553 JOIN THE RANKS OF THE OFFICER CORPS

About nine months ago when Second Lieutenant (2LT) Fionne Lai first stepped into the door of Officer Cadet School (OCS) at SAFTI MI, she was a very different person.

Before signing on as a Regular Signals officer, 2LT Lai had been a primary school teacher. She is the head of her household as her father had passed away and her mother was working overseas.

On why she wanted to join the military, 2LT Lai cited the need to take care of her younger sister, and her passion for teaching and inspiring the younger generation. She added: "I was looking for a different kind of challenge, and I realised that it (being in the Army) not only tested my mental capabilities, but also pushed my limits physically."

She was one of 553 officer cadets who were commissioned as officers in a parade held at SAFTI Military Institute on 20 Jul. The reviewing officer for the parade was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

2LT Lai, who will be posted to 12th Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence battalion, hopes to lead the men and women under her by example, using her experiences within the Officer Cadet Course (OCC) to become a better leader.

Mr Shanmugaratnam had a similar hope for the newly commissioned officers, stating in his speech: "As a commander, you will have a role to play in helping your men understand and internalise the importance of National Service. Our soldiers come from all walks of life and bring with them different expectations and perspectives.

"As their leader, train them well and build them into a cohesive fighting force. Show them that they have something precious worth defending. Lead by example and uphold the highest standards of discipline and professionalism."

This message resonated strongly with Sword of Honour recipient 2LT Lam Mun Yuan, who will be a Logistics officer in 1st Transport Battalion.

What attracted 2LT Lam to sign on was the opportunity to participate in national events such as the National Day Parade, and Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief operations.

"All these events are opportunities where you get to be part of the planning or organising team," said 2LT Lam.

"It allows you to gain a lot of eye-opening experiences...because working on the ground with different people and different organisations is not something that comes easily."

Looking back on the previous 38 weeks, Ground-Based Air Defence officer 2LT Sim Jing En noted that completing the OCC was no easy feat.

One of the initial challenges that 2LT Sim faced was his poor physical fitness. He said: "My friends were always there to push me, telling me not to give up and to keep going."

"That small little motivation and small little push eventually helped me to maintain my discipline."

This experience has motivated 2LT Sim to be the best leader that he can be. The Sword of Honour recipient, who will be heading to the 3rd Divisional Air Defence Artillery Battalion, said: "I will do for them (the men under my command) what my friends have done for me, in terms of pushing them beyond their limits, to make sure they can achieve greater things."