A BRAND NEW JACK NEO FILM

Illustrated by James Teo

(EL)Ah Boys to Men_I prelim.indd 1 2/26/15 11:19 AM

My days as a full-time soldier ended in 1988. After that, I had to return to the army as a reservist. At that time, I was busy with work. I was full of complaints about reservist training. Despite this, I reported dutifully at my camp. I was posted to the unit 168 SIR as a Platoon Commander and there were about forty people in my platoon.

The In-Camp Training was a refresher for all the military training. I remember at that time, there was a Company Defence Exercise in which we were assigned to dig trenches in a mountain. I was hiding from a storm in one of the trenches. Rain was seeping into the rifles. While I was totally wet and feeling sorry for myself, an idea struck me –– why not transform the ups and downs of a soldier into a melody as a way of venting my frustrations and laughing at myself.

This idea turned into my album, Autobiography of a Soldier. The sales were unexpectedly good. Many youngsters, especially those who had completed their National Service, were snapping up the CDs. At that time, there were no piracy or illegal downloads. They were selling like hotcakes for real hard cash. It was satisfying to hear people who had done NS humming my songs. The sequel to my first album followed. I couldn’t believe how successful it was. I had too many army stories to share, so I suggested to the record company to launch two albums at the same time. The albums ran out of stock. Needless to say, the boss of the record company was laughing all the way to the bank.

If these stories could be made into a movie, the response would be terrific, I thought. But then, we had no film industry, so making a movie about military training was just a daydream. Soon after, someone turned this dream into reality and the response was good. I was pleased that finally there is a local movie about military training.

Preface

(E)AhBoys to Men_I prelim.indd 3 7/31/13 12:13 PM

This year happens to be the 45th anniversary of National Service. Mindef had wanted me to edit a movie out of the already fi lmed Every Singaporean Son, and launch the movie in conjunction with the anniversary celebrations. I studied the exciting footages, but discovered that editing them into a movie would have many restrictions. So I suggested making a new movie about the army. After some deliberations, Mindef agreed.

My only request was that they would not interfere with our creativity, and let us present army life from the perspectives of the masses; Mindef’s term was to keep clear of national security sensitivities and confi dential information. We were given the freedom to express the joys and sorrows, ups and downs of soldiers. So, many of the story plots were cleared smoothly, whereas 20 years ago, I think it would have been impossible for them to appear in a movie. The 13 minutes of war scenes were shot with road closures and advanced army trucks and infantry platoons. The scenes were diffi cult to shoot and the support we received for the fi lm production was invaluable.

As the movie is for the commemoration of 45 years of National Service, I had to bring back scenes of army training in the 1970s. These scenes are my personal favourites from of the movie because I was one of them, wearing the Temasek green uniform, serving NS. I was only 17 years old then. Looking at the soldiers wearing those uniforms we had tailor-made for them, the old helmets and SBO brings back the deep memories of my generation of soldiers. No matter how tough the days were, memories of army days will never be erased.

Today I am pleased to be able to make the movie that I have always dreamt of, and now that it has been made into a comic book, I am really grateful and very touched indeed!

(E)AhBoys to Men_I prelim.indd 4 7/31/13 12:13 PM

A BRAND NEW JACK NEO FILM

Illustrated by James Teo

(EL)Ah Boys to Men_II prelim.indd 1 2/26/15 11:20 AM

As I am writing this preface, the box office sales of Ah Boys To Men Part 2 stand at S$7.89 million, S$1.66 million more than that of Part 1.

Those who watched Part 1 were eager to catch Part 2. Some prefer Part 1 after watching Part 2 while others felt that Part 2 touched their hearts. Part 1 was a good introduction. It left the audience yearning for more with everyone curious about the development of the characters in the movie. What are they doing behind the closed gates of an army camp? What kind of training are they receiving? What are their emotional ups and downs?

