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Hartley Humphrey Muze, 25, is a born and bred Singaporean.
His parents relocated from Tanzania to Singapore in 1990 after Muze père had to come here for work -- and he has stayed on since then.
Photo courtesy of Hartley Humphrey Muze
Enlisted NS during pandemic
Hartley, who identifies as Singaporean-African, enlisted during the pandemic in August 2021 to fulfil his national service obligation, a rite of passage that all Singaporean males 16.5 years old and above will have to go through.
The Jurongville Secondary School alumnus was selected to join the Naval Diving Unit as a naval diver trainee, which is one of the toughest vocations in the Singapore Armed Forces.
Now a Specialist, he is trained to be a sergeant while most of his peers attain the rank of corporal.
Not bad for someone who said he did not even know that NDU is an elite force before enlisting.
In an interview, Hartley said: "Like, what do you say? I didn't know it was very 'ups', you know?"
He is set to complete his NS stint in July 2023.
Photo courtesy of Hartley Humphrey Muze
Interview: Where are his roots?
Speaking to Mothership.sg, Hartley talked about what NS means to him, how he is taking it so far, and if he sees himself settling in Singapore for the long term.
So, how do you feel about being a naval diver?
I feel very proud to be in a Naval Diving Unit (NDU), especially to know that initially when I got my letter, I didn't know what NDU was until I did my research and realised it is an elite force.
I was excited but nervous at the same time.
When did you get your enlistment letter?
In November 2020.
So, you weren't aware of what NDU did despite all that publicity in the media, with Jack Neo's Frogmen movie and Straits Times coverage previously?
I knew what it was, but I didn't know it was an elite force. Like, what do you say? I didn't know it was very "ups", you know?
So, how did your parents react when they found out you were headed for NDU?
They were very supportive. They said it was something I would like to do. Because I'm very sporty and I like challenges. Although some challenges do scare me going through the course but I like to take on challenges.
Photo courtesy of Hartley Humphrey Muze
From the family photos that you shared, I see that you have siblings. Are you the first person in your family to serve NS?
Yes, I'm the first.
My elder sister is 27. And my younger brother is turning 19 this year and he is going to enlist in Pulau Tekong.
He is not joining you in NDU?
[Laughs] No, ya, he's not.
How has growing up in Singapore been, going through school and now in NS because people might assume you are not local? Are there experiences across the years that were the same or different?
I learn about many cultural differences between Chinese, Malay, Indian and others.
As a Singaporean, I have a really wide exposure to different cultures and it has helped me a lot to socialise from primary school, secondary school, ITE (Institute of Technical Education), and polytechnic and then now in NS as well.
Photo courtesy of Hartley Humphrey Muze
Funny that you brought up the CMIO classification. Just to confirm, you are categorised as Others?
[Laughs] Ya.
What's the most difficult part of naval diving training?
Trying to be comfortable in water.
Because initially, I may look good, but I'm not the kind of person that likes running or swimming the most.
And performing the operations that is required of you as a diver was initially tough for me.
My buddies and trainers were there to guide us and give us clear instructions on what to do and to ensure our safety.
It really helped me a lot to grow in confidence to know I can do my job properly.
Photo courtesy of Hartley Humphrey Muze
Were you able to swim before you went into NDU?
Yeah, but very basic. Super, super basic.
What's your 2.4km run timing now?
8 minutes 27 seconds.
Insane. How was your 2.4km running timing before NS?
It was not impressive. It was around 10 minutes 30 seconds.
I just tried and keep fit before my enlistment, so at least I wouldn't struggle so much.
After my first IPPT, it went down from 11 minutes to 9 minutes 40 seconds.
Photo courtesy of Hartley Humphrey Muze
You are 25 years old this year and you just started NS. Your batch mates are probably 19 or 20. Is there a reason why you enlisted a little later?
I went to ITE and prior to that I was in Secondary 5. And then I went to poly. So, it was a long way. That's why I am 25.
Are you fluent in any languages besides English? Any dialects or any other languages you picked up along the way over the years?
I'll say Chinese. As of now, Chinese is, I won't say fluent, but I can speak.
Is that your second language you had to take in school?
No, I didn't have to take any second language.
Guess things have changed since I was last in school.
I remember it was mandatory to take Mother Tongue, but for my case, they said it was an exception.
Which year did your parents relocate from Tanzania to Singapore?
1990. My dad came here for work actually.
Photo courtesy of Hartley Humphrey Muze
All your siblings are also born and bred in Singapore?
Yes, all born in Singapore.
Do you still have family in Tanzania and do you visit them?
Yes, I still have family in Tanzania. Usually, pre-Covid, I will visit once a year.
Do you still have a connection with Tanzania?
Yes, my family is there and that's also my roots, but I have pretty much lived in Singapore my whole life, so I feel very comfortable here.
Are you looking to settle down in Singapore long-term, buy a home here? I know it pretty premature to ask...
Yeah. Singapore is is my home. And I've grown up here. So yeah, I am thinking of settling down here.
Anything you have learned in NDU so far that you think will stick with you for life?
I'll say resilience, like, not easily giving up.
All the challenges and evolutions day after day in NS, it gets really, really tiring.
At some point you just want to give up, but when you look around, you see everyone else going through it and you just go through it as well.
You won't throw in the towel, but just bite the bullet and just keep on going.
How was drown-proofing for you? (Drown-proofing is water confidence training)
I was nervous but the instructors were there to ensure everyone go through it. I have water confidence but it is not to the point that I was sure I was able to do everything.
I struggled a bit.
Have you gone through Hell Week? How was that?
It was tough. I never thought I could survive on a few hours of sleep in a week.
There is no such thing as, 'I'm strong enough to do this on my own.'
Everyone looks out for one another, and especially, for myself, I'm given the role of Specialist, and as a leader, you have to put your boat mates' needs before your own.
Is there anything about this NS journey so far that you would like to highlight?
The skill sets you learn as a naval diver, I don't think you will learn it anywhere else.
I can't help but emphasise on resilience and just not giving up, because I know myself, if things get a little bit difficult, like, 'Okay, you know, I'll just throw in the towel and move on'.
But NS here really teaches you to try again and again and again until you succeed.
Just curious, do they still make you do bear crawl in camp?
Ya, normal.
Guess things haven't changed that much.
Bear crawl, leopard crawl. You have to be proficient in those.
And how do I pronounce your last name?
It is mu-zeh.
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