I began National Service in 2002 and served for two years and four months. During my medical assessment, the doctor considered exempting me, but felt that having attended mainstream school without support suggested that I could cope. I was assigned PES E for non-combat duties and worked as a clerk in Singapore’s Ministry of Defence.
I could do useful work. That did not mean I could easily follow rapid instructions, sleep in a shared bunk or decide which of several superiors’ requests mattered most. Preparing for National Service means looking at the whole arrangement, not only the job description.
Prepare for the steps between knowing and doing
On enlistment day, I could not follow the rapid verbal instructions during a ceremony. I copied the enlistees around me, which put me slightly behind them. The Sergeant Major noticed and demanded to know why I could not stand and sit at the same time as everyone else. I remained silent.
I was trying to comply, but my method required me to see someone else’s movement before beginning mine. Being told to move faster did not remove that extra step.
Where a routine is unfamiliar, ask for its sequence to be demonstrated or explained beforehand. Find out which signal starts each movement and practise the sequence where possible. For work instructions, repeat back the action, deadline and expected result rather than simply saying that I understand.
I would also prepare a short explanation before a stressful moment: “I have difficulty processing several spoken instructions quickly. Please give me the steps separately or let me check the sequence.” It is easier to have usable words ready than to invent an explanation while being challenged in front of everyone.
Treat sleeping and eating as part of preparation
On my first night, the smell of a mouldy pillow kept me awake. Some bunkmates talked loudly after bedtime and woke everyone ninety minutes before assembly. Scheduled sleeping time did not necessarily become actual sleep.
A person can finish the day’s duties and still be unable to sustain the arrangement if there is no workable recovery afterwards. Likewise, time allocated for a meal includes queuing and getting seated, not only eating. Some of my bunkmates had too little time to finish lunch.
Before enlistment, consider the ordinary sequence: dressing, finding equipment, getting to the correct place, eating, washing, packing and sleeping. Which parts already take longer? Which depend on conditions that will change away from home? Practise the relevant steps, but also identify where an adjustment or help may be needed.
In camp, describe the effect of a problem instead of assuming that visible compliance proves I am coping. “The noise kept me awake for most of the night, and I cannot concentrate this morning” gives more information than “I dislike the bunk”. Ask what can be changed, and report whether the change actually helped.
Build dependable relationships without buying protection
Before I left home, my mother suggested bringing food and tools to share. I brought biscuits for bunkmates who could not finish lunch. A Swiss knife helped them make holes for the pins in their berets. These were practical ways to contribute when I did not know how to enter the group socially.
That is a recollection, not a current packing list. Check what your unit permits before bringing food or equipment, especially tools.
One night, recruits from another platoon surrounded me as I returned from the toilet. My bunkmates appeared. Afterwards, they told me that they believed their presence had prevented a potentially violent attack. I had not understood the danger myself.
Their support mattered, but sharing food cannot guarantee anyone’s protection. Someone who cannot offer favours is still entitled to safety. Buddies can help notice trouble and accompany a person seeking help; they do not replace commanders’ responsibility to deal with it.
In the office, I tried to maintain good relationships across the department rather than attaching myself to one clique. I apologised for mistakes, did my best at the work, offered useful help and listened to advice. Initially, I did not feel the emotional belonging that team-building activities seemed to assume. Cooperation was still possible through dependable actions.
I discuss this practical approach to relationships in the Social Accounting Model. The aim is mutual benefit, not unlimited service in exchange for being tolerated.
When several superiors need something
My old approach treated every task as equally important and every mistake as equally serious. It failed when I worked for several superiors. I could not finish quickly if everything received the same attention.
I learnt to work towards the nearer deadlines and remove unnecessary work. I also separated appointments and reminders from a list of tasks, removing tasks when finished.
A deadline is useful information, but it is not the only priority. A short task may be holding up someone else’s work; another may need a careful check because its consequences are greater. When two requests conflict, do not silently promise both and hope that speed will solve the problem.
An example is: “I am completing A for this afternoon. B will take another hour. Which should come first, and who should I inform about the change?” Ask the appropriate supervisor to resolve competing priorities instead of assuming that each person knows what the others have assigned.
Keep records only in the systems and locations authorised for the work. A personal organisation method is useful only if it also respects the unit’s information-handling requirements.
Find out what a checking procedure protects
I once failed to check work as thoroughly as instructed and left a name out of an internal survey. Some results were incomplete. I had thought of bureaucratic rules mainly as obstacles to finishing efficiently; this omission showed me a consequence I had not considered.