In fact, writing the story for Part 2 was harder than for Part 1 because Part 1 had many selling points –– war scenes, BMT in the 1970s, parents who spoil their children, as well as the “geng all the way to ORD” spirit that is so prevalent in the army. Not to mention the bald and hilarious sergeant in the 1970s training scenes who left the audience in stitches. But what about Part 2? To tell you the truth, those who saw the raw footages felt Part 2 focused on emotions, had a slower pace and less comedy, compared to Part 1. It would be a tough fight with Stephen Chow’s movie and Bruce Willis’ Die Hard at theatres during the Lunar New Year period.

The focal point for Part 2’s theme was definitely not slapstick comedy. While planning for the script, the scriptwriter and I had identified brotherhood as the direction. In every camp, after going through thick and thin for some time, soldiers have to go separate ways. Those who have served NS can identify deeply with the feeling of separation. I remember that during my 10 months of training in OCS, there were a lot of disputes among us, be it personal or training-related. But when it’s time to part, those who have not travelled the journey together would not be able to appreciate the sorrow. Unless

Preface

(E)AhBoys to Men_II prelim.indd 3 7/31/13 12:13 PM

you are a cold-blooded animal or a person unable to communicate with the world, this feeling is unforgettable. Sometimes, I even dream of training with my buddies in those days.

You might say I must be crazy to relive the memories of training that was so tough. I would like to think that I miss those days when we went through thick and thin together, looked after one another, and we were young and simple. Just like in the movie, You Are the Apple of My Eye, everyone just wants to do one thing well. In those days, we thought of nothing but going through the training well.

So I decided that this feeling should be the theme of Part 2. A

camp without brotherhood is like a zombie that has a body but no soul. Brotherhood makes you feel warm and safe. You know your buddies would never leave you behind. It’s this spirit that keeps us united and makes us care for and look after one another. In fact, this spirit is not only precious in the army. In life, we also hope to have friends who support one another.

After my O Levels, I signed on with the army. Never did I expect myself not doing well in my O Levels, which left me with the only option of becoming a regular soldier, lead me on a long and meaningful journey. As my classmates continued their studies, I started on a different journey. I did not know then what God’s plan for me was. Now I understand–if I hadn’t joined the army, I would have the same negative attitude towards the army as most people. In addition, I would not have experienced precious friendships, hence I would not have been able to write Ah Boys To Men Part 2.

Thank you for loving every scene in this movie.

(E)AhBoys to Men_II prelim.indd 4 7/31/13 12:13 PM

Illustrated by James Teo

A BRAND NEW JACK NEO FILM

(EL)A Boys To Frogmen_prelim.indd 1 3/12/15 4:01 PM

This is my third movie about the military. Although

it’s also about military training, there is a big difference

between BMT on Pulau Tekong and the one received

at NDU. Because the naval divers belong to the Special

Forces Unit, their training was much more gruelling than

other unit types. While filming the frogmen, I saw the

difference between the navy and the army. Especially for

the frogmen, they take great pride in their training and

have a powerful sense of mission.

I am very glad that I can once again showcase my

movie in a comic. The creation of a movie involves many

departments coming together as a team. The creation

of a comic depends solely on the decision-making of

one person. Ah Boys to Frogmen documents the tough

training undergoes by the naval divers. And their lives,

thoughts and emotions are now brought to life under the

brush of the comic artist.

Preface

(EL)A Boys To Frogmen_prelim.indd 3 3/12/15 4:01 PM

Looking at each scene, it’s not diffi cult to imagine the

time and effort the artist had taken to conceptualise the

movie storyline into artwork for the comic. In my movie,

I delivered on my promise of bringing humour and yet

touching the hearts of the audience. I hope that after

watching my movie in theatres, you will also enjoy Ah

Boys appearing in the comic.

Thank you again for your support shown to the

movie and comic!

(EL)A Boys To Frogmen_prelim.indd 4 3/12/15 4:01 PM