Though conscription has been a key part of our nation’s defence since independence, many of its processes have undergone changes over the years.
For instance, food served at the numerous cookhouses has improved tremendously — soldiers can now look forward to meals like kimchi stew and turkey puff during festive occasions.
Recently, a picture uploaded by the Basic Military Traning Centre (BMTC) caught the eyes of Facebook users, in particular, those who have regained their ICs.
The picture shows recruits on all fours, with their hands resting on what appears to be foam mats, which protected them from the rough concrete ground.
While some praised the new contraption, others envied the recruits for having a relatively easier time unlike their own 2-year stints in the past.
On Tuesday (25 Jan), BMTC uploaded pictures of some recruits undergoing Metabolic Circuit lessons.
The programme reportedly aims to enhance muscular endurance, fitness, and mental resilience, which will come in handy when preparing for their IPPT.
Instead of focusing on the recruits and their effort, netizens’ eyes were firmly on the red mats the recruits had in front of them.
In some snapshots, the young men were resting their hands on the mat while doing push-ups.
The mats also came in handy as they were doing the dreaded mountain climber exercise.
Similar to the case for regular HIIT or yoga sessions, the mats likely protected the recruits from abrasions that might occur from prolonged contact with the rough concrete ground.
The photo album of the recruits has since gone viral with over 800 shares at the time of writing. 1 photo, in particular, went extremely viral, with nearly 700 shares.
Many showed interest in the red mats while pointing out that there were no such things back in their day.
Others who probably envied the recruits sarcastically suggested laying a carpet over the entire parade square for convenience.
But the more positive netizens lauded the initiative, pointing out that blisters might affect the quality of training.
Our military training programme, like all things in life, is a work in progress. As such, it’s only natural for improvements to be made over time.
To weigh the differences between the features today and that of yesteryears will forever result in skewed comparisons unless the goal we’re striving for is stagnancy.
Perhaps we should learn to welcome changes for the benefit of future generations.
Do you think recruits should be given mats for their training? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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Featured image adapted from Basic Military Training Centre on Facebook.
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