More than 500 residents, army personnel and pioneer National Servicemen (NSmen) gathered at Taman Jurong Greens on Saturday August 6 to commemorate the unveiling of a heritage marker there.
It was the same site where the first batch of NSmen enlisted 50 years ago.
In his speech at Placing of Heritage Marker for the First NS Camp in Singapore and the Taman Jurong National Day Observance Ceremony, DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnam said that this year's National Day's celebration has added meaning because we also commemorate 50 years of National Service.
The NS story began with the People’s Defence Force that was formed here at Taman Jurong in 1966.
Volunteers in the Force were trained here on weekends.
What started here as a voluntary force became National Service a year later.
Unveiling the heritage marker
"Taman Jurong Camp was where, on 17th August 1967, the first 900 Singaporeans were conscripted into NS in the Army.
Young men, different races, different social backgrounds, thrown together. And emerging two years later, melded together, and ready to defend their country.
Today, we have peace, prosperity and a well-respected defence force because of the dedication of generations of NSmen.
And we have melded together as a people, in no small part too because of NS - the boys toughing it out together, and their families too going through the sacrifice of NS together as citizens.
We owe it most to the brave, pioneer batch of NSmen and their officers, and their families who supported them as they began a new journey for Singapore.
As Mr Lim Kim San, who became Minister for the Interior and Defence after Dr Goh, said to our pioneer NSmen during their Passing Out Parade at Taman Jurong on 2nd March 1968:
“You are the pioneers in a new field and pioneers in a most honourable way of serving the country” ".
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