READY TO LEAD

For Officer Cadet (OCT) Aloysius Ng, a promise he made changed his life forever. After one year-end examination, he had the dubious honour of getting the worst grades in class. That led to his mother, a single parent, being asked to go to school for an interview with the class teacher.

"It was embarrassing, and it made me realise how sad it must have made my mum feel. I promised to top the class in front of my classmates," said OCT Ng, 22. That was the turning point for him. "Clich d as it seems, that incident woke me up."

He went on to ace his 'N' and 'O' Levels, and got his diploma at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Now doing his full-time National Service, he has been offered an interview for the prestigious Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Scholarship, formerly known as the SAF Overseas Scholarship.

When asked what he will remember from his time in the Officer Cadet School (OCS), OCT Ng said: "For me, these nine months have redefined what it means to be a leader Leadership is about being strong enough to ask for help because a team is much more capable than any individual."

He was commissioned as an Infantry Officer on 17 Oct, and received the Sword of Honour from Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong, at the Officer Cadet Course Commissioning Parade held at the SAFTI Military Institute.

Speaking at the parade, Mr Wong said: "The SAF must continue to remain strong, because nobody else can guarantee our continued peace and security in the future. If we want to see Singapore flourish for another 50 years, we must ourselves defend Singapore."

To the new Officers, he said: "As (the men's) leader, you must help them realise their potential and inspire them with purpose. Imbue in them the right values and show them that our nation, our people, and our way of life are worth defending."

These words were not lost on the graduands. For OCT Vimalan S/O Gunarajan, he learnt the importance of making quick and accurate decisions. He said: "A good leader makes decisions that benefit the most people and make the most sense."

"Mutual respect is also important, I trust my peers and I treat them with respect," said the 22-year-old who has signed on as a Regular with the Army. He was awarded the Sword of Merit.

Describing himself as an "extreme extrovert", OCT Vimalan said: "Within the first week, I already knew all my platoon mates and some from the other platoons. That helped me to bond with them, and it was easier for me to speak to the others to get things done."

For fellow graduand OCT Asyraf Almusdaddiq Ibnu Reduan, his appreciation of the SAF grew after he enlisted for NS.

"I wanted to go to the Singapore Civil Defence Corps (SCDF) for NS," said the 21-year-old who was in the National Civil Defence Cadet Corps in school. (But) I began to realise that we learn other useful skills in the SAF, and it's not just all about war fighting."

"Gradually, I grew to like the training. Working with some of the best people in OCS also inspired me to do my best," said OCT Asyraf.

With five siblings, it was also the sibling rivalry at home that spurred him to do better. He received the Sword of Merit for his excellent performance during the course. Like OCT Vimalan, he has signed on as a Regular with the Army.

It was a similar story of a change of heart for OCT Tan Jia Jun. When he enlisted, all he wanted was to coast through NS. "The turning point came when I was posted to OCS. I made friends there, and worked with some of the most motivated people," said the 21-year-old.

Today, he is a changed man. He said: "Physically and mentally, I'm tougher. I used to shrug off difficult tasks but now, I am determined to overcome obstacles to achieve success." This determination resulted in him clinching the Sword of Honour, Best Trainee, and Best in Knowledge awards.

For OCT Florence Tan, she had to battle heartache and tough training in OCS. Her mother, who had cancer, passed away when OCT Tan was undergoing the Officer Cadet Course. She wanted to give up.

But she did not want to disappoint her mother whom she described as a fighter. "So I fought too," said the 24-year-old Artillery Officer, who completed the course and received the Sword of Merit.