COMMANDOS COME UP TOPS

Third Sergeant (3SG) Ho Shi Xian, a full-time National Serviceman with the 1st Commando Battalion (1 Cdo Bn), never forgets what his instructors tell him - In the Army, the Commandos are a special breed of men and we should strive for it.

Strive they certainly did, for they have achieved an unsurpassed feat of clinching the Best Combat Unit award for 19 times.

I think we won the award because all the men were aligned with the goal - the desire to do well and the hunger to get it, said 1 Cdo Bn's Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Luis Phay.

Commandos go through one of the toughest training regimes in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). They are elite troopers, trained to fight in specialised operations.

First to go into action and last to be out, the Commandos are well-trained in airborne and sea landings, helicopter assaults and reconnaissance operations.

LTC Phay said he was especially elated to come up tops this year because they faced stiff competition from some of the Infantry and Guards units.

He said winning the competition has become a tradition to the men.

For us, to be able to defend the title is to live up to what our Commando predecessors and other people expected us to do, he said.

The difficult part is always living up to the expectations because our predecessors have left such a good record behind. So the challenge is always there to live up to it, he said.

This is a challenge 3SG Ho (left) and the rest of his comrades in the unit are ready to face with courage and tenacity.

What motivates us is the red beret, said 3SG Ho. It signifies our motto 'For honour and glory'. These are four powerful words that drive us.

Introduced in 1969, the annual SAF Best Unit Competition recognises units that have distinguished themselves with sterling performances in combat readiness, operational excellence and administrative efficiency.

The units were evaluated over 12 months from 1 Apr 2004 to 31 Mar this year.

Other winners this year include RSS Resolution for 'Best Ship' a first for an Endurance-class Landing Ship Tank and 144 Squadron for 'Best Fighter Squadron'.

RSS Resolution returned in March from a four-month deployment to the North Arabian Gulf, where she participated in coalition maritime operations in support of the post-war reconstruction of Iraq.

As for 144 Squadron, the first Republic of Singapore Air Force unit to operate the upgraded F-5S/T, the award was long-awaited as it was exactly a decade ago in 1995 when they last won it.

President S R Nathan and Minister for Defence, Mr Teo Chee Hean, will present the awards to the winners on 1 Jul during the SAF Day Parade at SAFTI Military Institute.

For a full list of the SAF Best Unit Competition winners, see the MINDEF news release.

Best Ship: RSS Resolution in the North Arabian Gulf.

Best Fighter Squadron: 144 Sqn flying high in victory.