also shared his perspective on drinking “Beer”.

Till date, this words remained etched in me. “Beer” to him stands for

• Beginning
• Enjoy,
• End
• Regret.

No one could argue and I couldn’t agree more.

Weapons presentation is the first mini milestone for recruits. On this very special day, we would be receiving our SAR 21 and use it till the end of our BMT.

When it was my turn, I ran up to him and he said to me “this is your weapon”. In that ephemeral glimpse of time, I remember my Encik smiling proudly at me. Despite him wearing his mask, I could make out the outlines of his cheekbones lifting upwards. Above his mask, peaked a set of eyes that parted meekly but beamed proudly to reveal an eye smile. In that moment, he looked really proud of me. This was also the first inkling of kinship and familiarity I felt in the army. For some reason; I just felt connected.

Through multifarious experiences, my Encik has proven himself to be more like our “wife”. Often taking care of us/looking out for us, but when the time comes, he will take things up a notch and deliver his scolding then educate us afterwards. He wants us to learn our lesson more than anything and during times of accomplishments, he is always smiling at us with utmost pride.

if I dare challenge the half a century 50 year old NS narrative, I say that the SAR 21 rifle is not our “wife”, but it is in fact our “child”.

Our rifle has to be taken care by us all the time. It’s loud, requires cleaning often, we have to always hold on to it and even fix it when it start giving us problems. To me it is indefinitely a “child”, a “child” that comes with a load of responsibility that every soldier has to shoulder upon receiving it.

On Weapon Presentation day, everyone took not their “wife” from Encik, but it was their “child”.

But my Coy is a special exception, we took our “child” from our “wife”.

Thank you Encik, for everything you have done for us.