Conscript Training

[Stefan Fredriksson]

I wasn't in an ordinary infantry-unit, but part of the coastal-artillery(marine). I think our basic was pretty much like everyone else's. What I remember most from it, except for the percieved ordeal, was that I learned to be on time. We used SMG as primary weapon (k-pist M/45B), can't remember figures but we did not shoot too much. Got to throw one live hand-grenade. But no formal introduction to for instance machine-guns or AT-weapons. We got to blow up some rocks, tree-stumps and stuff, but mostly to be aware of the most basic handling of explosives.

The longest we walked was 30 km in one stretch, something everyone had to do. If you did "jägar"(closest thing to rangers we have)-duty, you of course had to carry more, walk longer, change underwear more seldom etc.

 

The officer-corps consisted of mainly employed career-officers. They were supported by cadets, aiming to be real officers one day.

In peace-time a major commanded a battery(company) and a captain a platoon. Had we mobilized, the major had commanded a battalion, and the captain a battery(company). Not sure if thes was the norm in the rest of the defence.

We did not have NCOs per se. The conscripts were promoted (after a certain time with reasonable results) to corprals, sergeants or "conscript ensigns".

But at least for us this was more a paper-thing. You never got to command much. I think this system was a bit different in an ordinary infantry-unit, ie that the group/platoon-leaders actually commanded.

 

During basic- and speciality-training we were a platoon. Once that was done, we were separated and sent to other units (still within coastal artillery) that needed our services. I for instance got placed in the staff of a ranger company.

But my war-time placement were actually somewhere else, which I cannot really remember.

 

I think, due to the fact that we chased sub-marines for real (if they were for real is debated ) kept us out in the field quite a lot. I have no exact figures, but I guess I lived in tent or outside for about 1,5 month? The last field-exercise, which really was two combined into one, lasted for 18 (17? 19?) days straight.

 

But yes, generally you worked monday-friday, with evening/night-service at least 2-3 of the nights. Most weekends were free.

When summer came, we had reached our educational goals, and money was running out, so we got one (two?) extra weeks off.

 

We did get pay, sort of.

What pissed us off a bit, was that the money spent on food for a conscript, was *less* than for a prison inmate... go figure.

 

 

EDIT:

Almost forgot. We had in our battery(company) two female 2nd lieutenants, and one female cadet.

Edited October 12, 2015 by Stefan Fredriksson

[chino]

Mother of NSF who died: It seems the price I paid has not been enough

The mother of Dominique Sarron Lee posted a response on Facebook after her family’s lawsuit against the Singapore Armed Forces was struck out by the High Court and the family ordered to pay legal costs of $22,000 to the defendants.

Lee, 21, a private in the SAF, died in 2012 after an allergic reaction to zinc chloride fumes from smoke grenades used during a military exercise. His platoon commander Najib Hanuk was found to have detonated six smoke grenades instead of the limit of two specified in safety regulations.

Lee’s family sued the SAF, Najib, and safety officer Chia Thye Siong last year. Their lawyer, Irving Choh, argued that there was a contract between Lee and the SAF, which the SAF had breached.

All three defendants applied to have the lawsuit struck out, relying on a provision in the Government Proceedings Act to argue that they had immunity against suits of negligence if a death occurred during service.

During a coroner’s inquiry in 2013, it was also reported that State Coroner Imran Abdul Hamid highlighted the fact that during a pre-enlistment medical check-up, Lee under-declared his history of asthma.

According to media reports, Judicial Commissioner Kannan Ramesh agreed in a closed-door hearing the Act covered Lee’s case and dismissed the suit, and ruled the family had to bear the costs for the lawsuit.

“Dom, how can I possibly pay them for taking away your life? Where is the justice? It seems, the price I paid has not been enough,” Lee’s mother, Felicia Seah, said on Facebook in a post written to her son.

Seah added, “Dom, in these past 3+ years, I have been worn-down, beaten and defeated by the very government I taught you to trust; worn-down, beaten and defeated by the very system I counselled you to have faith in; worn-down, beaten and defeated by the very people I advised you to respect and honour.

