Guys, I really need some advice because my bunk in BMTC is becoming a full-on drama series every single night after lights out.
So I have this bunkmate, let’s call him Kevin. First few days of confinement week, he was super quiet, standard recruits vibe. But starting from Night 3, the moment the commanders turn off the light and say “lights out,” this guy starts sniffling. At first, I thought he just homesick, normal right? A lot of guys secretly tear up during confinement week.
Then yesterday night, he was full-on quietly sobbing until his whole bed frame was shaking. I felt super bad, so I waited for everyone to fall asleep, went over to his bed, and asked him privately if everything was okay.
Bro… he told me the truth.
Turns out before he enlisted, his mum was doing a massive deep clean of his room. She found his chou chou—a yellowed, completely flattened, tear-and-saliva-stained bolster cover that he has owned since he was 3 years old. His mum thought it was a biological hazard and straight-up threw it into the chute without telling him. He only realized it on Day 1 of enlisting when he tried to look for it in his bag.
Now he cannot sleep. He said he has slept with that chou chou every single night for 18 years. Without the smell and texture, his brain refuses to shut down. He’s been running on 2 hours of sleep every night, and during field camp prep today he almost passed out.
I don’t want to laugh because I can see he is genuinely traumatized and suffering, but at the same time, walao eh, how to explain to PS or OC if he fall out during 12km route march? “Sir, recruit fall out due to lack of chou chou”? Auto-sign 7 days extra right?
My bunkmates and I want to help him, but we don’t know what to do. Can we ask his mum to buy a fresh bolster cover and rub it on his old bedsheet at home to simulate the smell? Or should we report to MO for insomnia? But if he tell MO the real reason, I think the MO will also blur.
Anyone encountered this kind of recruit before? How to comfort a 19-year-old grown man crying over a missing smelly pillow in Tekong??? Please help, I also cannot sleep now because of his sniffling.