“Ah Boys To Men” and “Ah Boys To Men 2” were
released across the last New Year on 8-Nov-2012 and 1-Feb-2013 and boy has it
hit the hearts of many Singaporeans. With an initial budget of S$3 Million,
this series has grossed over S$ 14 million in the box office alone, not taking
into account of sale of DVDs and movie merchandise. Led by director Jack Neo, the “Ah Boys To Men” series gives
movie goers a peek into the life of a National Servicemen, particularly the
Basic Military Training (BMT) phase in which all newly enlisted recruits will
have to go through.
Filmed on main land Singapore as well as Pulau
Tekong, where the actual Basic Military Training Centre (BMTC) is located, the
movie follows a bunch of recruits in Ninja Company’s Platoon 2 Section 2
through their ups and downs as new enlistees. Some public opinions that have
followed was that the film, which was produced in conjunction with Ministry of
Defence’s 2012 NS45 campaign, seemed like an advertisement for the Singapore
Army. So let us take a look at the Hits & Misses of Ah Boys To Men in
giving viewers a glimpse of BMT.
HITS!
1. Enlistment Day
Portrayed very well in Ah Boys To Men was enlistment
day, which starts off with that long walk down the jetty at the SAF Ferry
Terminal. Each enlistee is
allowed to invite up to 5 friends & family members to Pulau Tekong to
attend their enlistment day. Upon arrival at the island, enlistees are briefly
separated from their guests to attend a briefing whilst the guests are brought
for a tour of the island’s facilities such as the recruit bunks. After that,
everyone will gather at the auditorium, and this is when enlistees take the
oath of allegiance and from then they will be officially recognized as
Recruits. Now, the new recruits will partake lunch with their guests before
falling in at the parade square, ready to begin their training proper. This
is also the point when they are finally separated from their parents.
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| Ken Chow walking to the ferry with his family. |
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| Ken's 5 guests, his father, mother, grandmother & sisters. |
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| Visiting the bunk of Platoon 2 Section 2 |
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| Taking the Oath of Allegiance |
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| Ken having lunch with his family |
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| Final wave-off for the families & friends |
After the separation, recruits will be issued all
the gear they need for their training and they will perform a full inventory
check at the training sheds. They will then check-in to their respective
bunks in preparation for their first milestone in their military experience;
the haircut, where each and every recruit will have their locks shaved off. This pretty much wraps it up for enlistment day.
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| Checking of SAF issued items |
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| Platoon 2 Section 2 Checks-in |
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| Recruit Lo Bang's hair cut session |
2.
Army Discipline & Punishments
The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is a regimental
organization and it has in place measures to instill discipline. Very early on
in Ah Boys To Men, the tone is set with the recruits’ very first Stand-by Bed
which is a routine and sometimes random check on bunk cleanliness and
tidiness.
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| Stand-By Bed |
Another highlight is the identification system for
the SAF, which is the 11B; the military version of the Identity Card. This 11B
is seen used during the collection of meals and also during booking-in and
booking-out from a military facility.
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| Scanning 11B for lunch |
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| Scanning 11B to book-in |
Also pointed out was the SAF-1206 that is a form
signed to acknowledge deductions in salary from the result to loss or damages
of SAF property, which in the movie was portrayed by the potential damage to a
table in the bunk.
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| If the table's damaged, you'll have to sign 1206! |
3.
Basic Military Training Programme
Individual Physical
Proficiency Test: A routine test to measure the physical fitness of recruits as
they progress through training.
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| IPPT: Pull-up Station |
Standard Obstacle Course: An obstacle course comprising 12 challenges purposed to train recruits to tackle urban terrain and build confidence.
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| SOC: Low Rope |
Hand Grenade Throwing: This thrilling experience may be looked forward to by many, but some recruits still find it a daunting experience.
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| Live Hand Grenade Throwing |
Basic
Trainfire Package: A series of range sessions meant to teach a soldier how to
shoot a rifle well at targets of various sizes.
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| Range session in progress |
Urban
Operations: Addresses the need to verse recruits in environments not just in
the jungle, but also in urban environment, this exercise teaches recruits how
to move through buildings.
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| Recruit Lobang leads his section |
4.
Military Culture
A key feature in Ah Boys To Men was the introduction
of Singapore’s military culture to the public, with the use of colloquialism
and army-lingo, the military culture was really brought out. Ah Boys To Men
also featured many common practices experienced by recruits such as singing
songs while marching to book out, reciting the SAF’s 7 core values before water
parades, informal punishments in the form of the defaulter’s parade as wells as
rifle raids and artillery drills. Also, the movie subtly disclosed the salary
of a recruit, S$480, which is the latest rate after the March-2012 salary
review.
