S.A.F.T.I. THE LIVING HELL --- Recruit during National Service 1969-1972

My days started on 22 dec 1969 . My camp was SAFTI. A camp every soldier was proud to mention the camp's name SAFTI. Christmas, followed by new year were holidays and allowed to returned home. I stay in Lima company for 3 days, I was pressed by a big, black thing when I was sleeping on the first day. I changed my bed with another soldier without his knowledge. Later I was stationed in Tango Company, which had 3 platoons. Platoon 17, platoon 18, platoon 19. My platoon was platoon 19 and I was in the section 2. I had 4 months of Basic Mitary Training. I was SAFTI trained. The morning started at 0530hrs. all recruits woke up went to the showers and toilets rooms. There were more then 8 persons to a section, Each platoon consisted of 4 sections. After brushing our teeth, peeing, and poo returned to the barrack room and clean the room. We had about 1/2 an hour to get everything done, cupboard, floor, window and everything clean.We fall in with our mark and plate in the time given by the NCO. We march to the canteen. I could not remember which was done first, the 5 B X with was the morning run or the breakfast. The breakfast consisted, of either scamble eggs with some egg shells, or Chinese omelet also with eggs shells, with coffee and sliced white bread made by the prisoners from the prison. After the run we went back to the barrack and stood-by the bed change in army uniforms and after taking the rifter from the store, clean the oil and stand by bed. The NCOs came not the sargent came and inspected our cupboard, if he found dusts he would collected the dust by running his finger when the dust stucked on his finger he told us to put our tongue out and he rubbed on our tongue. He told us to get water from the toilet and ate the dust by drinking the water. If the mesh tin was dusty he made us filled the mesh tin with water and drink the water. After barrack inspection, it was drill in the hot paracde square. The sun was very hot and he floor were burning if the NCOS were not happy with the performance of some recruits the whole platoon was asked to do push up on the hot tarred parade square,
our hands were bristles. During training at Peng kang Hill we were made to run up the hill to kiss the muddy wheel of the land rover and said I love you, we were made to run and shout until we could not ran any more when we made mistakes.