supamun's Diaryland
Diary
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changi museum
hai. i got reflections trail todae and i was so tired that i zombie-walked for most of it. the only time i really perked up was at the changi war museum. as a soldier it's not possible not to feel emotional when you visit it, but more on it lata. on a side note i totally missed the church camp. how sad. i didn't feel like going for mebbe 5 hrs todae coz i need to book in tmr for my extra duties. which last the whole day bar the sleeping hrs, from 8 am to 9 pm. but is my own fault lol. so no complaints.
ok on to changi war museum. i visited the museum twice prior to this visit but always displayed a lack of interest at the displays donning the yellow walls and scoffed at the solemn music reverberating around the hallways. to me soldierhood was something i knew nothing about, and so i couldn't experience any emotion when i heard about war stories and how the people suffered. But NS has changed my perspective totally. I cannot say that I have gone through as much hardship as the brave men who "gave up their liberty" for my soil. (not just singaporeans. New Zealanders Dutch Indians Aussies Americans Malaysians you all have got my deepest respect)But I can definitely feel, to a much greater extent, what they have gone through in those trying 3 years. It's not something I would like to experience in my lifetime. Too painful.
When i looked at the replica of the 5 murals stanley warren painted in the dysentery ward i teared. words would not do justice to the murals. One has to see them himself. And in each of the murals stanley warren drew jesus with his eyes closed. because he felt too guilty to look him in the eye. I also became emotional upon glancing down the list of regiments and companies who fought for our cause. Most of them weren't far older than me. Most of them weren't even Singaporeans. Yet they journeyed here to fight in a foreign land for what they believe in. Some were conscripted. Others joined in grave determination because they felt it was their civic duty to their country.
Young boys aspiring to be soldiers always look up to famous war heroes but view the dead as just a statistic or weak soldiers. But i think that's the wrong way to look at it. Even the weakest infantry soldier deserves to be lauded. He died fighting for what he believe in. He gave up his liberty for his country.
6:04 p.m. - 2006-06-08
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