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| Booking Out! |
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| Water Parade |
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| Rifle Raid |
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| Your son got his first pay check, $480! |
5.
Milestones in the Life of a Recruit
Some key events during BMT have be well captured and
portrayed over the 2 installments of Ah Boys To Men. They are:
Rifle
Presentation Ceremony: An event where, as the name goes, recruits are presented
their rifles. This signifies the trust and responsibility given to a recruit
to defend the nation.
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| Rifle Presentation Ceremony |
Field Camp: A
camp where recruits will apply their Individual Field Craft training and
practice skills such as tent pitching and group movement. This is also the
point where recruits will hit their lowest point in BMT, and they will be
presented letters written by their loved ones to keep them motivated.
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| Field Camp |
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| Recruits reading their letters |
Situational
Test a.k.a. SIT Test: Covered during the last 2 days of the field camp,
recruits are assessed on their leadership qualities to determine future
postings in the Army.
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| SIT Test with guest appearance, Mr Brown |
24km Route
March: The final event before recruits graduate, this physically and mentally
challenging milestone gives recruits time to reflect back on their BMT as they
transform from civilians to combat ready soldiers.
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| Route March: Esplanade Drive |
BMT Graduation
Ceremony: Also know as the Passing Out Parade (POP)
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| Celebratory Tossing of Caps |
MISSES!
Afterall, Ah Boys To Men is still a movie, a few
realities have been tweaked for producers to achieve an all-round cinematic
effect. Read on for some of these ‘bloopers’.
During the scene where Recruit Ken Chow was doing
room clearing at the FIBUA-area, his section mate enters a cleared room and
starts pointing his weapon at the corner of the room. This is not what happens
in real life where recruits are trained to survey the room and proceed rather
than to stare blankly at the corner of the wall!
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| Who's that staring at the wall? |
Also, at the rest stop during a route march, Recruit
Lo Bang attempted to sabotage Recruit Jin and whilst doing so, he sneezed and
his magazine dropped off from his rifle. Factually, the magazine is locked in
place by a safety lever and would not fall off from the impact of a mere
sneeze! The falling magazine which was clearly animated using computer
graphics, however, did achieve a rather cinematic effect.
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| Recruit Lobang sneezes |
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| And his magazine drops! |
Recall during the second installment of Ah Boys To
Men, Recruit Ken Chow volunteered to join his section mates in their Suspension
Of Leave (SOL) punishment? In real life, no commander would allow his recruit
to do so as this violates several military laws. However, to bring out the feel
of camaraderie in the film, Chow was allowed to join his section mates in their
punishment.
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| CO allows Rec Ken Chow to participate in SOL with his section mates |
Many a times in this movie, the commanders were overly
lenient and consistently overlooked punishments that needed to be served. Some
offences that were let off too leniently include Recruit Ken Chow misplacing
his rifle muzzle, Recruit Lo Bang misplacing his magazine and also laughter and
movement during room inspections are usually not condoned.
SUMMING UP
Ah Boys To Men has definitely hit the home run with
many Singaporeans and the reasons are not surprising. Since National Service is
compulsory for all Singaporean males, this duo-logy has touched the hearts of
many in and out of the service with its realistic interpretations of the kind
of training that goes on at BMT. And to add to the flavor of this comedy, it
has taken many lighthearted twists to the story, which seemingly tones down the
strictness and rigor of training.
As a final word, Ah Boys To Men gives a very
realistic take on not only the technical aspect of BMT but also the softer side
such as the relationship problems faced by many trainees during the course of
BMT. During the course of the film, the director and producers have taken great
care to ensure the life-likeness of the movie and I’d give it 9 out of 10 for
its portrayal of BMT, despite some obvious gaps in logic such as falling
magazines!
References:
- Ah Boys To Men. Dir. Jack Neo. K & L Media Pte Ltd, 2012. DVD.
- Ah Boys To Men 2. Dir. Jack Neo. K & L Media Pte Ltd, 2013. DVD.
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ah_Boys_to_Men
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ah_Boys_to_Men_2
- http://stcommunities.straitstimes.com/movies/2013/02/26/ah-boys-appeal
- http://www.mindef.gov.sg/army/bmtgraduation/page/the-journey-begins.html
- http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/ns-men-pay-raise-april-134607125.html
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Singapore_abbreviations
- Lucas Wong, personal communication, September 20, 2013
- Timothy Teh, personal communication, September 19, 2013
