"Dear Son,
I am not your father. I am your Commander. It is my privilege to write to you for Ex Mail Run-a major milestone of every recruit's BMT journey. This letter is given to you on the third day of field camp, where you and the Platoon are most vulnerable, tired, frustrated and missing the comforts of home. No 7-Eleven convenience store to buy a BIG Gulp, no Cold Storage to buy some Coca Cola, no Air-Conditioner, no water tap (only Jerry Cans), not hot showers, no TV/Facebook and no fresh cooking done by your parents (the mess tin is your kitchen). This is what Singapore will look like if we do not defend it. We will lose everything that used to come to us so conveniently. Turn on the tap and you have clean NEWater. The food is cold and the microwave is around the kitchen counter. Oh night time already, switch on the lights (Here in the woods, your torchlight might be your greatest friend who will illuminate your path and enable you to search your ten-pack items in the darkness). Wah, so hot, I want to shower sia (Here your only choices are soap sponge and powder bath). In war, there is no luxury and you have no choice. The reason why we can have choices today is because SOMEONE OUT THERE was serving his National Service while we sleep peacefully for the past 2 decades. The word is-Sacrifice. Are you willing to pay the price to train harder in Basic Military Training so that the civilians out there continue to enjoy freedom and have the prerogative of choices? Get comfortable with the uncomfortable. I wish you well and may God grant you strength to remain strong as you embark on your shellscrape digging.
Shalom, Your Commander."
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