Exercise Rover finally over!!

Fwah! Exercise Rover in my base lasted frm Monday (16/01) nite to Thursday (19/01) 1900 hrs!

The duties were somehow slack, but I still feel tired.. here is the account of it..

After dismounting duty on Monday, went back bunk and sleep.. but didnt expect the exercise to start tat same nite.. when during briefing, they said its on tues (17/01)!! So rations are being packed for us for all meals (so this means NO one is allowed to go to the Cookhouse to hv their meals!.. so this means NO sweet drinks.. haiz..)

So in the evening, my officer/sgts wanted abt 8 ppl to help the mounting shift tat day to start guarding the Exercise Rover's duty positions!

Ppl start pointing fingers (or shld I say choosing their buddies for duties) and fortunately, no one chose me and I was safe! Becos' I wanna watch some very interesting programs happening on TV tat evening!

Then the next day mounted duty.. wat is gonna to happen is really shocking! I tot it wld be a mount, dismount thing.. tat is I mount on tues, dismount on wed and stuff.. but then, in the afternoon, the other shift came and told us tat they wld be also mounting.. so this means one thing! All of us wld be mounting WITHOUT dismounting (except if the exercise cuts!).. everyone was tired.. another shift after finished doing the emplacements/prowls, went to mount duty! Tat is super shiong lah!

Enemy injects and other simulated scenerios were then presented to us and this means tat everytime an inject/scenerio is being presented, we have no choice but to run the contingency drills! Believe you me.. cutting of the water supply is one of the scenrios posted.. so we did not have water for 2 hrs!!

Becos of too many ppl mounting n the restroom not enuf beds, ppl (including me) were taking blankets and place it on the floor and slept! Until my staff sgt saw this, and said tat my shift can go up to bunk and bathe and sleep and be back at a stipulated timing by my officer.. so happily we went and tat was ard midnight, and worse still.. the water supply wld be restored only after 0200 tat day.. When I reached bunk, I developed a slight flu, but was ok the next morning.. anyway, for all those who went up to bunk and sleep, never bathe and they woke up like 4+am to bathe.. so ya..

Then its duty again and the whole thing juz starts all over again.. but this time, the next day, I went down earlier to take over duty, becos I was doing a 24hr prowl duty.. quite slack duty (becos contingency drills and duties under the hot sun is a no no for me!).. but it cld be sianz after 12 hrs in tat place! so the only entertainment u have is ur buddy who is doing duty with u at the same time! So tats wat I did loh.. we chatted everything under the sun! sometimes we are so bored tat we talk rubbish, becos we dun koe wat we are talking! ha..

There are of course the hot and stuffy times in the prowl! This happens in the afternoons where the sun is scorching hot! But you may then think raining is good.. however, you are all WRONG!
Becos it did rained at nite tat day, and I tell you.. it was the most horrible experience! Half of my body (including my clothes) were wet and becos I perspire so much in the afternoon, I reeked of sweat, and imagine I'm sleeping with wet and stinky clothes, and worse still.. it was sandy too on the table (which we are sitting and sleeping on!).. The experience is machiam like field camp! eww.. disgusting!

But thank goodness, again I was able to go back bunk and sleep.. this time I bathed lah.. and the next day, did duty all over again!

As at 0900 on thurs (19/01), the base exercise was offically declared cut.. but then, my OC wasnt very happy with our performance for the past few days, so he extended the exercise.. we were super sianz loh! Dun koe when exercise cut and the restroom is getting too over-crowded and stuffy! this is not right at all loh!!

But thank goodness, at 1800 on the same day, my OC declared Exercise Rover cut! man.. u shld have see tat smile on my eyes loh!! I was so so happy! Everyone suddenly so happy and energetic!

Then at 1900, went to Eastern to carry on my duty.. Apparently, I did duty frm 2300-0500! again the witching hour of doing duty.. haiz..
There was actually a flaw in the detailing, but no one realised it until one person told me abt it at abt 2345! Tat was too late.. so we are like cracking our head to see wats the best way to fill up the flaw! But the person who told me abt it, actually volunteered himself and during his rest time (even though my duty partner call him to sleep until his duty time), he did not sleep.. so you can say tat he did NOT sleep for the whole nite loh!! Poor thing..

At 0745 this morning, he woke me up and called me to help him do his duty while he go and sleep.. I have to like crawl out of bed and eat breakfast, and then do duty for him loh! No choice.. muz let him sleep..

Dismounted quite early.. actually muz do a bit of sai-kang, but then, nothing was done (another shift did it).. we actually waited 2 hrs for my officer for a briefing! (he initially told us 10 mins, but then, it turned to 2 hrs.. haix..)

And soon, came the briefing.. and it was an hour long! Wasted 3 hrs in camp sia! I had plans for the rest of the day.. haiz..

So after which, came home and had lunch at 1530! tats how late my lunch was! so ya..

Then I was thinking and counting how many hrs we've mounted duty.. and becos' my mental sums were good (ya rite.. as if.. ha =P), therefore I counted, and a total of 96hrs was my mounting duty time, instead of the normal 24hrs!! Mind you tat 96hrs was CONSECUTIVE!! so ya..

The above is the account of Exercise Rover.. my verdict for Exercise Rover? SHIONG!!!!