Is it true then, that when its time to leave only do we feel reluctant? Time has inexplicably flown by in the blink of an eye, and now the wonderful days we spent together and went through trials and tribulations, thick and thin, have now only eclisped into a truly beautiful memory.

This is the story of the NCO Squad of DHSNPCC 2006/2007.

Barely 3 and a half years ago, the 42 of us stepped into this unit, some excited and eager, some reluctant, some bubbly, some reclusive, we never at that point of time understood the true meaning of friendship like we would go on to understand through our years together.

Trainings, the sweetness within the bitter. It was the times that truly brought us out of our shells to care and share for each other. The days where we endlessly urged each other to push on against the odds, cried and laughed together, united as one. We ran around the 正心园 so many times that we couldnt count anymore, but each and everyone bore true essence and testimony to heartfelt endurance, pushed on by the sheer fact that you din't want to leave your squadmates. Those times were loved.

And then, it all started when we were the Sec 1 Squad 2004. Those days of cute naivety, the very times when we spent our days after school running around oblivious to stares from the others, the dear minutes we spent creating our performance pieces for our swearing in ceremony, the times we had to fine tune our own telephone contact list?

It was just all that, we fondly recall the days spent on the red tiles in our old PT kit, swinigning our arms like stuck penguins just in order get our hand positions for marching correct, the times we sat down with our Sec 1 Squad NCOs and learnt songs we all laughed at, the times we ran and sang songs we all felt proud to sing. The times where we huddled in a classroom cutting nylon for our knots session because many of us forgot to bring them.

And than it was our first ever camp, we learnt more than we could ever do so from normal trainings, we learnt what we were really in, we learnt the true meaning of teamwork and camaraderie, to do things not for ourselves but for others, those were the days where our foundation of NPCC was drilled and set into us by our Sec 2 seniors and our NCOs.

The days werent easy, there were days when we got into trouble, days when we felt helpless to changes or events we werent strong enough to overcome. We were encouraged to get pass them together, and the satisfaction we all felt whenever we accomplished something are memories that will last.

Remember the first ever prize that we won as a squad? The Best Spirited Team for Rain-o-Shine 2004? The day where we all trooped to VS as spectators, but having our own morale so high, so vibrant that we actually won a trophy. The vivid memories of how loud we cheered at the sweet taste of success are images that will remain etched in our minds forever.

The afternoons in the blistering heat of the parade square where we onced got pumped as Sec 1s? The protests we all vehemently uttered because the ground was so hot, yet we all in the end chose to stick it out together.

Then, it was the first time we ever had to experience a Passing Out Parade. The times we practised for our "Underwater" performance, the songs we sang too? 咻咻咻. Also, the times we spent working our our dance and skits? Getting all the scoldings from our seniors because of our inability to do things fast?

We all felt an immense sense of loss on the day itself, when we all felt so upset that our NCOs who played such a pivotal role in ushering us into NPCC were leaving. It was the first time we ever wore our Full-Uniform. The mushroom berets, the overlong belts and the upturned buttons, all this we once commited, yet are things we all learnt from, like all that ever went through the system.

Suddenly we weren't "Begginers" anymore, we had so much more to deal with, more details to take care of, severly harsher punishments and ardously tougher trainings. Perhaps this was just part of our transition to our golden year.

We suddenly faced new leaders, new NCOs and Squad NCOs, the change was visible yet subtle. We found ourselves gritting our teeth and moving on, even when our warmups were changed from 15-15-20 to 50-50-50. We just put down our heads and hoped for the best. Perhaps those were the days when we really got to grow up that much.

Those were the days, where we moved on from knots to lashes, from lashes to tents. We strode onwards to advanced drill and marching formations, deviating from the normal chepat jalans and revolutionary pusings. We learnt to do slow marching with perfect synchronisation, and spent longer and longer times in the parade square pushing our limits, hoping for water breaks and bellowing till we were hoarse.

We groaned together, and cheered together, our morale was high till we thought we were on the top of the world, yet all those did not come in the blink of an eye, it took time and effort, as a whole, as a squad, to become tougher both inside and outside.

There were times when we thought of giving up, like times during the training courses, when our arms were so sore they could hardly move, yet we still had to pump again and again. We rejoiced when told our warmups were 10-10-10, yet slumped when told to count in decimal powers. Those were the days!

And of course, our changing parades. They gradually deviated from 10 minutes from Full U to PT Kit, to 6 minutes from Full U to PT Kit, and it wasnt even that simple, for we had to change to Half U, Quater U, Mufti and all sorts of formations that bizzared our young minds. But those were really wonderful times where we learnt get to know each other much better.

The 28 boys squeezing into the 1H toilet? The times we climbed onto the urinals to change, to joke and laugh together? The times we spent cursing the people who made us change? Or even the times we guffawed with explosive laughter poking fun at each other? The boots that would miraculously spring out, or the laces that refused to tie? The belt or button that would surprisingly be left at home? The badges or nametag or buttons that fell off into oblivion? We tried to help the slower ones, and applauded the fast ones. Yet we all stayed together till everyone was done before we ran out together, even if it meant we would be punished again.

We often came back late, and did the punishments without regret because of one simple line, that the strength and calibre of one squad is equal to the slowest inside. Even if we wanted to be slow or fast, we managed to do it together and we were proud of it.

The times spent with our backs straight and stock still in the Sec 1,2,3 porches? Waiting for our squad to report and commence? Or the times we held in pumping position in the porches singing 5 Hundred Miles, Training Like A Police, 我们的故事，小草，红蜻蜓，and everything else? Or having the andrenaline rush as we held it there, yet had to endure the sounds from the Lion Dance Troupe just nearby, or the music from the Band and the CO?

The beautiful memories when we went for LC 2005? Where some of us became group leaders, where all of us had to get together and become the ones striving to complete proposals for Pioneering, Flag Design and all? The labourious moments of getting our own 中一 juniors to stop sitting and start working, imparting the songs to them while brainstorming for our own unique cheers? The days where we went out to Beach Road or Carrefour to get groceries and supplies， yet ended up watching Hitch and taking neoprints.

The elation of winning, and the disappointment of not being good enough. The times we became the flag guardians to foregoed our sleep to safeguard our flags? Hiding our nametags and identities in our clothes or bags so our NCOs would not confiscate them? These little moments here and there proportiante to every key detail each and every cadet who went through DHSNPCC would lovingly recall.

Of course, the Nightwalk, the familar stories, the new stories that never failed to frighten us out of our wits? The lines and quotes that became ever so familar? The many scares during the walk, the pitch darkness where we only had our 2 companions for comfort, the way we held hands and walking, or the moments spent in darkness groping for our flags and nametags and identities? The very thing each and every cadet has to go through in this unit. Nightwalk, trademark of DHSNPCC, we loved yet loathed it, but would always fondly recall it!

Then, came our 2nd ever POP, yet it felt different, we were making a huge step, to our training year. During the day, we cried harder than ever before, and vowed to make so explosive a performance our NCOs would remember it forever. We made a glass symphony, a stomp musical, and the beautiful glove formations. Those were results of true hard work we spent formulating together! 江南, the song we sang for 2005... Some of us really bawled during POP, the valuable exhanges we had are what we will treasure for eternity.