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http://www.hkisjunto.com/2015/chris-...me-in-the-army

CHRIS TAN (CLASS OF ’14) ON HIS TIME IN THE ARMY

November 22, 2015
By Natasha Chong



“Sorry I’m late” Chris says with an apologetic smile as I slide into the front of his black BMW. After one-hour of traffic congestion, a four-hour flight and six hours of sleep, he was absolutely exhausted. Yet he wanted to do as much as he could during the weekend before flying back on Sunday night to the life of many young male Singaporeans, National Service.

Under the Singapore’s Enlistment Act, “the proper authority may by notice require a person subject to this Act not below the age of 18 years to report for enlistment for national service.” One year after the start of his experience in Singapore’s Ministry of Defense, commonly regarded as “the pentagon of Singapore”, I sat down with Chris to talk about his reflections on the year.

Due to a spine injury incurred from playing soccer during his freshman year at HKIS, Chris found himself ineligible for combat duty and was placed in the Office of Training of Policy and Planning as an admin specialist. “I help direct training for the entire army: Where they’re training, how they’re training, and what they’re doing.” Chris describes his position vaguely, not wanting to jeopardize its secrecy. “It’s pretty much like having a job, I go to work at 8AM everyday, I do shit, I have a lunch break, I do more shit in the afternoon.” He chuckles as his eyes crease together.

Prior to his placement, he received basic military training to determine his fitness level and mental capability. As Chris recounts his experience at boot camp, he says “they let me train with a rifle. When you’re walking around with an assault rifle, it’s a pretty awesome feeling. I’m not going to lie. They tell you to treat it like your wife.” He named his rifle Mandy.

Officially a parliamentary republic, Singapore’s government is well-known around the world for its rigid policies and autocratic rule. Chris describes Singaporeans as conservative and sheltered, culturally more disciplined, and less outspoken than people in Hong Kong. “There are so many rules and laws that you don’t know what’s legal and illegal,” he jokes.

When I ask him about any changes he has noticed in himself, he says that aside from gaining independence, being in Singapore has helped to shape his identity. “Before the army, I’d always identified as being from Singapore. Because that’s where my family’s from, it’s where I’ve been told I’m from, it’s the passport that I carry.” However, after countless conversations in Singlish and finding minimal connection between himself and local Singaporeans, Chris noticed how his third culture background had steered his identity in a different direction. He mentions that most of his friends are international kids, some of whom attended the Singapore American School. “Everyone in the army has a nickname. They basically call me Guai Lo. The word in Hokkien is Ang Mo. There’s this big cultural divide.”

Ironically, through the act of serving together for the same country in the hopes of fostering nationalism, Chris says he and other Singaporeans have begun to notice a greater division among themselves. “That’s probably the main thing that I got out of leaving it (Hong Kong), it helped me shape the Hong Kong-er in me. This is where I’m from, that’s my hometown. It’s not Singapore, it’s Hong Kong. It’s who I am.”

Chris is due to attend Pitzer College in Claremont, California after his army term finishes in January 2017. He says the two-and-a-half-year “gap year” served as an important time to evaluate his interests. Before registering for National Service, Chris had applied to college intending to pursue studies in philosophy and politics. If anything, serving in the army has led him to gain further interest in these topics. “Being in Singapore has made me more interested in public policy. It’s also made me more left-wing and liberal.” Looking back on the nature of his work, he believes that being in a bureaucracy “helps you look at the main scheme of things.”

Despite the culture shock and newfound independence, Chris seems to take the title of a third culture kid with a sense of pride. Perhaps his casual demeanor and positive attitude allowed him to take on this experience without hesitation. “I have a really good job in the army, I get to go home every day. It’s much easier now, for sure.”


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