A former Singaporean who joined the US Marines after serving his national service in Singapore, spoke to a local YouTuber YG from SG in an interview, sharing his experiences with both militaries.
The former Singaporean, Raynor Goh, said that his time in the SAF changed him for the better, despite being ostracised by his fellow NSFs for being “siao on”.
He described his time in the SAF as being a culture shock, as he had lived in the US for most of his life, only returning to Singapore to finish his NS duties.
He shed some light on his time at the Officer Cadet School (OCS) in Singapore, admitting that he wasn’t able to adapt to the new environment and made mistakes.
He shared how he was picked on by the other cadets for his mistakes, and he ended up doing things alone.
Following his stint in the SAF, he then joined the US marines, and said that his time in the SAF forged his mental toughness and resilience to endure the tough training in the US military.
He shared how during his NS days with the SAF, one thing that stood out top him was “playing rank”, and he added that “at the end of the day, a rank is just a rank. A rank signifies that you’re on a higher echelon of responsibility. It doesn’t place you in a position where you’re better than someone else.”
He shared how in the Marines, its different because there could be non-commissioned officers who have seen bloodshed on the battlefield and freshly commissioned officers who have not been to war, and that the officers respect the men because they have more real life experiences in combat.