Whenever I think back on national service, one of the first places that comes to mind is my bunk in Pulau Tekong during basic military training. What I remember most is not any single exercise or parade, but the conversations we had in the bunk after training. The bunk itself was unremarkable. Yet, it became the setting for friendships, shared frustrations and the small moments of encouragement that helped us get through an unfamiliar and demanding experience.
For many national servicemen such as myself, memories of service are attached to particular places: a bunk, parade square, cookhouse, training area or guard post – or in my case as a former regular in the Republic of Singapore Navy, a ship’s bridge. These places may appear insignificant to anyone else. But to the servicemen who spent formative years there, they contain stories of hardship, friendship, mistakes, achievement and personal growth.
This piece was first published in The Straits Times on 20 September 2026.
Mike Hou is a senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies Social Lab at National University of Singapore.
He is the principal investigator of an ongoing IPS study on attitudes towards NS.
Top Image from Canva.