It’s really awesome that, for the first time, those who have completed their national service duties, including all their “ORNS training cycles”, are properly recognised for their contribution. The announcement a little over a week ago revealed that these group of people will actually receive the most benefits, as part of the 45th anniversary of National Service celebrations, in a one-off initiative to recognise their dedicated service to the nation.
Other benefits announced in the past had mostly been tiered such that those who were still currently serving their duties were the most rewarded. For example, the National Service Recognition Award announced last year was tiered such that a person still in full-time national service would ultimately receive between $9K to $10.5K, while those who have already completed all their duties are completely left out.
I’d think if you had belonged to that latter group of people, you’d probably feel a little miffed.
The newly announced benefits are much smaller in value, but yet, I think it is a significant step forward to recognise the contributions of those who have already served.
The benefits are summarised below:
| NS Status as at 22 Oct 2012 | Benefits |
|---|---|
| Full-time National Servicemen | $50 worth of SAFRA/HomeTeamNS vouchers |
| Past statutory age and have not completed ORNS training cycle | $80 worth of SAFRA/HomeTeamNS vouchers |
| Currently serving ORNS | $80 worth of SAFRA/HomeTeamNS vouchers and a year’s free SAFRA/HomeTeamNS membership |
| Completed ORNS training cycle | $100 worth of SAFRA/HomeTeamNS vouchers and a year’s free SAFRA/HomeTeamNS membership |
Let’s not forget those who had also contributed to our nation’s defence!
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