He did his Basic Military Training (BMT) not once but twice.

But that is not what 24-year-old Lieutenant Asher Ong was famous for during those five months he spent on Pulau Tekong in 2021.

Instead, it was his small, black notebook that he would pull out from his Long 4 camo pants to sketch in.

Undeterred by the no-photography rule, the graduate from Nanyang Polytechnic’s School of Design & Media continued to put his visual storytelling skills to use.

Whether it was waiting around in the live-firing range or resting in the bunk with his section mates, Asher would draw in his book whenever a scene caught his eye. At times, he would also journal in it.

A page from Asher’s original sketchbook in BMT. Source: Basic Military Training Centre’s Facebook page

The motivation was three-fold: to show his family what life in camp was like, to learn through taking notes, and to have a space to express his creativity in an environment that was highly regimented. 

This was soon noticed by his commander and publicised on the Basic Military Training Centre’s Facebook page in a post that went viral.

Shortly after, Asher was interviewed by local news outlets such as Mothership and CNA. In a feature by MINDEF’s Pioneer magazine, he was also called the “BMT Artist”.

Today, the renderings and reflections from Asher’s two BMT postings have been captured in a new book published by Landmark Books.

BMT Sketchbook was launched on June 30, 2024 – exactly a year from the date Asher completed his National Service (NS). 

The firstborn of seven homeschooled children talks about what his dad did to support him through the highs and lows, why the book was influenced by his mum, and how his siblings inspired him. 

Asher with his B1 BMT boys at their first book-out after two weeks of confinement.

You dedicated this book to your father. Can you share more about his impact on you?

When I was young, my dad was a teacher in a secondary school, but he would sometimes come home in uniform because one of his duties was to head the National Cadet Corps (Sea).

He would also go for reservist, so I would get the impression that he was in the military. I really respected and looked up to him. 

As I grew older, I realised my dad had gone to Officer Cadet School (OCS). I inspired to be the leader that he was, and I saw the military to be the programme that shaped him.

That focused my mind on going to OCS. However, when I went for my health checkup, they found I had a heart valve irregularity.

What did the heart irregularity mean for you?

It’s not detrimental to my health. But to err on the side of safety, I was put into a lower Physical Employment Standard (PES) status of B4. That dashed my dreams of qualifying for OCS.

It was a very frustrating few months. As soon as I got my PES status, I started to push to upgrade my PES status to B1 (combat fit). I did a half marathon, and I was fine. I challenged myself as I knew I was fit enough.

It was a very frustrating feeling – the sense of not being in control of where you are at, when your aspirations are beyond what you are assigned to.

Not to say that I thought I was better than other people, but I really felt very out of place with the boys that I was classified with. It was very discouraging.

The first few months leading up to BMT and during BMT were hard. But my dad was really there. 

Growing up, Asher always inspired to be like his dad whom he saw as a protector and provider.

How did your dad journey with you through that discouragement?

I didn’t feel like I was doing all of this alone. I would be able to call home, talk to him and get some grounding again.

There was once or twice I was crying on the phone. He didn’t say: “Don’t be like that.” He was listening. He held space for me. 

My dad also grounded me in God’s truth – that God has a plan, it would work out in the end, and to just do my best wherever I was.

He would give me verses such as, “all things work together for good” and “in everything give thanks”. 

Having someone pray for you and intercede with you over a call is really different than just saying: “I prayed for you.”

Knowing that you’re loved through prayer, that you’re being brought to God before prayer, gives one a sense of peace.

Even though I felt out of place, I knew I was still accepted in His presence and by the people whom I love and who love me. 

Were you already close to your father before you enlisted?

I have a very close relationship with my dad. When I was going through the changes of puberty (around 12-14 years old), he took a reduced workload to spend more time with me. 

Rather than just instruction and “I tell you what to do, you do”, he really got to know me and my six siblings. In that way, he led with love.

He knows me; he knows the way I think. So when I say things like “I want to give up. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to go back in”, he knows that’s just me in the moment of my emotions.

He knows what I’m capable of because he has seen me when I’m strong and weak.

When a father or a parent builds the relationship to that level, when they say words like “No, I know you can get through this. I’ve seen you do that before”, that gives you a certain confidence and encouragement.

