32km of rocky terrain, 1 huge river, 10 target boards. 15 hours, blisters, abrasions. Blood. Sweat. Tears. 1 dramatic ending. None of this stood in our way in the end as we made our way to the finishing line, together.

The weather was cold and wet on Monday night but it surely didn’t dampen our spirit. As the set-off timing was fixed at 12 midnight, we took the time before that to enjoy ourselves at the newly-opened specialist’s mess. Some great food, a couple of drinks and a few games of pool washed away our worries. But they were undue once we put on our full battle order and begun the arduous 15-hour journey that took us to the edge of the island and back again.

Light drizzles along the way made the march less tiresome as it kept our bodies cool. When we took a break at the various rest-points, refreshments and snacks were provided and that certainly boosted our morale and kept our spirits high. It felt like the usual route march till we made it to the 19 click mark. This would be where we do our river crossing.

However, by this time, day has broke. With light, it definitely made the task less problematic. As we put on our life jackets and secured our rifles, we already felt that it was quite an accomplishment that we’ve made it thus far. Once across the river, it only served to push us on further. It was no longer a physical hurdle but a test of mental endurance.

With determination and motivation, we marched valiantly under the blaze of the morning sun from the edge of Singapore to the live-firing range. As we took our places in the foxholes and fired off rounds at targets 100m away, it already felt so much like the end but truth is, we were only about 1km shy of the finishing line.

Despite the pain and aches in our bodies, we took flight towards the ending point. All was well and good for the past 30 odd clicks but then came a sudden downpour as we soldiered on. It was as if Heaven was celebrating for us. We returned at 3 in the afternoon with smiles across our faces and tears of joy mixed with rain. Success! It’s great to see that our 5 months of hard work has paid off.

Daunting as the task-at-hand may be, with a little bit of perseverance and resolve, there ain’t no mountain too high to climb or river too wide to cross. We came. We marched. We made it.