A heart for the people

When a Full-time National Serviceman (NSF) wanted to jump from the fourth storey, Master Warrant Officer (MWO) Jaswant Singh quickly rushed to his rescue - not with brute force, but words of concern.

It took him 20 minutes, but MWO Singh managed to get the NSF to calm down and got near enough to pull him back from the parapet.

MWO Singh recalled: "He was having problems with his girlfriend and wanted to stay out... His parents were overseas and he had no one to talk to."

The Command Chief from 163 Squadron continued to counsel the NSF and the latter's emotions eventually stabilised. Not only did the relationship with his girlfriend improve, he also completed his National Service (NS) without a hitch.

"It gives you satisfaction because you have done something useful for these boys so that they can continue on with their lives," said the 53-year-old, who has been a paracounsellor for 15 years.

For his commitment and dedication, MWO Singh was one of the 21 paracounsellors who received the Paracounselling Excellence Award at Temasek Club on 7 Mar.

Speaking at the appreciation event, Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General (LG) Perry Lim thanked the paracounsellors for providing the first line of support in the management of distressed service personnel, especially NSFs.

"Being a paracounsellor is a calling that requires personal commitment and sacrifices," said LG Lim.

"With your military background and training in counselling, you are best positioned to help these NSFs understand, navigate and assimilate into the Singapore Armed Force (SAF), so that they can contribute meaningfully, and gain tremendously from their NS experience."

He added that because of the paracounsellors' commitment to the well-being of their personnel, the soldiers are able to have the fighting spirit, determination and resilience to face the challenges of tomorrow.

Not all paracounsellors are military personnel though.

For fellow award recipient Defence Executive Officer Carolyn Ng, it was her unwavering concern for an NSF staff with autism which brought him out from his shell. The Head Personnel Node from SAF Personnel Hub (West) recalled: "The NSF could not blend into the environment and often had meltdowns in office. My staff and I did not know how to handle him."

Ms Ng, 36, decided to invite his mother to the office and worked out a timetable for the NSF to adhere to. Throughout the two years, both ladies would communicate frequently on his progress, and the latter eventually took up the role of a front-desk personnel in the office.

"Now that he has ORD-ed (completed his NS), he is working as a part-time salesperson in Challenger... and his mum is very grateful to the SAF," said Ms Ng, who has been a paracounsellor for four years.

Despite their good intentions, paracounsellors also face challenges. One of which is the issue of trust.

MWO Singh revealed that whenever he counselled servicemen, he has to discern whether they are telling him the whole truth, as most of them tend not to open up easily. But this spurs him on to spend more time with them.

His two sons, aged 20 and 21, are currently serving NS and he relates to the NSFs just as he does to his children.

"It takes time, rapport and trust to win them over. It may be time-consuming but these boys are an asset to the organisation. It gives me great pleasure to see that they can go on to serve their NS happily and that they know the organisation is a caring one," said MWO Singh.

He also wished that more paracounsellors would come on board.

"It's time-consuming and challenging but you may just be able to help someone. At the end of the day, it's a really meaningful role."