FROM DUEL TO DUET

They are identical twins but have spent much of their careers in rival camps - those of the Commandos and the Guards.

When you're competing against someone, it's only natural that you might not see eye to eye. By a strange twist of fate, a pair of twin brothers was caught in the traditional rivalry between the Commandos and the Guardsmen, elite units that battle it out in the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF's) annual Best Combat Unit competition. Imagine the fighting and perhaps jealousy that would come between the brothers.

From the late '80s to the '90s, Master Warrant Officer (MWO) Raman S/O Karrupiah (the older twin by 10 minutes) and 1st Warrant Officer (1WO) Letchuman S/O Karrupiah, were regimental quartermasters in 1st Battalion, Singapore Guards, and 1st Commando Battalion respectively. Logistics readiness is a component of the competition, and the duo was expected to lock horns and duke it out every year.

Compete they did, but here's a little secret: they actually helped each other.

"Yes, even when I was in Commandos, and Raman was in Guards, we shared knowledge (with each other)," recalled 1WO Letchuman, now a Logistics Warrant Officer at Army Logistics Training Institute. This was something quite unthinkable, given the intense competition between the two formations.

"Of course, our officers didn't like it. They knew I had a twin brother in Guards, and 'warned' me - jokingly - not to share ideas with him," said 1WO Letchuman.

"Our loyalties were still with our own units," added MWO Raman, who has since moved on to become the Logistics Operations Readiness Warrant Officer at 9th Division/Headquarters Infantry. "But we didn't compete with each other like the combat troops did. Logistics and combat are different; we don't draw lines."

The twins shared their best practices, and helped each other to fine-tune work processes. They even extended practical help to each other. Yes, the Commandos and Guardsmen shared resources.

"Sometimes during exercises, if I was short of stores, I could get them from him. And when he needed stores, I would support him. In those early days, we didn't have handphone or email, we relied on each other to get things fast," said 1WO Letchuman.

The duo, in fact, has been a pillar of support for each other since they joined the SAF Boys' School, a now-defunct military school for young boys, in 1978.

Beating the odds

Joining the military school was a choice made for them by circumstances. They needed money to support the family then - their father, the sole breadwinner, had suffered a stroke. And since they struggled academically - they took the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) thrice - their uncle felt that they would do better in a highly disciplined environment, and advised them to join the military.

He was right. Despite holding just a PSLE certificate till today, they have risen through the ranks to become warrant officers. "I had never dreamt of becoming a warrant officer. If I became only a sergeant, I would already be very happy," said MWO Raman.

One reason for their remarkable rise was their willingness to ask questions and learn from people who are better than them, even from younger, full-time national servicemen. "Don't know, ask; Not sure, ask. If you keep quiet you will never find out the answers," said MWO Raman.

He recalled that when SAF began using the computers in the 1980s, he didn't go back to the office for a week because he was scared. But he came back eventually. "I forced myself to sit down, look at the computer screen, and ask the educated soldiers to teach me. Whoever can teach, and has better knowledge, I'll learn from them."

Real experience

Even though the twins are logisticians, they have experienced danger and witnessed grave destruction in overseas operations. In 2001, 1WO Letchuman was in East Timor (now Timor-Leste) as part of the SAF's peacekeeping operations there. Back then, militia unrest had left most of the country's infrastructure destroyed.

Recalling his experience, he said: "We were in a theatre (of conflict), we had to carry pistols. There was rioting and houses were burnt, but fortunately we didn't meet with any danger."

MWO Raman took part in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operation in Indonesia. The widespread destruction and the overwhelming smell of decaying bodies are still etched in his mind.

As shocking and saddening as the experience was, he was glad to have been able to help, bringing much-needed food, water, tents and medicine to the survivors.

When asked to reflect on their SAF journey so far, the duo felt that it had been most fulfilling. Despite being 52 years old this year, they are still raring to go and hope to extend their careers as trainers. "Start together, end together!" said MWO Raman.

"We hope to (extend our careers as trainers and continue to) work together. Start together, end together!" - MWO Raman