.::Multi-Colored-Dreams::.

A true account of an acquaintance.. An important lesson to learn..

Recently, I have been busy attending this storeman course in Sembawang Camp. Here's something I wanted to share with you guys.

There's this particular indian guy I talked to whom left me pondering for a while. I got to talk to him unintentionally and was just casually asking him which camp he was and when he was enlisted. He said he was from Armour and that he enlisted in 2004. I was a bit surprised when he said that. But then, he explained later that he went into DB(Detention Barracks) for a year, that's why his ORD date was postponed. Haven't really talked to anyone from there, I just got to know that it's tough life in there. You know, you get charged for AWOL or other serious offence, you get sent in to the military equivalent of prison. He told me he got into DB because he was charged for AWOL.

He explained that the outfield trainings back in his camp always ended late and he had little time to meet his family and his wife. When he told me he has a wife, I was a bit taken aback. So I asked him how old he is and he replied 21. He went "missing" from camp repeatedly due to his delinquent behaviour. Hence he got charged. When I asked him if it was worth it, he just said that he had to bear the responsibility of committing a mistake. I looked at his eyes which were still shimmering with confidence. Thinking about it, I shudder at the thought of having to spend 1 year in a confined area, with no booking outs, no entertainment whatsoever. That is absolute madness. I guess you have to be strong enough to stay sane. So I was curious and asked him about what he went through. He said throughout that year, communication was literally minimised to a level low. Besides an hour of PT every morning, the rest of the days were spent in his own cell, a very small confined area. The only time he could talk to other mates was during the 1 hour of PT, when they would ask each other if their family wrote them any letter or whatsoever. He was void of all sorts of entertainment. I proceeded to ask him how he spent his days. He told me they were allowed to send letters once a week, and receive letters twice a week. So he would spend time in his cell writing a letter at the start of each week, re-reading it and editing it for the consecutive days before sending it. He told me with glee that he was always hoping for the mail-man to come and was always hoping that he would receive a letter from his wife. Upon hearing this, I was a bit choked with my own emotions as I was hearing this from a married man who had been through all these!

Imagine being separated physically from your loved ones for a period of one year. Though fortnight visits are allowed, it's still quite pathetic. I can never imagine myself in such a state. When he told me how his wife cried the day he was released, I felt really touched. He truly loves his wife. And I could tell it from his eyes.

So, I have come to realise something. No matter how bad a situation can be, one thing just can't be taken away from you. And that is HOPE.