Featured Serviceman

My name is Jihwan Choi, and I served in the Singaporean Army from July 2018 to May

2020. While not born in Singapore, I spent the latter half of my life in the country after my

family had relocated from Korea when I was 7 years old. After spending a few years in the

nation, my family became permanent residents, which naturally led me to decide on serving

Singapore after graduating from high school.

The 22 months I spent in the Singapore Army were one of the most formative times of my

life. At the age of 17, I was thrown into an environment that was extremely foreign to me at

the time. Having attended international schools growing up, the military was my first time

being fully integrated into the Singaporean culture and ways. Additionally, I was expected to

become comfortable with an extremely regimented and disciplined way of life outside of the

comfort of my family and home. It definitely was a steep learning curve at first, but I began

to adapt and even enjoy the rigid way of life. After the gruelling 9-10 weeks in BMT, I was

fortunate enough to be selected to attend Officer Cadet School (OCS). Throughout the 9

months that I spent in OCS, I was pushed beyond my mental and physical limits countless

number of times. We went through training and exercises that were extremely difficult at the

moment, but in hindsight, made us into leaders that we were expected to be by the end of the

9-month-course. After OCS, I was posted to become a Platoon Commander in 3SIR. 3SIR

was probably the most challenging yet rewarding experience within my time in the Army.

While OCS had equipped me with skills and lessons that proved to be useful during my time

in the unit, it was a totally different ball game trying to apply those lessons in real-life

situations. As a young 18 year old, I was given the responsibility of leading and managing

~30 people within my platoon, and it was extremely challenging to say the least. While there

definitely were moments when I doubted my abilities or felt like I was reaching a dead-end, it

was these experiences that allowed me to learn and grow into the human being that I am

today. I made unforgettable memories and friends during my time, and it is an experience I

would 100% go through again given the choice.

My national service was a uniquely amazing experience. I had an opportunity to serve and

protect the country that my family resides in, but also gain a range of lessons, experience, and

abilities at a young age before being thrown out into the real world. I firmly believe that

National Service was extremely influential in me becoming the person I am today, and I

cannot thank enough everyone I’ve crossed paths with during the 22 months.