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My instructor, Salmah, was brutal. She was relentless. She was a slave-driver. Drill sergeants could take lessons from her. I loved it. OK, I’m exaggerating (a bit), Salmah knew what she was doing and knew how much she could ask of us tyros. A great deal! More here-
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longtailbutterfly, an NSF serving in SCDF, shares a day in his life on Reddit. Thank you for your service.
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"Let's tell a story.
I'm working my 24 hr (work 24 hours, off 48 hours) duty. It's 1100 and I just finished morning lecture (equipment drill and familiarisation) in the engine bay of my fire station. It's a Saturday so our rota (platoon-ish) orders nasi lemak. Coding comes in over the loudspeaker and we turn out to a case of locked door, suspected DOA (decomposing body). Traffic doesn't give way to our LF (red rhino), as per usual (smh). We arrive at the HDB unit and instantly we smell the dead body. The knowledge of smell will come with experience. The niece, who called 995, asks me if her uncle will be ok. I already know the body is decomposing but I reply "We're unsure, but we'll try our best". I lie to her face. My pump operator (PO, and the only regular in the crew) looks at me and grimaces. We've been in this situation together many times before. We easily break the door and the smell intensifies. I go in first, followed by the ambulance (alpha) paramedic. We find the body on the bed in the master bedroom. The paramedic tells me, "About two weeks". The body is severely bloated, skin green and black. The face is unrecognizable as it has bloated too much. Bile attempts to escape from between the discolored lips creating bubbles. The smell is sweet but rotten and my fireman gags. I get the relevant information I need and step out for a breather. The niece looks at me and asks what is going on. I look at her and I know she knows he's dead. "You uncle... has passed away". I turn away to avoid the emotions. Emotions are killers in this line of work.
We get back in time for nasi lemak lunch. The chicken is a bit soggy this week. The smell of rotten flesh lingers in my nostrils. I watch the Malay romantic drama that my enciks chose on the TV. It's ok, the girl is cute.
Before dinner we get another call - unit fire confirm case. We race there and reach before the fire engine (pumper). They're caught in traffic and will take another few minutes. Two firefighters and I proceed to the unit. Instantly the thick black smoke chokes my throat and waters my eyes. I struggle with my breathing cylinder because the air hose delivery tool is stuck between my backplate and my back. I say fuck it, neighbours are already screaming for us to hurry. The pressure escalates but I close myself off from the members of public, just like normal. We all focus. The only things I listen to are my matra (radio) and my fireman. I just wear my facemask for minimal protection and crawl in. The fire is well alight on the stove and I shoot at it. The smoke limits my visibility to 0, I now can't see my fingers as I stretch out my arm. I crawl back out and get stuck on a fallen wire. I panic as I think of my family. Emotions are dangerous. A fire biker crawls in and frees me. We step out and I tell the crew the fire is almost finished but our CAF backpacks are finished (water foam sprayers). I send the firefighters down to set up water supply from hydrant and crawl back in with the firebiker. The smoke makes it feel like someone just threw hot ash down my throat. We extinguish the fire using an ass-washing hose from the kitchen toilet. I am coughing badly but he sprays my face with the hose. The kitchen is badly burnt. I can feel the smoke damage in my lungs. The owner and neighbours pat me on the back and thank me for saving their home as I walk out. I smile but I know I took another step closer to death.
We get back at 2200 and order McDonalds. It is the best Double McSpicy I’ve eaten in a while.
At lunch the next day my friend (SAF LTA) tells me how stressful being an instructor at SAFTI has been recently. I remember as my cylinder got trapped on the fallen wire, and how I thought of my family in those few struggling seconds. I nod my head and grunt. " SAF has it tough with JCC and everything huh?" I joke. He agrees enthusiastically.
All in a day’s work for the NSFs in SPF/SCDF. If we fail, someone dies from our direct actions. Welcome to NS. No second chances or semula. Just death. I wish the public knew the risks that some NSFs take each day. We might not be as fit as NDU or as garang as commandos, but we put our lives on the line literally every day.
As an NSF I can say I have saved many lives, fought many fires and contributed to Singapore. No play acting or training for a war that will never happen (though I understand the incredible need for an armed military). I love my job, I love NS and wouldn't trade it for anything else (maybe an EMT vocation).
I am still amazed that many members of public still associate NS with army. I wish people would know. There's no greater feeling in this world than knowing some uncle I helped rescue on my first duty at 0200 will live to eat his favourite mee pok or talk cock with his kakis because of my direct actions. Pride and care right?
At least I get paid $1400 a month (;
UPDATE: Thanks for overwhelming suppourt. If I knew how big this would get I would have proofread my writing more 😒 (some might say it spread like fire in dry grass during lalang season). I would tell more stories but I know that it would compromise my anonymity so I'll just shut my mouth, and unfortunately since this is a throw away you guys probably won't be hearing from me again.
What were my goals for this post?
To bring awareness to the nature and extent of NSF work in SCDF.
To just get some words off my chest.
