National Service is one of those culturally-shared Singapore things, so it’s no surprise that memories of NS can now span generations. Chun See checks out his son’s personal effects from the army after his return from Basic Military Training and discovers that the more things change, the more things stay the same.

I noticed that he didn’t have a belt. He told me it was optional. I guess it is because nowadays, they don’t need to tuck in the shirt. In our time, we had to kiwi and brush our belt until it shines whenever we had drill period. Otherwise you will be punished when the CSM checks your turnout. And your belt must not be loose. He will grab it at your tummy level and tug and shake you to see if there is any slack. By the way, the belt was very handy for removing soft drinks bottle caps.

So things have changed somewhat – but what else has stayed the same? Find out on Good Morning Yesterday.