You have not been invited, if you have doubts go back

That area is a swamp; once there is a low tide the drainage; ditches are exposed that is where the 65 of us take a dump, using wood laid across the ditches. So when the tide comes in there are “floaters’ some more buoyant than others, which spread. Once the tide goes out these floaters will go all over the place.

I guess most of the time they go out to the sea. Unfortunately, this time around, the floaters were stuck. He blew his whistle all of us were made to form up in files according to our patrol. Our patrol strength was 5 each, each commanded by an officer. 13 patrols all lined up to be berated by the instructors. I was wondering when are the Muslims going to go to the mosque.

All the instructors were of the Muslim faith. They made all the Non-Muslims fall in too. I was straightaway wondering why us, as I was looking forward to sleeping in the afternoon. The most sadistic instructor of all came up with a brainwave. He told all the officers to scoop up the shit with our bare hands and place them in buckets.

There was water in the buckets from the sewage drainage. Ablution is necessary for Muslims before Friday prayers. The instructor bellowed, “Lt Azmi, please show the Non-Muslims how to do the ablution, first please stir the bucket”. All the officers stood in front of their respective patrols. I saw Lt Azmi, dip his hands into that bucket of water mixed with shit. Wipe the water until his elbows of both his hands, wash his face and behind his ears with sewage water mixed with shit.

Then he was ordered to turn around and face his patrol. “Sir, now do it for your men”. Lt Azmi did the same for his men as he did to himself. All the Officers took turns. Soon it was my turn; I stopped breathing for a while as I could not believe that this was happening to me. My patrol had was made up of Royal Malay and Rangers.

Lance Corporal Matthew Mijer Raweh, my dear friend and  soldier was in my patrol. My good friend Lt Ravindran Karuppiah was commanding another patrol. They all experienced that.

After the ablution was done, we were made to stand in the hot sun in the adjoining volleyball court. The smell of fresh shit was overpowering. The shit virtually dried up on us. In Betutu Laut, the taps are dry most of the time along with the showers, covered in zinc and rusted. After sometime the instructors who were all gathered around us told us to wash up and get ready for lunch.

There was no water. So all of us were ordered to run to the sea, we ran and dived into the sea. Scrubbing our faces and hands without soap, to get rid of the foul smelling stink. It was all in vain, the stink was still there. After that dip, we were sent back to that place at the volleyball court. Where our packs were arranged neatly.

I quickly dug into my pack to take out the bar of soap which is the standard gear we carry. Tucked it in my cargo cams. We always had to run to the dining hall which was 1.5 miles away. Before you can have the crappy lunch one has to complete the heaving which is chin ups, 10 times. You do not qualify for that crappy lunch if you cannot complete that.

After that I ran into the dining hall of the Commandos, some were curling up their noses at the nauseating smell emitted by me and others who joined me. Straightaway went to the wash basin, started washing my face and hands there with the soap. With the lingering, smell of shit you are not going to have an appetite. We on course do not have a covered dining hall.