My Commissioning Ceremony
The funny thing about the conscription system in Singapore is how it places a disproportionate amount of responsibilities on young twenty-year old ‘boys’. A large majority of the Singapore Armed Forces consists of males who are in the military for two years due to National Service. As such, among the conscript soldiers, some are selected to be trained as officers to facilitate the need for men management and decision-making processes.
One of the most disorienting experiences I had after commissioning as an officer was hearing a man who was in his forties, address me as 'sir'. As an officer, I was also expected to write papers that affected the organization’s policies. Scribner’s metaphor of Literacy as Power comes to mind. Although I was young, my educational background and academic upbringing provided me with the necessary literacy skills to be able to write papers and think critically. Having demonstrated that I possessed good command of basic military and leadership skills also placed me on the route to train to become an officer. Thus, I was secured ‘advancement’ within the SAF due to my possession of literacies that are required by the military (Scribner, 6).
Naturally, I understand that with this power comes a responsibility to effectively utilize this power and not abuse it. The rank that I wear upon my chest may make my men obey my commands but I will need to earn their respect as someone whom they will put their lives on the line for – this is my personal goal as an officer and I hope that beyond the institutionalized leadership training I have received thus far, I will continue developing and improving myself everyday through the things I read, learn and do. This way, my literacy journey will never end.