This post was NOT meant to:
Bash SAF. I know the importance of a trained military (I believe I addressed this point in my initial post). If we didn't have the National Service Scheme, invading Singapore as Indonesia or Malaysia would be easy af.
Over-dramatise our work. I tried my hardest to write from a neutral stand point and deliver facts about incidents as cold, hard, and true as the Ben&Jerrys ice cream in my freezer however what we do on a daily sometimes makes me ask "Am I in a Michael Bay film?". It happens to the best of us.
If you were offended, I apologise. My intentions were merely to raise awareness for the often overlooked and under-praised "little brother" NSFs in SCDF/SPF. So many of our kind deserve recognition for what they deal with.
One last short bit before signing off.
EMTs (medical assistants in ambulances) have some of the roughest calls out there, no contest. I was having dinner with my buddy from BRT who later became an EMT at a high volume station when he dropped Fat Man 2.0 on me. Traditionally he and I have always been tuned to similar wavelengths as the chaos-utopia nature of our jobs is only shared between a select few.
He's an NSF like me -- 18-22, male, horny. As per the norm we were sharing gossip about events or big incidents in the Force, latest happenings and where that one cute paramedic at 33 is now. We were just digging in to our chow when he told me "I had a casualty die in my hands for the first time".
According to him it's not common for that to happen. I nod my head as I spool my pasta. It's has a thick green sauce and I can't help but think of my last DOA. I throw the idea out of my mind. Work is work, recreation is recreation. Usually when EMS arrives the casualty has a high chance of surviving, albeit sometimes with long lasting or even permanent injuries, or the casualty is dead. "Case of fall from height. The skull was completely smashed," he told me between mouthfuls of food, "I had the guy in a head grip but the harder I held his skull, the more my fingers just... pressed into his brain. There was no structural integrity left in the skull." We continued eating, he had told me of a similar case before. It wasn't new news to either of us. The pasta burns my tongue and I sip on my lemon tea. Too sweet. "Then he just stopped breathing. CPR AED didn't work." It was the first time witnessing the transition from alive to dead. They couldn't resuscitate. We paid the bill and started chitchatting about soccer on the way to the MRT. It was one of eight calls on his 8 hour duty. The food place was way too expensive and I made a mental note to never go back (unless I'm with my parents). Who charges $5 for ice lemon tea? Christ.
There are many duties where I don't get a call the whole 24 hours. If it's a busy day we'll get 3-4. 3-4 for him is a light day. Alpha (ambulance) guys really get it the hardest.
If you know someone who has a similar job, just listen to what they have to say. It's not easy for everyone to transition from seeing a broken family outside a unit containing a dead body to eating breakfast with their fam at their favourite prata house while being all happy smiley. We all get desensitised to death and risking everything but desensitisation doesn't mean it doesn't take a mental toll on our minds and well-being. We don't admit it because it's not garang, but everyone needs to get their thoughts off their chest every once in a while. You can help them by lending a ear (or a hug)."
via: https://www.reddit.com/r/singapore/comments/4iexp5/a_rant_on_national_service_from_an_nsf/
★☆★BONUS FOR A LIMITED TIME★☆★
You can download Dan Lok's best-selling book F.U. Money for FREE: http://jutsaojkd.danlok.link
Dan Lok Demonstrates a Jut Sao Drill. Jut Sao is a short sharp deflecting technique used in Jeet Kune Do to deal with punches. The elbow must be kept lower than the wrist in order for Jut Sao to work.
Subscribe to Dan's Channel to learn more Wing Chun or Jeet Kune Do Secrets: http://bit.ly/DanLokSubscribe
Watch the Previous Video that demonstrates the Lap Sao Techniques: https://youtu.be/ad17nEj_TBg
Jut Sao can be used to deflect punches off of the center line. It is useful for mid level to head high straight punches like a boxing jab. It can also through an opponent off balance if they are tense during or after punching. A common mistake when using Jut Sau is to lift the elbow meaning the attack slides under the practitioner's defense
Trapping is not exclusive to JKD, but it certainly isn’t very common in most martial arts.
In case you aren’t familiar with what I’m talking about, trapping is the art of using your arms to nullify one of your opponent’s limbs so that he can’t use it to hit or to block. This allows you to then strike into that open line (that’s a general definition). It’s also called Hand Immobilization Attack (although you can also immobilize other parts of the body, too, using the same concept).
In short, trapping basically means “grabbing to hit”.
One of Dan Lok’s passions in life is martial arts. Like many young kids, after watching a Bruce Lee movie, it changed his life forever. At 17 years old, Dan started training in martial arts seriously because he was being bullied in school. It wasn’t long for Dan to learn the techniques he needed, and gain the confidence necessary to defend himself.
Dan has studied with legendary martial artist such as Bruce Lee’s original student Ted Wong (http://tedwongjkd.net) and Joe Lewis “The Worlds Greatest Fighter” (http://joelewisassociation.com), making him a second generation student of Bruce Lee - in Bruce Lee's authentic art of Jeet Kune Do (JKD). He's also a third generation student of Ip Man (Wing Chun Kung Fu).