 

“Dom, forgive me. I taught you wrong.”

[JWB]

Does this stuff happen in conscript armies?

 

"They put us through hell...."

 

 

Former Pvt. Thomas Jacob Weaver was in bed late one night, near the end of his three months at Marine Corps boot camp, when several drill instructors burst into his platoon’s room. Many of them smelled like they had been drinking whiskey, he said, and they ordered the recruits to crawl over cement floors covered in laundry detergent.

Soon after, the instructors left the room and then abruptly returned. One of them demanded to know where he could find “the terrorist.” Weaver knew immediately who he was talking about: a fellow Marine recruit who was Muslim.

“We heard the door slam, and then we heard screaming, and then we heard loud noises, and then they left,” Weaver said. “And then I saw [the recruit] come back half-naked, and some of us ran over to check on him. And he told us that they had stuck him in the dryer for a couple of minutes and let him spin.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/09/29/they-put-us-through-hell-a-marine-abused-at-boot-camp-explains-why-he-spoke-out/?wpisrc=nl_az_most

[Skywalkre]

Saw that and some other accounts in the news the other day. It's not supposed to be happening at all. Some folks are likely going to find their careers coming to a quick end (if not facing prosecution).

[Yama]

I don't think there is much difference between conscript and professional armies in that respect. There is always going to be idiots, and booze, and idiots w/ booze.

[Panzermann]

I don't think there is much difference between conscript and professional armies in that respect. There is always going to be idiots, and booze, and idiots w/ booze.

Yup. Abuses happen from time to time. Sad but true. To counter this you need better training and education of Nco and junior officers so they know what is okay and what is not.

Really, calling a fellow marine a terrorist because of his faith and abusing him shows how dumb these drill instructors are. They should be instantly fired without pension benefits to encourager les autres.

 

 

In Germany there is an appointee by Bundestag that you can report everything that is bad in the Bundeswehr. And his annual report is a long litany of problems. Rarely abuses, but bad equipment, lack of equipment, too high workload...

 

Or you can tell the military chaplain who stands intentionally outside the chain of command in the Bundeswehr and thus are also a neutral person that can look into things. And help, because he knows all the important people.

[Stefan Fredriksson]

....

 

Or you can tell the military chaplain who stands intentionally outside the chain of command in the Bundeswehr and thus are also a neutral person that can look into things. And help, because he knows all the important people.

Interesting. Can you contact him/her directly? Also, can matters be kept secret, ie. as who reports the wrong?

[rohala]

 

The camp where I did my 3-month basic in Dec 1983 is the School of Basic Military Training (SBMT). At the time it was housed in a camp called Nee Soon Barracks. It was an old leftover from the British colonial troops built in the 1930's as were most of our camps. Up till 1970's, it housed the New Zealand troops (where the above photos came from). It even had a church but of course, after Singapore took it over all religious symbols were taken down. We have Malay Muslims, non-christian Chinese and Indian Hindus in our ranks. The officer mess was a stately British colonial building fit for a king. During WW2 the Japanese took over this and all other camps to house the Allied soldiers as POWs where many died. So all our camps are pretty haunted.

 

I spent two months here:

And rest here:

I came across a video on youtube where an American soldier shows a Greek barracks from a 2017 exercise. Much to my amazement it was the same camp that I spent 8 months of my conscript service, in an identical barracks which is some 150 meters away from the one shown in the video. Curiously, the barracks shown in the video was in use in my time, and housed the 72 and 73 companies, which even if understrength they still had several dozens of personnel. I can only guess that they moved the Greek soldiers elsewhere in order to give the building to the Americans. I notice also that they removed the lockers. Normally the corridors to the left and right of the main entrance are lined with metal lockers (cabinets? I fon't know the proper term) which the soldiers use to keep their personal stuff. Another thing I notice is that the Americans keep their weapons unlocked. The Greek army uses the black metallic contraptions which you can see in the video, to lock the personal issued weapons. In the case of the 72 company these would belong to three types: M16 rifles, M4 carbines and M4 carbines and M4 carbines with the M203 grenade launcher. The rest of the small arms would be locked in the armoury.