Posted on 13-Jun-2014
March 22-24th, 2014
SS13, SUBANG JAYA - Quite a while back, I was told by an Officer that I might have the potential to be the youngest Sergeant ever in the company. So there I was, signing up for BNTS, to fulfill this “prophecy”. Litt
le did my friends and I know that we are to be evaluated for 6 months after BNTS, before we know if we would be an NCO (we thought that if we went for BNTS meant that we would be NCOs automatically). I only learnt that it wasn’t true on the very day I arrived at Sri UCSI. I “panicked” because I did not want to be there anymore, but there was no backing out. All the formalities aside (e.g. falling in, uniform check), I went into class with my squad/team.
In the squad, initially no one was really friendly. Everyone kept to themselves. But me, being myself, talked a lot and got onto almost everyone’s nerves, especially the guy next to me. As expected, we learnt about leadership, such as how to be a leader and what makes a good leader. Everything seemed fine, until wash-up time. The line to the bathroom was more than 5 meters long, even though most people were sharing a cubicle (what?!). To make matters worse, we were only given 30 minutes to bathe, forcing one third of the boys to go without washing up.
The next day, my squad-mates started warming up to each other. We begun working together in the coming challenges with relative success. We started being friendlier to each other as well. During drill, instead of following commands, we were each given a chance to command the team. That night, we were woken up at 2 am for an inspection. The officers checked each of our bags, how our uniform was hung, and such. After that, we proceeded down to the basketball court for some “early morning” warm-up drill. We were then given another 30 minutes to cram ourselves in the bathroom to bathe, and sleep for a meagre 2 hours.
Then came the test. Affectionately known as “The Test.” We had to really work as a team to put together a 1000 piece puzzle. That was the first time we functioned as a complete team, each member taking his/her own role, and pulling their own weight. However, that was not the only test, as there was a drill practical and a 3 hour long test.
During the drill practical, 3 commanders were to be alternated upon. The first one was to be selected by the squad, the second one by the squad officer, and one by the examiner. As we were discussing who to select first, all fingers pointed at me, as I had a loud, clear voice. Thankfully I did not mess it up and the whole drill practical went smoothly. The test, on the other hand, was kind of hard. They allocated 3 hours for a reason.
Then, it was all over. We were free to go. BNTS was finally over. However, my squad-mates and I had built a little “relationship” and it was kind of hard to leave. We all made a “vow” to try to meet up again at Pesta.
The End.
Report by Private Teh Eng Hong of 12th Kuala Lumpur Company, BNTS Squad 4
On the 22th of March to the 24th of March 2014, 16 boys from 12th Kuala Lumpur Boys’ brigade Company went to Sri UCSI School in Subang to participate in the Basic NCO Training School (BNTS).
On the first day, the Boys learned many things that would help them become NCOs. The modules are namely Character First, Communication and Presentation Skill and Effective Meeting. The Boys profited greatly. The camp emphasized on discipline as well. For instance, after meal time, if there was food debris found remaining on the table, we would face the punishment which would be given by the Staff Sergeant.
During the camp, the Boys were given the opportunity to command drill. The commands included forming a squad from one line to three lines. Those commands were “Skuad, tanda - penanda! Yang tinggi ke kanan, rendah ke kiri, dalam satu barisan - paras! Pandang - Depan! Dari kanan berdua - bilang! Nombor ganjil, satu langkah ke hadapan, nombor genap, satu langkah ke belakang - gerak! Orang di kanan sekali diam, nombor ganjil ke kanan, nombor genap ke kiri, barisan ke kanan dan ke kiri -pusing! Jadikan tiga barisan cepat - jalan! Lurus ke kanan - lurus! Pandang – depan!
On the second day of the camp the Boys learned just as many things as the first day. We moved on to planning. The Boys benefited greatly from the sessions. Drill was as similar as the day before. However, a task was given during the night; assembling a jigsaw puzzle of 1000 pieces together in 80 minutes. Before that, we had to blacken the numbers at the back. We were not allowed to refer to the cover of the jigsaw, as it had the actual picture. The activity tested our leadership skills and planning.
Next was the drill assessment. We were tested by Mr. Steven Foong, the BNTS Head Coach. We were to form one line and we were to pick a commander. After doing forming a squad from one line to three lines, Mr. Steven would ask the commander to demonstrate a drill movement like “Pusing ke belakang” while marching.
On the third day, we were tested on what we learned during the camp. After that was the closing ceremony. Soon after, we departed and went on our separate ways.