To celebrate the end of his ten-year stint in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) as an Operationally-Ready National Serviceman (“reservist” in local parlance), professional photographer Szekiat Loh paid tribute to his bittersweet experience in uniform the way he knew best: a personal photo project.
The constant coming and going away for annual training has produced a duality for most Singaporean men — there’s the normal life you lead with full-time jobs, and there’s the life in the wilderness where you prepare to defend Singapore with your lives. It’s this mantra “With Our Lives” that resonated with Koh, who realized over the years that the personal sacrifices made by him and his fellow NSmen are crucial costs for peace.
“Fortunately in time to come, the future generations will go through the same rite of passage in defending our country, with our lives,” he wrote.
It’s a beautiful photo project for sure, but we’d certainly love to see others replicate the same artistic celebration for the other uniformed vocations in National Service — men in the Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force deserve some love for their daily sacrifices in the home front too.