Dan has also trained with other great instructors like Sifu Adam Chan (https://www.pragmaticmartialarts.com), Canadian lightweight boxing champion Tony "Fire Kid" Pep (https://www.facebook.com/pepboxing), and Octavio Quintero (https://www.theartofjkd.com)
For Dan, martial arts training permeates every area of life. It’s not a hobby, it’s a way of life, and it influences how he does business.
Martial arts gave him the confidence, focus, and patience to push through these obstacles and to keep fighting when he felt like giving up.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Dan is NOT a full-time martial artist and he doesn't even claim to be that good of a fighter.
He's simply a successful businessman who enjoys the art and philosophy of Bruce Lee, just like you.
He doesn't have any online martial art videos, seminars or expensive "private training" to sell you. Quite frankly, he doesn't need the money.
He simply wants to share his passion for the art of JKD (his own version of Jeet Kune Do) through his YouTube channel.
Check out the other Jeet Kune Do (JKD) Fighting Tactics and Training Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEmTTOfet46Ocn3bqnUIaAB-cTUzsAXOG
More Bruce Lee Trapping Techniques in this Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEmTTOfet46PuW-CM4gmmMnebKMq3WFMp
This Video: Bruce Lee's Trapping Techniques - Jut Sao Drill & Bonus
https://youtu.be/lYNV5kmqLUA
https://youtu.be/lYNV5kmqLUA
What is Pak Sao in Bruce Lee's JKD? Translated, pak sao means "slapping hand". However, pak doesn't really slap, at all. In reality, the technique of pak sao involves a great deal of information learned by close attention to details. Be sure, pak and slap do not share the same energies, nor even the same results. You may execute a slap, but not Bruce.
His was pak! Nevertheless, pak sao has still another meaning in wing chun. It's in the nature of the meaning whereby Bruce spoke when he defined Jeet Kune Do as, "pak sao and hip". Pak sao's nature is to intercept.
Thus, the name Jeet Kune Do, The Way of the Intercepting Fist. Actually, there are only three ways to intercept. Ahead of the opponent's beat, at the same time as his beat, or behind his beat. We call this a half-beat ahead, same beat, or half- beat behind.
Subscribe to Dan's Channel to learn more Wing Chun or Jeet Kune Do: http://bit.ly/DanLokSubscribe
With Pak Sao, the hand comes directly out of the center of the body to slap away an attacker's strike to one's head. Effective application of Pak Sao involves creating an angle of deflection through which the opponent's blow can be slapped away with minimal effort.
Trapping is not exclusive to JKD, but it certainly isn’t very common in most martial arts.
In case you aren’t familiar with what I’m talking about, trapping is the art of using your arms to nullify one of your opponent’s limbs so that he can’t use it to hit or to block. This allows you to then strike into that open line (that’s a general definition). It’s also called Hand Immobilization Attack (although you can also immobilize other parts of the body, too, using the same concept).
In short, trapping basically means “grabbing to hit”.
One of Dan Lok’s passions in life is martial arts. Like many young kids, after watching a Bruce Lee movie, it changed his life forever. At 17 years old, Dan started training in martial arts seriously because he was being bullied in school. It wasn’t long for Dan to learn the techniques he needed, and gain the confidence necessary to defend himself.
Dan has studied with legendary martial artist such as Bruce Lee’s original student Ted Wong (http://tedwongjkd.net) and Joe Lewis “The Worlds Greatest Fighter” (http://joelewisassociation.com), making him a second generation student of Bruce Lee - in Bruce Lee's authentic art of Jeet Kune Do (JKD). He's also a third generation student of Ip Man (Wing Chun Kung Fu).
Dan has also trained with other great instructors like Sifu Adam Chan (https://www.pragmaticmartialarts.com), Canadian lightweight boxing champion Tony "Fire Kid" Pep (https://www.facebook.com/pepboxing), and Octavio Quintero (https://www.theartofjkd.com)
For Dan, martial arts training permeates every area of life. It’s not a hobby, it’s a way of life, and it influences how he does business.
Martial arts gave him the confidence, focus, and patience to push through these obstacles and to keep fighting when he felt like giving up.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Dan is NOT a full-time martial artist and he doesn't even claim to be that good of a fighter.
He's simply a successful businessman who enjoys the art and philosophy of Bruce Lee, just like you.
He doesn't have any online martial art videos, seminars or expensive "private training" to sell you. Quite frankly, he doesn't need the money.
He simply wants to share his passion for the art of JKD (his own version of Jeet Kune Do) through his YouTube channel.
Check out the other Jeet Kune Do (JKD) Fighting Tactics and Training Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEmTTOfet46Ocn3bqnUIaAB-cTUzsAXOG
This Video: Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do Trapping Techniques - Pak Sao Drill
https://youtu.be/oot0ZpuF9RQ
https://youtu.be/oot0ZpuF9RQ
Was walking around 1 Utama at 11am today and this happened
