A CHANCE TO LEAD

Second chances do not come by easily. But 2nd Lieutenant (2LT) Muhammad Firdhaus bin Rezwan knows that, through sheer determination, one can indeed find second chances in life.

The 23-year-old was part of the obese company when he started Basic Military Training (BMT) in August 2013. Through motivation and discipline, he eventually lost the weight and even made it to Officer Cadet School (OCS).

Unfortunately, two months into training, he sustained a knee injury and had to be taken out of course in early 2014. Undeterred, he underwent physiotherapy and trained religiously for five months before being re-admitted into OCS in July last year.

"I was really disheartened when I dropped out (of course) the first time around. But my will to become an officer was strong because I wanted to sign on and serve the nation. So I told myself, 'alright, let's go for it again'," said the Infantry Officer.

Currently awaiting his confirmation as a Regular, 2LT Firdhaus did not find returning to OCS a burden, but in fact beneficial: "It was actually good for me: I got to improve on my soldier fundamentals."

2LT Firdhaus was one of 301 officer cadets to be commissioned as officers of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) on 18 Apr. Held at the SAFTI Military Institute, the Officer Cadet Course Commissioning Parade saw 240 Army and 61 Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) cadets receive their 2LT ranks in the presence of their families and friends.

Mr S Iswaran, Minister, Prime Minister's Office, 2nd Minister for Home Affairs and 2nd Minister for Trade and Industry, was the parade's reviewing officer. In his speech, he emphasised the importance of good leadership to the graduating cohort.

He said: "As their leader, you must lead by example, train them well and mould them into a cohesive fighting force You must imbue your soldiers with a sense of mission, give your soldiers a higher purpose for serving, and inspire them to commit to the nation's defence. Show them that they have something precious worth defending and lead your soldiers with courage, conviction and a genuine heart. Only then will you be able to earn the respect of your soldiers." He added that generations of SAF officers had served the country with pride, honour and integrity, and urged the new officers "to live up to this tradition of excellence and dedication".

Second chances were also key to 2LT Timothy Kan's entry into OCS. The 24-year-old had completed Specialist Cadet School and was serving in the RSAF as an Air Defence Systems Specialist. An opportunity to work with senior commanders in Exercise Golden Sands 2014 inspired him to push himself further.

"I saw how the senior commanders exercised their leadership skills and ability to plan for tri-Service exercises. I felt that I wanted to do something in addition to my role as a junior specialist, and contribute more to the organisation," he said of his experience at the large-scale exercise.

He was hopeful of the contributions he could make with this new role: "With my knowledge and experience at the tactical level, I feel that I can contribute more at the strategic level."

The Sword-of-Honour (SOH) recipient was also grateful to his course mates for their words of encouragement, in spite of his seniority.

"This award is not only for me, but my instructors and peers: without the instructors, this award would never have come to me. As for my peers, they were there for the past nine months to train with me, motivate me and push me along."

Fellow SOH recipient 2LT S Kurumbaesun agreed, adding: "It's because of the collective help and effort from my instructors, peers and parents along the way. It's a recognition of their efforts in making me who I am today."

For the 20-year-old Air Warfare Officer (C3 Radar), the parade was special not only to him, but to his father, Master Warrant (MWO) Sathiamoorthy as well. Having served in the RSAF for about 30 years, MWO Sathiamoorthy, Command Chief of Divisional Air Defence Group, was finally pinning the hard-earned epaulette on his son.

"Being a soldier and seeing his son receiving the SOH and donning the epaulette, it's a very proud moment for him. He told me that I must always remain humble because I got this award from so many other people's help," said 2LT Kurumbaesun.

Like 2LT Firdhaus and 2LT Kan, LTA Kadence Ang also found her second chance in the SAF. The 24-year-old Artillery Officer was always interested in a career in the SAF, but did not feel ready until after she had completed her degree in business marketing.

"It's my childhood ambition, but I didn't have the courage to sign on when I was younger. After working outside for a while I decided to sign on because I wanted a career that was purposeful, and I'll be able to contribute to this country," she said. As a former national team soccer player, she even gave up competitive soccer to prevent injuries that could hinder her work.

Not only has LTA Ang's family been very supportive, signing on and going to OCS have also helped improve her relationship with her father. She explained: "In the past, we didn't have much to talk about. But he's very passionate about the army, so now we have a lot of things to talk about. He wants to hear about all the exciting things that happen in my week."

As for 2LT Lucas Spykerman, National Service (NS) provided him with a precious second chance to discover his Singaporean roots. The 20-year-old had been living in England and subsequently New Zealand from the age of two, and only returned two weeks before enlisting into NS.

"The best word was 'sian' (fed up)", he joked at the memory of returning to Singapore for NS. "I honestly didn't know what to expect. I was nervous because I wasn't used to the culture or environment here, and I didn't know many people."

However, good commanders in BMT turned his life and experience around. "My platoon commander and platoon sergeant played a huge role in motivating me, because they saw how unmotivated I was when I first came in. I could do all the running and stuff, but beyond that, I wasn't willing to put myself out there. They helped to tap into whatever potential they saw (and) believed in me," he said.

The Infantry Officer also revealed that his platoon commander was the reason he went to OCS. "I wasn't interested in becoming an officer at the beginning," he admitted, "but my platoon commander sat me down and told me I had a chance to impact people's lives and influence them for the better. This changed my mind. I saw how much he impacted me, and so I wanted to help others who are in my situation (by sharing) my own experience."

After spending 38 weeks training closely with his course mates, 2LT Spykerman has gained new knowledge of his Singaporean identity: "Before this, I wasn't really connected to Singapore in any way, but now I feel a sense of belonging here, especially now that I've got all my buddies with me."