It was not like overnight he said: “Okay, I’m going to help you now. I’m going to be there for you.”

He already did the groundwork before the challenges occurred. You don’t wait for the hardest time to suddenly show up.

You have to be consistent in practising that ministry of listening, of grounding in truth, so that when push comes to shove, when the tyre meets the road, there’s that history.

It doesn’t come overnight. It’s consistency, discipline and ownership – ownership over what it means to be a father, to be a leader, to build that trust.

As a young adult now, Asher (far right, during his sister’s 21st birthday) reflects on how he is a beneficiary of what his parents have sowed into his life all these years.

How about your mum’s role?

It’s a different set of memories with her. She’s the comforter – the one who nurtures and loves. 

But she also made me the maverick I am. I’m always challenging: Do I really need to do things this way? 

That’s why people would say: “Wah… that’s so unconventional. Why are you drawing when everybody is just sitting down and fiddling their thumbs?”

People were waiting to rush, and rushing to wait. But I wasn’t waiting – I was drawing, thinking and learning. That really did help to make my experience more in-depth rather than superficial.

When you choose to have the attitude of learning and to be intentional, you grow much more.

You don’t have to take “no” for an answer – that’s what I learnt from my mum. She would always try to find a way. Even if you say “no”, I’ll say: “Okay, but how about that?”.

When I was in B4 BMT, my mindset was that I’m training as if I’m going to go to OCS. The door is still closed, but I’m prepared to run through it when the door opens.

I was still learning even though I felt I had no opportunity.

So your attitude towards learning was shaped by your mum?

My mum is always thinking of a new business opportunity, learning something new or doing something new with her hands.

Being a self-directed learner came from her example and the things that she found interest in, such as baking and sewing.

She would say: “I like to bake. How about I make wedding cakes? I don’t know how to do that, but I’m going to try anyway.”

A lot of it is the mindset that you’re not afraid to fail. If you do fail, you embrace failure as a lesson. It’s like: “Okay, I’m not defined by my failure. I can learn through that experience.”

Whatever I have created for this book is a product of many failures, of many other books that never got published and never saw the light of day. This is just a product of practice. 

I also write because of my mum. She used to blog, and still blogs about homeschooling. She collects funny things, and I collect funny things too. 

There’s something about being an artist, a collector and a curator. This book is more anthological. It’s not a very sequenced narrative.

Asher with Landmark Books’ publisher Goh Eck Kheng who helped to put together a small exhibition during the launch of BMT Sketchbook. Asher’s seven sketchbooks were on display, in addition to artefacts he had collected throughout his NS.

You described your mum as your comforter. Did that help you to get through BMT too?

I find that the role of the mother changes throughout a boy’s life. In the beginning, I would go to my mum much more, but as I grew up it phased out in some sense.

In BMT, I would go to my dad more because my mum couldn’t really understand what I was going through. Some boys are “mama’s boys” – that’s not wrong – but I wouldn’t say I’m one. 

For me, what I wanted was the strength of my father to ground me, not the comfort of my mother. I didn’t want to be comforted. I wanted to be pep-talked.

That’s not to say that my mum did not have a role in my life at that point – I just didn’t need her the way I needed my dad at that point in time.

It’s also like the relationship we have with God at different moments of life.

Sometimes we need to be disciplined by the Father, sometimes we need to be comforted by the Holy Spirit, and sometimes we need to have a friend in Jesus when we feel so broken and need to be understood.

You also reference your siblings in your book. Can you tell us about your relationship with them?

I talk to them about my experiences and frustrations. But at the same time I have to remember that I’m the firstborn and they’re looking up to me.

That also framed my mindset in BMT – that I have to do this for them too.

When I went to B1 BMT, I was able to do my  Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) again, and I would dedicate each one to them. My first IPPT was to the youngest one, then to the next older one and so on.

I would make the experience very personal – I’m challenging myself, I’m pushing myself so that I can be better for them, I have to be the best to protect them.

That’s something that (the commanders) also tell you at the beginning. You must know why you do it. You choose to challenge yourself for your family.

To me, that’s the core of what it means to go from “ah boy to man” – when you’re doing it for somebody else.

Asher is glad he has been able to share about his experiences with his younger siblings. His brother Isaac (in white) just entered BMT last week – one day after Asher’s own enlistment three years ago.

