CDF THANKS STANDBY UNITS ON NEW YEAR'S EVE

There is no such thing as a public holiday when it comes to defending the country.

While most of Singapore partied away on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, a group of Singapore Armed Forces personnel stayed on their toes as they performed peacetime standby duties.

To appreciate their contributions during the holiday season, Chief of Defence Force (CDF) Lieutenant-General (LG) Neo Kian Hong visited troops from the patrol vessel RSS Freedom at Tuas Naval Base, 3rd Battalion Singapore Infantry Regiment (3 SIR) at Jurong Island, and 144 Squadron which operates F-5 fighter aircraft at Paya Lebar Air Base.

During his visits, LG Neo presented the units with festive hampers and expressed his appreciation to them for diligently carrying out their duties, which helps to deter aggressors.

Interacting with soldiers from 3 SIR, he said: "When things are uneventful in Singapore, it shows you have done a good job.

"Singapore continues to prosper as a result of you doing your job well."

Expressing his appreciation of CDF's visit, Chief Warrant Officer of 144 Squadron Military Expert (ME) 3 Elangovan told cyberpioneer: "Not only does his visit boost the morale of the troops, it allows him to understand exactly what we do here."

He added: "Some of our NSFs (Full-time National Servicemen) have never met CDF before, so this visit was a great opportunity for them to see him in person."

While it was not easy for these personnel to forego parties with their families and friends to usher in the new year, many of them shrugged off the sacrifice as being part of the job.

Said ME2 Ang Meng Koon, a Weapon Load Crew of 144 Squadron: "We rotate duties during the festive seasons, so I'm not always the one who's on duty every public holiday.

"Besides, terrorist attacks can happen any time, so I think it's important for us to be on standby to keep the country safe."

And because of them, the rest of Singapore got to indulge in the New Year revelry.

Thanks, guys.