FROM BOYS TO GENTLEMEN

A total of 369 cadets graduated from the last Officer Cadet Course (OCC) of 2005 and were commissioned on 10 Dec. These cadets are the pioneer batch to complete the redesigned 38 weeks of OCC. The adjustment in training time from 42 weeks to 38 weeks came about as a reduction of National Service duration.

PIONEER spoke to four of the cadets.

There's no question about it. The Officer Cadet Course is tough.

For Officer Cadet (OCT) Rajendran Kylash, the toughest part of the course was his overseas training. He said: "We were overseas for 16 days in August. It was tough, but also an enriching experience. The terrain there is very different from Singapore in that it's primary jungle, which means there's very little sunlight. At night, you really can't see anything at all. We had to do a lot of navigation in our training. It was very challenging - mentally and physically."

Performing under sleep deprivation was the toughest for .

"One thing unique about the Signals Officer Cadet Course is that we get very little sleep. Under that condition, it's really not easy to meet mental and physical challenges. You will be making mistakes and your course commander will not be that forgiving. As a future commander, your men s lives will be in your hands, so being very tired is not an excuse."

Midshipman (MID) Charlene Tan had an additional challenge to face. She explained: "In the SAF, there's an added responsibility for female officers to prove themselves. We have to break the perception that females are softer and that we are submissive. In order to be leaders, we have to continually prove ourselves, we have to always strive for excellence in everything we do because people will be watching us wherever we go, whatever we do. We have to prove that we are not weak, that we can run as fast as the guys, do as many chin-ups as them. And also when we lead our peers in projects, we have to continually convince them that we are worthy of the job and that we can get it done."

S/O Balasuramanyam got through his gruelling six weeks of sea deployment where "you still have to carry on with the exercises even when you see others getting sick beside you".

It is through these tough times that the boys become men.

Said : "There's this saying, 'from boys to men'. I use to think that it's a clich . But now I know it's not. I have seen my friends around me. When we came in, we were just young boys; but faced with the realities of our duty to protect our nation, we came to realise that we're not only responsible for ourselves, but also for the lives of others. We are responsible for the security of the nation. With this in mind, we learned to take on more responsibilities, and it's through taking on responsibilities that we began to grow."

receiving his Sword of Honour from President Nathan.

In tough times, winners push themselves and trudge on with the support and encouragement of fellow cadets.

"The best thing about the course is your buddies. We survived together. We pushed each other along. That's a major plus point - the friendship you develop with your fellow cadets," revealed .

, and were among the six cadets who received the Sword of Honour from President S R Nathan who was guest of honour at the commissioning parade.

An officer and a gentleman

"I think OCS has done a very good job in grooming young men into gentlemen. They have learned to handle situations better and, in particular, when interacting with females, they are really more gentlemanly." Coming from , that's the best endorsement the male cadets can get.

"These changes notwithstanding, there can be no compromise on the competence, passion and dedication of the officers that the OCS continues to produce for the SAF."

President Nathan on the leadership qualities exemplified by the graduating cadets in the newly designed OCC.