There’s another person you credited in your book. Can you share more about your mentor?

The B4 BMT boys were not allowed to run inside camp. So I thought: When can I run? Who can I run with? Then I saw Song Leng posting about running and asked if he wanted to run together.

We would meet at the pond near Khoo Teck Puat hospital on Saturday mornings. It would be more of a recovery, 7km slow run because he would wake up in the morning to run and then go to take care of his kids.

I know Song from my previous church. The nice thing is that Song is also a regular, so he knows how the system works and why things work in a certain way.

I would be frustrated about certain things, but he would be like: “Oh yeah, this happens because of that.”

People know Song for his relationship with God. That’s also what I wanted to have.

We talked about our relationship with God on our runs. Usually either of us would start with this question: “What have you been learning?”

He was there through it all from B4 BMT to B1 BMT, OCS, getting into a relationship… We would talk about fathering, purpose, leadership, how to take care of a woman, how do you relate to other people and all sorts of things.

It’s good to find relevant mentors to grow through the journey with you. You always run with people who are stronger than you and learn from people who are ahead of you. 

I had backslidden from God during my time in polytechnic. But God humbled me, and I came back to Him. I went into military right after I was recovering from my backsliding. 

I’m really thankful and honoured that Song saw something in me and wanted to invest in me.

During the launch of BMT Sketchbook, a panel comprising men from different generations shared about their BMT experiences. Asher’s mentor, Lau Song Leng (far right), was also among the speakers.

You mentioned that you were rebuilding your relationship with God at that time. How was your faith during BMT?

That was the closest I had ever felt to God. Everything that I had learnt when I was young – the seeds that were sowed by my parents, school and church – came back.

All the verses that I wrote in my book were from the depths of my childhood. I would just remember a certain word or phrase.

I would wake up a little bit earlier in the morning and pray: “Lord, what do You want to remind me of today?” It would just come, and I would write it out. 

I would recall something like “I shall come forth as gold”, then I would search it up and it would take me to Job 23:10. I would keep it with me, and that would be enough for each day.

It’s from the grounding I had. When we were going through a hard time, what my parents would give us is not their own thoughts but the words of God.

As the Bible says: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

After five months of BMT, Asher did eventually secure a spot in OCS. At his Commissioning Parade, he led his Artillery batch as the Contingent Commander (front row, without beret).

What advice would you give to other Christian parents with sons serving in NS?

Just point them to God. They will feel trapped and very powerless. They have no more autonomy. But truth is what sets them free.

Pray together with them, share verses with them. They will feel very alone. So when they book out, take time to talk and listen to them. 

It’s also their journey of becoming independent, and sometimes they need more from their father than their mother during this time. At least for me, I felt like I benefitted so much more from spending time with my father.

For those who have the privilege of having the father around, I think the mother should give space for the father to father. I feel mothers should also encourage fathers to hold that space for their sons in this time that only fathers can relate to.

For fathers, I think it’s a time to step up. God has given you an opportunity to minister in a way that’s uniquely yours.

(Your sons) need a strong pat on the back and to have a sense of purpose and direction, rather than just being comforted.

It’s not wrong. There’s a time and place for that. But I feel if they lean into the comfort, then it doesn’t reflect where they need to be at that moment.

You need to emphasise on strength when they need to be strong. If not, they’re not going to be strengthened to face the challenges.

Even in the Book of Joshua, before the men went to war, they were told to “be strong and of good courage”.  It’s a time to be strong. 

Asher is currently pursuing architectural studies in London as a Building & Construction Authority scholar.

After serving in B4 BMT from June-August 2021, he managed to upgrade his PES status to B1 when a test confirmed that his heart irregularity was within regular parameters.

Although that meant having to do BMT again from August-December 2021, Asher did fulfil his dream of being posted to OCS. His drawing skills also came in handy when he was trained as a Forward Observer in the Artillery.

Those who have done BMT will connect with the moments of everyday life that have been captured by Asher in his new book, while anyone who wants an insight into what generations of Singaporean men have gone through will certainly learn something new.

Fun fact: What you see in BMT Sketchbook is merely content from two out of the seven sketchbooks Asher had filled up by the end of his military training!

For more details, head over to the BMT Sketchbook’s Facebook page.

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