MAKING DEFENCE THEIR CAREER CHOICE

People often tell Midshipman (MID) Charisia Ong's parents jokingly that with three daughters in the family, it means they will never have to send a child for National Service.

However, MID Ong, the eldest in her family, proved everyone wrong by taking up a career with the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).

Her parents were initially surprised by her decision, but her passion and desire to serve the nation eventually won them over and garnered their wholehearted support.

The 19-year-old Anglo Chinese Junior College alumnus was one of the 13 recipients to receive the prestigious SAF Merit Scholarship (SMS) from Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen at the Temasek Club on 18 August.

Dr Ng also awarded the Defence Merit Scholarship (DMS) to seven other recipients.

Introduced in 1983, the SMS and DMS aim to recruit top talent from each graduating cohort to join the SAF and the Ministry of Defence.

For MID Ong, the decision to embark on a career with the SAF came naturally to her. She saw it as a chance for her to do what she loves as opposed to holding down a job which would leave her desk bound.

"I developed a love for the sea after taking up canoeing in Secondary Four. This scholarship is a dream come true for me and the nature of the job is in line with my adventurous and sporty nature," she told cyberpioneer.

The fact that she is a female does not deter her. In fact, she feels that she possesses certain advantages because of her gender.

"I feel that being a female in the SAF will help me to bring a different perspective and approach to the table. Women have the capacity to be more emotional and sensitive and I hope these would be qualities that would help me to better understand and motivate my men in the future," MID Ong said.

For fellow SMS recipient OCT Chen Jingkai, who is currently a platoon commander at 42 SAR (42nd Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment), he decided to take up the scholarship in his second year of National Service, after experiencing first-hand the strong camaraderie forged in his platoon.

"The sense of accomplishment I feel after completing a physically challenging task with the support of my peers, subordinates and superiors is such a great and unparalleled feeling ," OCT Chen told cyberpioneer.

The 20-year-old, who will be pursuing Physiology and Psychology at Oxford University, said he greatly appreciated the fact that the SAF is willing to entrust someone as young as him with such immense responsibility.

"I feel honoured that the SAF is willing to place so much trust in me and this greatly contributes to my decision to take up the scholarship. I will be in charge of many men who look to me for leadership and guidance. There can be no room for errors," said OCT Chen.

In fact, he was so committed to the cause of serving his country that he gave up a place to study Medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

"National Service for me was a blessing in disguise as it gave me taste of what I really wanted out of life," he added.