What it’s like for Singaporean women in the army
Girls just want to have fun you say? Not these ones for sure.
Aishah, Anithra, Emmeline, Rebekah and Vivian have chosen a career that involves live firing exercises and learning how to throw grenades.
The five of them are from the latest batch of women who have enlisted with the Singapore Armed Forces and were featured in cyberpioneerTV’s latest video series, “Into the Fray: The making of a female soldier”.
The first episode was posted on YouTube by the Ministry of Defence’s media arm on Thursday to give insights into what life is like for a female enlistee.
The ladies had to go through a nine-week basic military training at the SAF BMTC at Pulau Tekong.
“The women are treated no differently. They do the exact same things as the guys. Of course we do have our certain adjustments when it comes to IPPT or IPPC to cater to the physical conditions of a female,” said CPT Muhammad Afiq, commanding officer for Pegasus Company.
The women featured in the video had different reasons why they chose this career path.
Aishah always wanted to be in the army since being part of the National Cadet Corp uniform group in secondary school. Rebekah shared the same dream since she was young.
Anithra decided to join the army after realising that the corporate world “was not for her”.
“After getting my degree, I went for an internship. That was when I realised that the corporate world was not for me,” said Anithra.
Emmeline’s passion for flying influenced her to join the army.
“Once you’ve tasted flying, there’s no going back,” she said. Emmeline’s parents also support her decision, and say it contributes back to the nation.
After basic military training, the women will move on to a variety of careers in the army, navy or air force.
The challenges ahead are summed up in CPT Muhammad Afiq’s words: “Show the people around you that you’re not just girls. You’re tough women who can do what the boys do.”
