A Princeton University baseball player says that he draws on his days serving in the Singapore Navy when he is out on the field.

Max West is one of the catchers for the Princeton Tigers. He says that at times catching can be exhausting and that it makes him think of his time in the military during Hell Week.

"It is five straight days of sleep deprivation and almost continuous physical exercise,” he says

West says that it is an initiation that he endured in Singapore's Naval Special Forces. It is law that citizens of Singapore must enlist in the military out of high school.

West spent 2 ½ years on missions, but he says that his life was never in danger.

"We were aware that going to war was a possibility, but thankfully it was a faint possibility. And we were never required to perform any active missions,” he says.

The 24-year-old says that he would play baseball in his spare time. When he came to Princeton University, he earned a spot as a walk-on.

West’s family still lives in Singapore so he says that Princeton baseball has become his second home while he lives in New Jersey.

"It's honestly been the most important part of my life. It's what gets me out of bed in the morning,” he says.

West says that being a starting catcher for the team takes discipline, which he says is something he learned while serving his country.

"While it doesn't continue to affect my life directly in many ways, it is an experience that I do think back to quite often and that it helps fuel me moving forward,” he says.

West also wrote a big about his time in the Singapore Navy. He says that it was a best-seller in Singapore for about a week and a half.