SAF PERSONNEL HONOURED FOR QUAKE RELIEF AID IN CHRISTCHURCH

"We help out in whatever way we can."

1st Sergeant (1SG) Lee Guoli said this on 28 Feb, as he and his men helped their New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) counterparts distribute purified water at a residential suburb in Christchurch.

With those simple words, 1SG Lee summed up the can-do spirit of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) troops deployed to Christchurch, New Zealand to provide assistance in the aftermath of the 22 Feb earthquake which shook the city.

They had been taking part in a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise with the NZDF when the earthquake struck, and were subsequently deployed to help in the relief efforts in Christchurch.

For their contributions to the earthquake relief operations in Christchurch, 150 SAF personnel were presented the Overseas Service Medal (OSM) by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean on 8 Apr.

"As a responsible member of the international community, Singapore stands ready to assist our friends in times of crisis in whatever way we can," said Mr Teo at the OSM presentation ceremony held at the SAFTI Military Institute.

Medal recipient Major (MAJ) Xu Youfeng, who was the commander on the ground in New Zealand, recounted what happened after he was notified that the SAF would be assisting the local authorities. "A few of the men came up to me to ask if there was any way they could help," he said.

"They performed extremely well, and impressed their counterparts with their maturity and the sensitivity with which they carried out their duties," added MAJ Xu.

A 116-man team conducted cordon operations around the worst affected city centre, removed debris in the suburbs and set up water purification units and tents.

One of these men was Full-time National Serviceman (NSF) Lance Corporal Goomagan Rajendran from 3rd Battalion, Singapore Guards. He said: "It's not often that we get such an opportunity to help others. It was a chance to apply our training, and through interacting with the locals, I've learnt to be more tactful and how to communicate clearly with others."

In addition, the Republic of Singapore Air Force RSAF) deployed two C-130 transport aircraft to airlift relief supplies and evacuate civilians from the disasters areas. "We evacuated some 160 civilians in the 14 flights we conducted there," said Captain (CPT) Chew Chuen Hee, a C-130 pilot.

"This wasn't the first time we had worked with the Royal New Zealand Air Force, as we train and interact with them regularly," said CPT Chew. "We knew how each other worked, and the operations went smoothly right from the start."

SAF medical officers who provided primary healthcare and assisted in forensics work were also honoured at the ceremony. A five-man Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team, led by Colonel (COL) (Dr) Tan Peng Hui, provided forensics dentistry, fingerprinting and DNA analysis expertise to the local authorities.

Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General Neo Kian Hong, Chief of Air Force Major-General Ng Chee Meng, Chief of Army Brigadier-General Ravinder Singh, as well as senior officers from the SAF and family members of the medal recipients were also present at the ceremony.