379 MORE JOIN OFFICERS' FAMILY

It was a plunge well worth taking - in more ways than one.

Second Lieutenant (2LT) Wee Cathleen, a Midshipman, conquered her fear of heights and did a eight-metre jump into the sea as part of the concluding phase in her Officer Cadet School (OCS) training course.

She was one of 379 officer cadets (OCTs) to be commissioned as Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) officers at a parade held at the SAFTI Military Institute on 23 Jan and officiated by President S R Nathan.

There were 325 OCTs from the Army, 40 from the Navy, 14 from the Air Force as well as four officer cadets from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.

Seven of the SAF cadets received top accolades as Sword-of-Honour winners.

Besides overcoming her fear of heights, 2LT Wee (left) also had to handle the mental stress of the training - another of her greatest challenges.

"For the physical aspect, if you work hard at it, you will be able to meet the standard required," said 2LT Wee, who was also one of four female OCTs commissioned.

"But for the mental aspect, there are more skills you have to master. You have to stay committed and know what you are here for."

2LT Wee hopes to do her part for Singapore by staying committed to her motivation behind joining the SAF.

"I didn't really see myself working in the commercial world and felt that I should be seeking towards a greater purpose in life," said the petite officer.

"I pictured myself working for the security of our country and I realised that here in the SAF, I am not only working to protect my country, I am also working to protect my loved ones."

For Sword-of-Honour winner, 2LT Vernon Yeow Zheng Hoe (left), a Weapon Systems Officer (Command, Control & Communication), the importance of teamwork was something etched deeply in his mind.

"There's a lot of coordination involved. Teamwork is very important because if I can't work well with my colleagues, it'll result in inefficiency," said 2LT Yeow.

"During my whole training phase, my course mates helped me a lot and we had to work very closely together as a team. One of the additional core values of the RSAF is team excellence, and now I'm better able to relate to this core value," he added.

The cadets earned their ranks after an intensive 42 weeks of training in physical fitness, military knowledge, and leadership.

After their commissioning, they will be assigned combat, instructional or staff appointments in the various units of the SAF.