LASTING BONDS AND DECORATED CAREERS

They call them "Bao Sua Bao Hai" (Hokkien for doing it all). 

1st Warrant Officer (1WO) Ng Ban Swee and 1WO Ng Boon Hiong, both 47, earned the nickname from their initials, B S Ng and B H Ng. But they also prove that everything is possible with your best buddy by your side.

Since enlisting into the Naval Diving Unit (NDU) together on 2 Sep 1992, 1WO Ban Swee and 1WO Boon Hiong have taken on almost identical career paths, specialising in maritime explosive ordnance disposal and eventually becoming chiefs of the Clearance Diving Units.

1WO Ban Swee credits the calmer 1WO Boon Hiong for teaching him to bond better with his men: "When we were younger, I was the more hot-tempered one. (and I) wasn't close to my guys. He's the one with the good temper and… (he would) be there to tell me to calm down a bit." 

As for 1WO Boon Hiong, he is thankful he and his family have someone they can always rely on. "My family can turn to him (when I am on overseas operations) – that way I'm assured and I can focus on my job."

1WO Boon Hiong summed up the experience: "Twenty-five years doesn't seem that long (when you) have someone on the same side, with the same intents that are in line with the organisation's and people's needs."

On 9 Nov, they stood together again when they both received their Long Service Medals (Military) at the National Day Awards investiture.

The annual investiture, held in the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), recognises military and non-military personnel from MINDEF and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) for outstanding performance and dedication in service to the nation.

This year, 673 personnel received the prestigious award from Minister of Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen, Senior Minister of State for Defence Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman and Permanent Secretary for Defence Chan Yeng Kit. 

This included 110 Commendation Medals, 144 Efficiency Medals and 439 Long Service Medals. 

Commendation Medal (Military) recipient Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) (NS) Edzra Bin Iskandar has also had a long career in the SAF. He enlisted in 1989, and has been on the Reservist On Voluntary Extended Reserve Service (ROVERS) scheme since 2011. 

The Commanding Officer (CO) of 906th Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment first extended his service to see his men through to the end of their National Service (NS) obligations.

He was then invited to become the CO of a new battalion, which he happily accepted. "The opportunity to take a new battalion does not come easily. I felt that I could still contribute, because I had (accumulated) a lot of experience over the last 15 years or so. My family and employer were also supportive."

And the 47-year-old Head of Department for Physical Education at Bedok South Secondary is bringing the lessons from outfield into his school field: "Some people see NS as a burden that interrupts their lives. But when Singaporean boys go through NS, they understand why they serve. 

"I try to pass down this to my students, especially the boys. As students they need to know that everything in their lives is there for a reason, and it's up to them to find meaning and purpose in it, so that they can change and become better for it."

As for Military Expert (ME) 3 Ramanathan s/o Chellapan, the crowning moment of his 22-year career in the Republic of Singapore Air Force was when he helped to set up 811 Squadron (SQN) in 2015. The squadron provides operational engineering support and performs higher-level phase servicing of the Heron 1 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. 

As the pioneer Flight Lead of the aero-system and air frame flight (or department), he had to work with a lean team: "We had to think of ways to merge some of the processes to achieve the same outcome (and) even cross-train people to work on the different tasks.

"We overcame the challenges by improving our internal work processes and working effectiveness and efficiency."

The hard work and innovative spirit of the pioneering team paid off when in 2017, 811SQN won the Best Air Engineering Unit in the SAF Best Unit Competition. "It proved to us that by doing things in a different way, we were still able to achieve the outcome. I was glad to have played my part in it."

For his efforts, he was awarded the Efficiency Medal (Military). "It's heartening to know that our organisation reaches out to people who work hard and give them recognition," he said. 

"This efficiency award further gives me the passion and drive to do more and work hard in the organisation."

At an earlier National Day Award Ceremony held on 28 Oct, former Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General (LG) Perry Lim was conferred the Meritorious Service Medal (Military), while Chief of Defence LG Mervyn Ong received the Public Administration Medal (Gold) (Military). 

The ceremony was officiated by President Halimah Yacob. Forty-five other SAF officers and MINDEF personnel were also awarded Public Administration Medals at the same ceremony.