GROWING INTO NEW LEADERS OF THE SAF

It was a bittersweet moment for 2nd Lieutenant (2LT) Mohammad Shafiq Bin Mohd Karmin as he watched his batchmates commission earlier this year.

Though he was proud of his friends, he was not standing among them.

The 21-year-old had pinched his nerve during his Officer Cadet Course (OCC) Professional Term – that affected his left hand and arm – and was put out of course. For 2LT Shafiq, who is 1.59m tall and weighed just 50kg then, a Full Battle Order would have been close to half his weight.

"I was quite sad and disappointed, and felt so physically and mentally incapable," he recalled.

The infantryman decided to buck up and bulk up. He trained up his endurance through running and cycling; and gained about 7kg.

He also credited his family for motivating him. He was inspired by his father who serves as a Regular in the Singapore Police Force; and wanted to commission to honour his late grandfather, who passed away early this year.

"My grandfather told me to put in my best effort in whatever I do in life," said 2LT Shafiq.

It took him three months to recover and he re-joined the OCC this June – a year after enlisting.

On 9 Dec, he was among 460 cadets to be commissioned as officers of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) at the SAFTI Military Institute.

"I feel quite proud to be able to stand in the SAFTI parade square after a long year… with my platoon mates and face our families and the president," said 2LT Shafiq, who will be joining 8th Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment.

The graduands comprised 368 from the Singapore Army, 60 from the Republic of Singapore Navy and 32 from the Republic of Singapore Air Force.

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam reviewed the parade for the first time as head of state.

Addressing the cadets, Mr Tharman said that the security challenges of today are complex and best resolved by strengthening defence relations.

He added that the strength of Singapore's military lies in its people: "As young Officers-to-be, you will have heavy responsibilities on your shoulders.

You have to build a strong sense of purpose in the men and women under your charge, and inspire them to believe in our country and armed forces."

Though 2LT Shafiq had doubted his ability as he re-joined OCC, he soon found confidence in his own leadership style.

"I learnt from the instructors that to be a leader is to influence (your peers) in your own way. I would try to lead by example and always give my all," he said.

For fellow graduand 2LT Jasmine Ong, the Naval Foundation Term at the start of her course proved to be her most challenging stint as she was also given a leadership role then.

"We were taught a variety of skills and knowledge, including navigation and seamanship. Having to cope with all the new info while adapting to the rigours of the course was new to me," said the 19-year-old.

All the hard work during her Naval Foundation Term and 33-day Midshipmen Sea Training Deployment (MSTD) was worth it when she caught the starry night sky while reporting for bridge watchkeeping duty.

"In that moment I came to the realisation that this is where I want to be," said 2LT Ong, whose father was also a former Navy Regular.

"Even though what I'm doing now may seem insignificant since we're still at our training stage, sailing on MSTD made me understand the bigger picture of what the Navy does.

"This hit home on what it means to choose a career as a naval officer."