My superior said that he was also at fault because he had not reviewed the work. I still felt responsible and apologised to the person whose name was missing. She did not blame me, but that did not undo the omission.
The lesson is more specific than “check everything forever”. Identify what a check is supposed to catch, when it must happen and who is responsible for it. A name missing from a survey is a completeness problem; reading the included names repeatedly may not reveal the absent one. Comparing the intended list with the actual list would test the relevant failure.
If I think a procedure wastes effort, I can ask what it protects and propose an alternative that preserves that protection. I should not remove it first and discover its purpose through the resulting damage. In a military workplace, changes also need the relevant approval.
When a mistake occurs, report what is affected while correction is still possible. Explain what I know, what remains uncertain and who may need to stop relying on the result. Accountability includes giving other people the information needed to respond, not only accepting blame afterwards.
Let colleagues teach what the job description omits
My colleagues were friendly and forgiving of many social mistakes. The office gave me opportunities to observe how people worked together and practise being competent and reliable. Before I left, one colleague told me: “When you first came, you were a jerk. Now, you are my close friend.”
The improvement did not come from a single instruction to be sociable. I had repeated contact with people who let me learn while doing real work.
Ask for specific feedback: which part of my message was unclear, what information was missing, or what I should do differently next time. A concrete correction is more usable than a verdict on my character. Equally, when somebody gives one, I need to consider its effect on others rather than dismiss it because my intention was harmless.
Support and responsibility can work together. The supervisor can make an instruction clearer; I can confirm it. A colleague can flag a social mistake; I can change the action. Neither requires pretending that I have no difficulties.
Different people need different arrangements
Other first-person accounts show why my posting cannot be a template for every autistic serviceman. Jackson McAllister describes sensory overload and anxiety during Basic Military Training, eventual PES F grading, and a period of administrative work with a supportive supervisor.
Matthew Quek describes difficulties with field-pack organisation, marching and rifle assembly, alongside bullying and friends who intervened. Joshua describes serving as a medic, a heavy workload and opportunities to develop communication through everyday work.
The useful question is what the particular person can manage in the particular setting, including the cost of sustaining it. Another person’s successful experience does not settle that assessment.
Medical assessment and training today
As at October 2026, CMPB’s medical fitness guidance distinguishes pre-enlistees joining before October 2027, who continue under PES, from those joining from October 2027, who enter the refreshed Medical Classification System. My historical grading should not be treated as a prediction for somebody applying now.
CMPB lists a nine-week programme for PES C and E recruits at BMTC School V, Kranji Camp II. Its BMT guidance explains that training varies with medical fitness, exemptions, physical abilities and training needs.
Bring diagnostic and relevant medical reports according to CMPB’s screening checklist. Add concrete descriptions for discussion with the medical team: difficulty following rapid instructions, repeated loss of sleep, sensory overload, or problems with daily routines. Explain what assistance has worked before and what happens without it.
Ask what any medical exemption covers, what help can be considered and how to request review if the arrangement proves unworkable. Do not assume that attending mainstream school means no support is needed, or that a suitable vocation automatically makes all aspects of camp life suitable.
Know the help route before needing it
CMPB lists commander interviews, special interviews on request, Orientation Officers during BMT and unit paracounsellors. Ask who fills those roles where you serve and how to reach them. A name without a usable contact route is not much of a plan.
Care Hubs at Kranji and Pulau Tekong bring together medical and mental-health professionals and Orientation Officers working with commanders. Ask your commander or medical team about the support available to you.
A possible request is: “I have slept very little for three nights because of the noise. I need help with the sleeping conditions and to see the Medical Officer.” Prepare a short written account if speaking is difficult. State when the problem occurs, its effect and what remains unresolved after earlier help.
The SAF Counselling Centre’s 24-hour hotline is 1800-278-0022. CMPB describes the service as confidential and allows callers to remain anonymous. Face-to-face counselling is also available on request or referral.
For a complaint, the published route is the immediate superior; if the complaint concerns that person, approach the next higher authority. Unresolved grievances after unit channels can go to the MINDEF Feedback Unit through the official feedback form.
For bullying, state the actions and whether it is safe to remain in the same space. In its 5 March 2026 reply on bullying in NS, MINDEF says harassment reports are investigated and psychological care, suitable redeployment or distancing may be arranged where needed.
Urgent danger is not something to leave for the next routine interview. If unwell or injured, tell your instructor or commander immediately so care can be arranged. If you are in immediate danger or might harm yourself, alert nearby camp staff and seek urgent medical help. For a life-threatening medical emergency, call 995.