PASSION SPURS THEM TO GREATER HEIGHTS

At the age of 53, many would have retirement on their cards, but not Mr Yeo Bock Chuan, whose wish is to work in his present job for as long as he possibly can - speaking volumes about how much he enjoys what he does.

Currently heading the International and Operations Law Branch as Second Deputy Director, under the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) Legal Services, the Master of Law degree holder advises MINDEF's policy departments on International and Operations law, on how to carry out military operations overseas within legal boundaries.

When asked what prompted him to join MINDEF as a Defence Executive Officer (DXO) in 1989, he simply replied: "Interest."

"When I was young, I was always interested in the military. Plus, I enjoy practising International and Operations Law, so my job allows me to combine both interests."

On 29 Jun, Mr Yeo was promoted to Superscale level at the 2009 Civilian Officers' Promotion Ceremony held in MINDEF. At the ceremony, a total of 154 DXOs, civilian officers and Defence Science & Technology Agency officers received their certificates of promotion from Permanent Secretary (Defence) Chiang Chie Foo.

Also among those promoted were Ms Ong Kaifen and Ms Tan Pei Yin, both DXOs.

A diversified job scope was what led Ms Ong to take up the Defence Training Award in 2000. At MINDEF, the physiotherapist runs her own clinic at the Soldier Performance Centre in SAFTI Military Institute.

Unlike physiotherapists in hospitals, whose job mainly involves seeing patients, Ms Ong is also in charge of logistical matters in the clinic. On top of that, she holds regular talks with the Army Fitness Specialists on sports injuries and advises servicemen on how to prepare for biathlons and marathons.

What she relishes most about her job is working on interesting projects with the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF's) elite units.

Having accompanied the Commandos on a 32 km walk in Pulau Tekong, and a free-fall training at Sembawang Air Base in 2006, she said: "Going through the training with them allows me to better understand the injuries our servicemen are predisposed to, so I can draft out better training programmes."

Like Ms Ong, what attracted Ms Tan to a career in MINDEF in 1999 was the prospect of trying out various job scopes.

"I enjoy learning new things, so after holding a portfolio for two years or so, I like to move on to learn something new."

Having held various portfolios relating to manpower research, National Service policy and project management, Ms Tan is now a senior manager of the Remuneration Policies and Research Branch, currently responsible for reviewing the pay framework of the recently launched Military Domain Experts Scheme.

"We need to be very rigorous in our analysis. We also need to be mindful of how policies are executed and communicated to our servicemen," she told cyberpioneer.

"But because what I do directly impact the lives of servicemen and their families, it's a very meaningful job, and it allows me to contribute to the defence of our nation."

What is next on the plate for the newly-promoted officers?

While Ms Ong hopes to take on more management roles, Mr Yeo's most pressing duty is to groom a successor. As for Ms Tan, she aspires to impact servicemen in a greater way.

"I hope to put out better policies that will benefit our servicemen," she said.