THROUGH HELL AND BACK

From jumping out of airplanes at 10,000 feet to diving under the waves of the ocean, SWO Ben Wong has excelled in some of the toughest courses that armed forces around the world have to offer.

In 1985, a fresh-faced recruit got his first taste of military life as part of the 3rd mono-intake of 2nd Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (2 SIR).

Little did he know that 30 years, two vocation changes and a whole lot of training later, he would become one of the most formidable Warrant Officers of the SAF.

After two years in 2 SIR, SWO Wong jumped at the rare opportunity to be part of the Commandos formation.

On his decision to sign on, the current Armour Formation Sergeant-Major said: "I wanted to lighten the load on my family My dad passed away at an early stage of my life and my mom had to single-handedly raise the family."

He added: "I also had a passion for the army because my dad was a soldier. He gave me a lot of good memories of him wearing the perfectly starched uniform; it looked very smart to me."

Lean, mean fighting machine

His Commando training got off to a flying start with the Basic Airborne Course in 1987, followed by the Military Freefall course in 1988.

"It is very unusual to jump out of a (perfectly functioning) plane," mused SWO Wong. "Standing by the ramp of the aircraft at 10,000 feet, then freefalling for 47 seconds before deploying the parachute - you feel like an angel floating in the air."

After learning to "fly", SWO Wong had to master the sea. That came in the form of the Combat Diver Course (CDC) which he attended in 1989.

"I quite enjoyed it," said the 48-year-old. "The CDC really reinforced my understanding of safety This is because if we don't do the proper preparations, your equipment will fail you (when you're) in the water."

1989 was a busy year for SWO Wong; he also underwent the 65-day baptism by fire known as the SAF Ranger Course. The course, as he described it, "stretches you like a rubber band in terms of your combat fitness, physical fitness, and your combat skills".

He recalled the tough conditions he had to endure: limited rations that consisted mostly of hardtack, affectionately nicknamed "dog biscuits"; multiple Charlie Mikes (continuous missions); and a 13-day summary exercise marked by sleep deprivation.

To get through those arduous 65 days, SWO Wong told himself: "If all things fail, my heart will not fail."

Sharpening the edge

"When the winter comes to hell, only the strong resist the bell." This was the class motto in 1991 when SWO Wong underwent the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) course in the frigid waters off the Naval Special Warfare Centre in Coronado, California in the United States.

During the infamous "hell week", he had to deal with instructors whose sole aim was to break the trainees, while surviving on less than two hours of sleep over the five days.

Out of an initial batch of 157, SWO Wong was one of seven who graduated. "Today you see him, the next day you don't," said SWO Wong of the high dropout rate. He had the honour of graduating as the Ironman - the best in physical fitness.

Academically, SWO Wong has also excelled. In 2009, he graduated from the United States Army Sergeant Major Academy class 59. This year, he is part of the second batch of Warrant Officers to take part in the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College (Executive).

He joked: "Between burning the midnight oil to study and watching my Liverpool matches, I don't need to sleep anymore."

The ultimate challenge

For SWO Wong, his most memorable moment was in leading a team of 26 from the Commandos in 2003 for Super Trailwalker, a team race covering 100km in Hong Kong over rough mountainous terrain.

Tasked to complete the run in under 15 hours, SWO Wong and his team eventually finished in 14hrs 57min. They came in first runner up, beating over 900 teams which included Special Forces across the globe and the Gurkhas.

With such an eventful 30 years behind him, SWO Wong is confident he can handle anything that might come his way.

Recalling when he was posted from the Commandos to the Armour Formation in 2009, SWO Wong said: "It took me a while to accept the challenge; I knew nuts about Armour and had to learn everything from scratch.

"But I'm thankful to Armour for the opportunity... At the end of the day, a professional must be a professional, a true soldier must be a true soldier.

I took up the challenge and (I found) a pot of gold in Armour. (It's really like) a family, with a great emphasis on togetherness."

Till now, all who are SEAL trained live with this one belief - the only easy day was yesterday.
- SWO Wong on the motto that he still lives by