Captain Yap Hui Jun, the first Singaporean woman to complete the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) 65-day ranger course, revealed that it was not her first attempt at the course.
She had failed to make it past the second of three phases of the course when she enrolled in the previous batch in 2022.
However, the setback did not deter the 27-year-old as she re-enrolled in the 50th batch this year and graduated from the ranger course on Oct. 16, 2023.
Sharing her story with Pioneer, Yap attributed her successful course completion to putting in more effort by planning and deepening her understanding of Small Unit Tactics, including how to fight, raid, and ambush.
As a result of her preparation, she could carry on more load to help her detachment.
According to Pioneer, only 39 out of 62 trainees from Yap's batch managed to graduate.
Gender doesn't come into play in ranger course
Yap shared that there was only one standard in the ranger course, the "ranger standard," and it will not be lowered for women.
This means that she is required to do the same amount of training as her male counterparts:
"A 20km combat march is still a 20km combat march. You don't walk less. You don't carry anything less."
Among the items Yap carried while undergoing a casualty evacuation exercise include the General Purpose Machine Gun and MATADOR (Man-portable Anti-Tank, Anti-DOoR), according to Pioneer.
Screenshot via Pioneer/Facebook
Required to shave off long hair
Additionally, Yap also had to shave off her long hair, a requirement she wasn't aware of at first.
"It was definitely not easy [to shave off my hair] because I had long hair before, and it takes super long to grow back to that length," said Yap.
Screenshot via Pioneer/Facebook
However, Yap also clarified that SAF did not ask prospective rangers to shave their heads to bully them.
Instead, the requirement was set up for "hygiene purposes," as prospective rangers will be out for a prolonged period in the field, and they will not be able to shower for days or even weeks.
Overcoming sleep deprivation was the toughest part
Looking back at her ranger course, Yap said that the toughest part was overcoming sleep deprivation.
"There are days that we didn't sleep at all for the 10-day mission. It's mission after mission, [so] you don't get to sleep. The only time you get to sleep is in our petrol base, where we have a shift system, or during planning when we take shifts. We can get maybe a good 15 minutes of sleep a day," recounted Yap.
Adopting an active lifestyle
In response to whether she was always so fit, Yap, who scored 100 points on her Individual Physical Proficiency Test, shared that she was part of the National University of Singapore's aquathlon team as an undergraduate.
Screenshot via Pioneer/Facebook
Till now, she would still swim and run during her free time.
Yap believes this active lifestyle helped her complete the ranger course, which requires "a lot of discipline."