A SALUTE TO THE BEST - THE SAF'S BEST UNITS

It is the time of the year when the SAF recognises its finest for the year. Join Staff Writer Terence Lim as he goes on a tour of the winning units to find out what makes them the cr me de la cr me.

My unit, my soldiers, my family 5th Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (5 SIR)

According to Commanding Officer (CO) of 5 SIR LTC Mohamad Fadzully bin Abas (below left), what won 5 SIR the Best Infantry Unit award was the "fighting spirit, determination and professionalism of my soldiers and my commanders."

It is clear that the bond between the personnel and him is strong, maybe even stronger than that between family members.

LTC Fadzully said: "I believe it's all about the people. It was the willingness of the individual to do well and be the best. That was ultimately the formula of success for my unit."

This is the unit's first win in 12 years and sixth award since its formation in 1968.

5 SIR's good performance in the operational evaluation by the Army Training Evaulation Centre was one of the many factors that clinched the award.

LTC Fadzully was pleased with the results but felt that the learning experience from the exercise was more important than the result.

"We found out what our strengths and weaknesses were," he said. "Therefore, we know now how to train better, and to use these lessons to improve the unit in the future. That was the most important take-away for that exercise."

CPL Tay Hong Kuan, a 120mm mortarman (left), recalled a particular incident that touched his heart and convinced him that the strong camaraderie and team spirit helped 5 SIR win the award.

"One of my platoon mates broke his leg during an exercise and one of our sergeants was very worried and carried him back to our vehicle," he said. "No one instructed the sergeant what to do but he just did it on his own accord. I was really touched by his action."

"In the Army, it's not just about training but about bonding with one another."

Back with a vengeance RSS Vengeance

How often have you watched a World Cup match with your entire unit? Probably never at all. But the personnel from RSS Vengeance did.

I was surprised when CO of RSS Vengeance LTC Lee Weng Foo (left) told me that his crew went to The Chevrons to watch England play Paraguay.

"The crew stayed together and watched the match till the wee hours of the morning. It certainly promotes the sense of unity," said LTC Lee.

I thought to myself: perhaps this fostering of camaraderie and cohesiveness was the key to RSS Vengeance winning the Best Ship award for the second time in three years.

LTC Lee confirmed my thoughts when he said: "People are very important. We make sure that the ship personnel stay cohesive. We participate in sporting events to cultivate that camaraderie, although we don't have to win all the time."

But that is what they have achieved yet again. LTC Lee said: "It certainly validates the effort that we have put in. It also shows that we have remained on top of the situation, the guys are proficient and the programmes that we have designed are effective."

1SG T Vicknesh (left), who was also part of the winning ship in 2004, felt very proud and happy that RSS Vengeance had clinched the award again.

Said the Weapons Control Specialist: "Everyone made this possible. The seniors are always there to give the younger ones encouragement."

"Although LTC Lee is going to hand over his appointment to another CO, the ship's culture will still stay. There is already a foundation. We will maintain the foundation and keep up with what he has left us with."

For LTC Lee, the quest for excellence continues. "Winning the award again does not mean it is the end, and there are areas that still need to be improved. Hopefully, when I come back from my studies, RSS Vengeance will continue to keep up the good name."

Ospreys rule the skies 140 Squadron (140 SQN)

140 SQN's motif is a pair of silver osprey claws positioned over the map of Singapore.

But while the squadron, which operates the F-16 C/Ds and has now won the Best Fighter Squadron for a record 10th time, has got its feet firmly planted on the ground, it is always sharpening its claws to face more challenges.

"We were second last year so we put more emphasis on areas that we were weak in," said its CO, LTC Vincent Leong (below left). "We planned our training for Exercise Hotshot such that the guys would peak at the correct time, and we organised games to train for IPPT and foster team spirit."

Exercise Hotshot is a weaponry competition that pits squadrons against one another in gunnery and bombing skills. It is also one aspect of assessing the squadrons for the Best Fighter Squadron competition.

140 SQN's Officer-in-Command (OC) MAJ David Lim (right) agreed, saying: "We lost last year by only two decimal points so we started our preparation one year ago."

What is it about 140 SQN that makes it a cut above the rest, I asked.

"There's no secret recipe per se but I guess what we believe in professionalism, sense of belonging and mutual respect are the three main things that contributed to us winning the award this year," said LTC Leong.

"There is always a conscious effort to interact with the personnel. We are like one big family," said LTC Leong, who took over the reins half a year ago.

SSG Tan Thiam Chye (left) from the Weapons Load Crew said: "We are really like friends at work. We help each other in our daily jobs, and this makes our work less tense."

"It's good to know that we have a CO whose handphone is switched on 24/7 and his door is always open for us to speak to him about any problems."

We love ICT! 6 Direct Support Medical Battalion (6 DS Med Bn)

I was told that this was an NS unit, so my initial impression before meeting the personnel from 6 DS Med Bn was that they were not tall, tanned and well-built.

But their attitude towards NS was truly admirable.
"NS plays a significant role in the defence of Singapore. If there is a chance for us to serve, we should," said CO 6 DS Med Bn LTC (NS) (Dr) Jason Yap (left).

The battalion's main wartime role is to serve as the link between the fighting forces at the front and the hospitals at the back.

LTC (NS) (Dr) Yap explained: "Essentially, we're like an ambulance brigade. We bring the injured back, take care of them and make sure they survive before sending them to the surgeons."

So what drives the battalion to win the Best NS Combat Service Support Unit award for the 10th time, I asked LTC (NS) (Dr) Yap.

"I think it's the culture. When new guys come in and see what the senior guys do, they will follow suit. In fact, the deferment rate is pretty low."

SSG (NS) Mohammed Kamil bin Abdul Raman (left), who is the Company Sergeant-Major (CSM), is one of those who enjoy the annual ICT stints.

He said: "ICT can still be stressful because we have to go for outfield exercises, but it is different from the stress we get from work, which is our rice bowl."

"The team spirit among the guys is great. There is a close bond between one another although we see each other only once a year. In fact, I like to go for ICT!"

The Rest of the Best:

Best Combat Unit:1st Commando Battalion (1 CDO BN)

Best Armour Unit: 46th Battalion, Singapore Armour (46 SAR)

Best Combat Service Support Unit: General Support Maintenance Battalion (GSMB)

Best Signal / Best Combat Support Unit: 3rd Signal Battalion (3 SIG BN)

Best Combat Engineer Unit: 36th Battalion, Singapore Combat Engineers (36 SCE)

Best Artillery Unit: 23rd Battalion, Singapore Artillery (23 SA)

Best Tactical Support: 112 SQN

Best Air Defence Artillery: 160 SQN

Best NS Infantry Units: 626th Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (626 SIR), 657th Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (657 SIR), 596th Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (596 SIR), 581st Battalion, Guards (581 Guards), 609th Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (609 SIR)

Best NS Armour Unit: 442nd Battalion, Singapore Armour Regiment (442 SAR)

Best NS Signal Unit: 6th Signal Battalion (6 SIG BN)

Best NS Combat Engineer Unit: 324th Battalion, Singapore Combat Engineers (324 SCE)

Best NS Artillery Unit: 278th Battalion, Singapore Artillery (278 SA)