RAISING OFFICERS WITH "STEEL" IN THEIR SOULS

Officer Cadet (OCT) Celestia Tan's family could not fathom why she would want to join the military when she told them about her career choice about a year ago.

This unconventional career route, however, appears to have paid off for the 20-year-old, who won the Sword of Merit (Combat Engineers) award after completing 38 weeks of intensive training at Officer Cadet School (OCS). She was one of 421 cadets commissioned at a parade at the SAFTI Military Institute on 19 Jun.

On her decision to become a soldier, OCT Tan explained: "I didn't want to be confined solely to a desk-bound job, so the army gave me a good option because you get to do a variety of things at different phases of your career."

"I get to chiong sua (literally translated as 'dashing up the mountain') with the men and lead them, as well as get the chance to take on an instructional and staff tour where I get to impart what I've learnt to other cadets or take care of more administrative matters."

Still, training was no bed of roses for this young woman, who will be posted to the 38th Battalion, Singapore Combat Engineers as a project officer. Despite being the athletic type who enjoyed playing football and other sports during school, "combat fitness" was something she had to get used to.

"Going outfield, not bathing for four days, carrying a heavy combat load and running", she reminisced with a smile. "My instructors expected me to deliver the same results as the rest of the guys, and it was a very challenging experience, but also fruitful and something I enjoyed."

Fellow prize winner OCT Pan Weihao, who received the prestigious Sword of Honour (Ground-based Air Defence) award, agreed that his nine-month stint in OCS has been tough but enriching.

"Prior to OCS, I used to be quite an introvert," he said. "But as an officer, you have to take up a leadership role and learn to motivate and communicate with your men, so I've grown to be less shy and more confident."

At the commissioning parade, reviewing officer Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean told the newly-commissioned officers that while "fighting vehicles, equipment, doctrines and tactics have transformed and improved tremendously over the years, the key qualities of an officer remain unchanged."

Referring to the words of the late Dr Goh Keng Swee, Singapore's first defence minister, Mr Teo urged them to be "self-critical, honest and tough".

"Only when you show care and conviction, match your words with actions... uphold high personal and unit standards, and have that 'steel in your soul' to achieve success in tough conditions - will you earn the trust and the respect of your men," he said to the 77th batch of officer cadets.

For Midshipman (MID) Soh Guo Zhong, the highlight of his training was the Midshipman Sea Training Deployment, where he was out at sea on Landing Ship Tank (LST) RSS Persistence for about a month.

"I think we form even closer bonds in the navy because we tend to be a smaller group compared to the army, and we're all stuck on the ship for 30 days, so we really have to live with one another and find out each other's strengths and weaknesses," he explained. "And through that we really understand each other more as a whole, and the tight-knit navy family culture really comes from there."

MID Soh not only received the prestigious Sword of Honour (Navy), which is presented to those who display the highest standard of leadership and exemplary conduct, he also nabbed two other prizes - Best in Academics and Best in Navigation. The twenty-year-old will be heading to the Republic of Singapore Navy's Headquarters Training Command as an Officer Under Training.

Citing his father - who was an officer in the Republic of Singapore Air Force - as the major inspiration in his desire to become an officer, MID Soh also attributed his Sword of Honour distinction to the firm support of his friends and fellow course mates.

Similarly, OCT Adi Asmai'l bin Rahmat was motivated by the encouragement of his loved ones to do his best in OCS. He said: "Whenever I called my mum, she would tell me to persevere, try on and work hard.

"I'm the first in my family to become an officer, so they're very proud of me, and I hope to be a a role model to my younger family members, who might be inspired to be selected for OCS one day too."