National Service = Mint Donut???

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My primary school friends call me ‘Doraemon’.Not that it have anything to do with this post.My secondary school friends call me ‘Bulat’ because if you really study my head you’ll realise that it is in a circular shape coincidentally like ‘Doraemon’.Two days ago during a gathering with my relatives and uncles and aunties and so on, one of my older cousin shares his experience as a NS man.Talking about the cliches on how hard it is to complete all the training, how it is a transition from boy to man, about how all the girls will find you attractive wearing that uniform and about the ghost stories that most of us have heard.Then suddenly, one of my cousin ask if the guy had to wear green and black camouflage as seen on tv and he reply yes.

By now,I am imagining myself wearing the tight army uniform that almost doesn’t fit,heavy black boots,the helmet that usually doesn’t serves it purpose and the usual black rifle that I don’t even think I could carry.But the peculiar thing was how I look wearing the green and black ‘makeup’.As I try to use my limited creativity to imagine how I look wearing the ‘makeup’, I finally found the answer,a BIG MINT DONUT.I am gonna look like a nice, big mint donut that is usually found in a Dunkin Donut store that make you want to taste it but you hate mint.

The point is, do I really want to look like that?Do I really want to be in a situation where I am at the enemy’s line and when they spot me they will say “Sir.There is a man disguising as a mint donut on sight!Do you want me to shoot it sir?”.So what am I suppose to do to avoid such circumstances?Lose weight?or gain weight like how Mr Douglas did it in Korea?And I don’t think I’ll be ready when I am enlisted.How could I when I even need a boost to get off my own bed(ok…that’s a quote from Seinfeld)Also,I’m sure that if there is an imminent war during my service,I’ll get shot which I think is a good thing.(not that I want any war)They say that if a man is shot in the head,you’ll feel nothing.And I believe that.Once the bullet hit the skull,you’ll either be surrounded by fire and naked or you will be surrounded by goddesses and naked.But, is hoping to die first in a battle a cowardly way to end your life unlike in Japan when the survivor felt that they were coward?Well,only one thing is certain,I hope that the Mint Donut images in my head are gone by tomorrow morning. And to add….

Full Metal Jacket(1987)by Stanley Kubrick

This is the best war/NS movie I’ve seen so far and I’ve seen Apocalypse Now. This is no Army Daze(the Singaporean Film)kids. Just look at the poster above and you could make out the story.Attached to the helmet is a PEACE BUTTON while the helmet is written BORN TO KILL.The training of regular American citizens into KILLERS are seen through the eyes of the main protagonist played by Mathew Modine(for those in my IS class,this is the guy who act as the main scientist in AND THE BAND PLAYED ON).The first part of the story is when they were trained.He meets a drill instructor who specialises in racist and offensive one liners.As the training advances,the protagonist saw how all of his buddies were dehumanised to the point where they do not have any emotions and one of them had gone completely mental which lead to a suicide.

Second part of the story is when the main protagonist was sent into Vietnam where the war occur.As the war progresses,he sees american soldiers killing innocent farmers without any conscience and then saying to an interview that they were helping America in the war so that the future will be in peace.There was one scene that really shocked me in which an american soldier sitting beside a man sleeping in an american uniform while his helmet covered his face.The american soldier then introduced the protagonist who the guy beside him was.He lifted the helmet where we could see the guy’s face.The peculiar thing was it is a pale asian face and then the whole army crew just laugh.That scene is just a part where it questions the presence of american soldiers whether they are heroes sacrificing their lives for a better future or sadists where killing is just part of the entertainment.And whether they are the same person as the one before becoming soldiers.To conclude,many former Vietnam War Veterans said that this film is the most accurate war movie and personally,for me, this is a must watch film by either genders.