OF IDEALS AND ASPIRATIONS - NEWLY-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS READY TO SERVE

The Prince of Morocco, in Shakespeare's tragicomic The Merchant of Venice, attempted to woo Portia by boasting of his "scimitar,/ That slew the Sophy and a Persian Prince".

These swords will do no slaying of any kind. They are, conversely, "recognition for hard work and effort" as well as "a symbol of inspiration first to yourself, as well as to other recipients", according to Sword-of-Honour winner (Air Defence Artillery), Officer Cadet (OCT) Yee Zhi Jian.

He said: "The Sword of Honour stands for a lot of ideals, encompasses aspirations, one of commitment, determination as well as the character that one can have."

This view was echoed by fellow Sword-of-Honour winner (Infantry), Officer Cadet (OCT) Lee Kwok Ming, who also served as the parade second-in-charge (2IC) for the Officer Cadet Course (OCC) Commissioning Parade held at SAFTI Military Institute on 9 Jun.

"The Sword of Honour is representative of the school and even the SAF. So whatever I do is an example of this cohort and also an example of Officer Cadet School (OCS)."

OCTs Yee and Lee were among 430 cadets who had successfully completed their rigorous training at OCS and were commissioned as officers of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).

At the commissioning parade, Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean said to the newly-commissioned officers: "While the SAF provides every serviceman with excellent training and equipment, it is ultimately their fighting spirit, their courage and determination to overcome all odds that will decide the outcome of any mission.

"You must imbue these qualities in your men, through your example and leadership, demanding from them the same high and exacting standards that you have set for yourself."

For OCT Yee, the Sword of Honour "puts not added pressure but added motivation. You have more drive to work harder and improve on yourself. It stands for a lot of ideals - commitment, determination as well as the character that you can have."

Some of the cadets have signed on as regulars in the SAF, like Midshipman (MID) Koh Guan How.

He said: "Ultimately, it's this kind of job that will make my life more challenging, more colourful. So I've signed on with the Navy to serve the country and also to have challenges every day in my life because every day in the Navy is different."