teo.net > Reservist

Just finished my 8th year NS ICT. It was a pretty good one and at least we had nights off. A low key this year meant a short one at that. We topped it with a unit Family Day at Downtown East Wild Wild Wet.

I didn’t get to go to range on the third day though, much to my disappointment. I had to skip training and head down to HDB to handle some stuff. Though I advocate peace I love shooting. This year during the IMT range on the first day, I decided to adopt some tips I watched on discovery channel. Much to my surprised it worked! Off course this may not apply to everyone but I guess it worked for me. I didn’t missed a target and all my rounds found its mark. My MPI was 4.4cm at 100m! So here’s some things I do consider important for rifling and shooting.

• Find your own comfort position when shooting. If it differs from what your commanders tell you, so be it. You are your own shooter.
• When adjusting, shift your hips, not your arms. This slight difference is pretty obvious through your sights.
• Breath deep. Breath half out and hold when firing
• Leave both eyes open until you’re ready to fire. Do this for every shoot, this reduces eye fatigue and is especially good during night shoots
• Have enough butt pressure to your shoulders, never more. Find the sweet spot

Well, that served me well enough I guess. Only 2 more years of reservist to go before I’m let off from this national duty. On reflection I guess I would miss it. Sure, most if not all of us would find it a waste of time. But that’s cause its a need to defend, not a want to serve. Its kinda fun to let your hair down away from work and to switch to the ‘national dialect’ hokkien once in a while.

While we did our trainings, I observe with some measure of admirations of my fellow platoon mates and extending to the rest of the battalion for that matter. We’ve all move along so much in life. So many are fathers now. We had a survey in which one of the questions was, “Would you die in the defense of your country.” (Or something to that extend). I’m not too sure what the survey to that question would yield. I suspect most of us would say “SIAO!” I reckon if they change the question to “Would you die defending your family and love ones” it would certainly yield a different answer. Cause I would equate defending my country to defending my family in times of a crisis. But that’s just me.

I look and wonder will we ever be put to the test. I pray we never will but should we be called, it would break my heart to ever see any of my mates fall. Therefore, should we be called, we’d better kick ass.