PM PAYS TRIBUTE TO PIONEER GENERATION OF SINGAPOREANS, NSMEN

When Mr Goh Lye Choon heard that soldiers from his unit were killed in the jungles of Kota Tinggi, the then young platoon commander's first reaction was to request to be deployed to the front line.

The Special Forces of Indonesia had ambushed a platoon from Second Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (2 SIR) which was tasked to protect Johor and Singapore.

That was in February 1965, during Konfrontasi or Confrontation, a campaign launched by then-Indonesian president Sukarno in 1963 to oppose the formation of the Federation of Malaysia, which merged Singapore, Malaya, Sarawak and Sabah.

The then 2nd Lieutenant (2LT) Goh was in Pulau Tekong, conducting training as an instructor. Higher command had earlier felt that the situation was not serious enough to deploy all platoon commanders. But that changed after the ambush.

His request was granted, and he joined his unit to retrieve the bodies of the casualties and to eliminate the enemy.

"When we found the eight bodies, they had all been mutilated by shots and disintegrated by grenades," the 73-year-old whose last held rank is Colonel, recalled. "We were frightened but also angered; we were determined to carry out the operation."

2LT Goh led his platoon to pursue the enemy, and force them into a hasty retreat. As they did so, the enemy ran right into an ambush set up by another 2 SIR platoon. Thirty six enemies were killed during the three-month operation.

His act of courage and selflessness was typical of many of his generation of soldiers who had helped to keep peace and stability during Singapore's pre- and fledgling independence in the early years.

Mr Goh was among 1,500 Singaporeans from the pioneer generation invited by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to a garden party to honour their significant contributions in building modern Singapore.

Held at the Istana on 9 Feb, it was attended by Singaporeans from all walks of life and professions, including Singapore's first regular soldiers and national servicemen (NSmen).

Paying tribute to the pioneer generation during his welcome address, PM Lee said: "You have contributed in many ways, big and small… thank you to all in the pioneer generation."

In his address, he made special mention of members of the Volunteer Corps for "protecting Singapore during Konfrontasi", and the Vigilante Corps for "keeping our streets safe from saboteurs."

He also thanked the first regulars and NSmen for building up the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).

Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) (Retired) Daljeet Singh was one such regular soldier. He helped to set up the SAF Training Institute (SAFTI), the School of Infantry Support Weapons, and an SAF overseas training facility in Brunei.

The 73-year-old said: "I had a hand in setting up National Service and training so many NSmen."

"To me, it's crucial and has not changed. In order to defend our sovereignty, we must have an army; without an army you can't defend your sovereignty; people will push you around."

On this note, LTC (Ret) Daljeet, who had taken part in patrol operations during Confrontation, said the recent decision by Indonesia to name a new warship after convicted marines responsible for the MacDonald House bombing which killed three and injured 33 in Singapore had re-opened old wounds.

"It's a sting which is very sensitive (for the) people who went through it and suffered," said LTC (Ret) Daljeet who recalled another bombing incident which happened at Tanah Merah, near his camp, which caused the death of a young girl.

He added: "This only goes to show the importance of National Service. In order to stand up (to others and) defend our sovereignty, we must have a strong army."

Singapore's first Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General (LG) (Ret) Winston Choo noted that since the bombing incident many decades ago, relations between both countries and armed forces had been good.

"But when they started naming the ship, it just goes to show memory is short," he said.

"We cannot always think that we will always have peace in this region because things can just turn. And this being the case, defence was a must, is a must and will always be a must."

This was a point which Mr Saman Bin Ismail, who was from the pioneer batch of NS enlistees, agreed with.

The 64-year-old security officer said: "The physical training was tough, but I endured and went through it because, as one of the first to enter NS, I wanted to show others that I could help to defend my own country as a citizen."

At the event, PM Lee also announced a Pioneer Generation package to recognise contributions of the pioneers.

They will receive extra subsidies for Medishield Life and outpatient treatment as well as annual Medisave top-ups.

Citizens who will be 65 years old or older by the end of this year will qualify. They include the first batch of NSmen who were called up in 1967.