DREAM OF OVERSEAS MISSION COMES TRUE

Military Expert (ME) 3 Long Lin Jun is many things: daughter, wife and mother. She is also a Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) servicewoman who dreamt of being the first female communications specialist from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to join Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, the multinational counter-piracy task force in the Gulf of Aden.

She was so determined to join the mission that she sought out her superior with this pitch, which she recounted with a laugh: "No female communicator had joined CTF 151 before... We girls need the opportunity to serve our dues too and help in whatever way we can!" The Deputy Head of Network Cyber Operations at the Naval Network Centre was also the first female Chief Communications on both the RSN's Frigate and the Landing Ship Tank.

As a Communications Assistant of the CTF 151 command team, 40-year-old ME3 Long was responsible for overseeing the security of all communications and ensuring that the team's communications back to Singapore were maintained.

However, her dream nearly came to a halt in January, when her father was diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer. As one of his main caregivers, she was torn between staying and going on the eight-week deployment, which ran from March to May.

However, she recalled her grandmother's words from 2008, back when she was participating in her first Rim of the Pacific exercise and had received news of her grandfather's passing.

"I called my grandma and asked her if she needed me to be back. She said, You have 30-over cousins, why do we need you? You should go ahead and do what you need!'" she recalled her grandmother's retort, which was the older lady's way of encouraging her to focus on her work. "When I thought back on her words, I realised I shouldn't hold myself back from this deployment. It's an honour, and I really want to do it."

Throughout her deployment in Bahrain, she kept in touch with her family and received regular updates on her father's condition, which has since stabilised.

For her commitment, ME3 Long received the SAF Overseas Medal on 21 Nov at the Ministry of Defence. The medal is presented to SAF personnel for their contributions in overseas missions.

Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen presented the prestigious medals to 116 servicemen and women in recognition of their service to SAF's international missions. They had been involved in the command of CTF 151, as well as the multinational coalition against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Addressing the medal recipients and their loved ones, Dr Ng thanked them for their good work in the international arena: "Each of you, through your professional bearing in these tasks, continues to fly high the flag of Singapore."

In his speech, Dr Ng also underscored the growing threat of ISIS and the need for a concerted effort against terrorism: "We recognise that the war is ultimately an ideological one for the hearts and minds. We need to unite against misguided teachings, strengthen community cohesion and establish robust networks of trust among different races and religions."

Fleet Commander Colonel (COL) Cheong Kwok Chien agreed, and felt that the opportunity to work with international counterparts provided a precious chance to learn from one another.

"That was a great training opportunity for us, great operational experience, because when we look at the conflicts and security threats that we deal with nowadays, we need to work with others," said the 43-year-old who led the SAF command team of CTF 151.

Although this was his third deployment to the Gulf of Aden, it was his first as part of the command team. He was previously deployed as Commander of the Combined Task Group.

Operationally-ready National Servicemen (NSmen) also joined the Regulars in the mission. One of them was Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) (NS) Mark Ortega. Then a Legal Counsel at Ezion Holdings, he took no-pay leave to join the deployment to serve as Legal Advisor to Commander CTF 151.

"I saw it as an adventure, a chance to serve Singapore, especially in what I've been trained to do, which is law. It was an opportunity, privilege and honour to be asked to carry the Singapore flag," said the 50-year-old, who is currently working at an oil and shipping firm.

He was also thankful to his Ezion bosses and colleagues: "Letting me go for the deployment was the best form of support I could have asked for. When I told my colleagues that it's the country that's calling, they were happy to support."

In summary, COL Cheong had this to say to the members of the command team: "For a country of our size to lead a multinational task force that covers an area bigger than the South China Sea (is) a testament of us. We did not just carry on a lineage, we made it better."