SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW AT NDP 2012

Don't be surprised if on 9 Aug, you see a uniform-clad man bellowing military commands from the audience gallery at the Float@Marina Bay, where the National Day Parade (NDP) 2012 will take place.

He is not an over-enthusiastic member of the audience but the Parade Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM), Master Warrant Officer (MWO) Tamizh Kannan.

Unlike previous years where the Parade RSM commands from the stage, MWO Kannan will give the command to form up the Parade from the seating gallery, in the midst of NDP spectators.

One hundred and forty servicemen from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Home Team will then march out from four entrances at the seating gallery, down about 100 steps, to meet the other 32 marching contingents comprising SAF personnel, civilians and students from uniformed groups.

Marching to the tune of A Nation's March, a new song composed by Mr Syawaludin Kassim and members of the SAF Band, all these segments will come together to form the Commitment to Defence (C2D) march, introduced for the first time this year.

"The C2D March signifies our national servicemen responding to the call of duty and contributing to national defence," said Colonel (COL) Roland Ng, chairman of the Parade and Ceremony committee.

For Private (PTE) Chng Choon Hua, one of the 140 who will be marching down the seating gallery, taking part in NDP has been a positive experience despite long weekends rehearsing for the parade.

"It's pretty significant because I'm an NSF (full-time National Serviceman) so it's once in a lifetime," said the NDP debutant, who is currently training to be a navigator.

"All the different contingents have been practising together under the sun, and at the end of it, when you see everybody in precision and getting the timing right, you just feel a sense of achievement."

The Onward March, introduced in NDP 2011, will return this year. This time, 500 young men and women from 10 uniformed groups like the National Cadet Corps, Red Cross and St Ambulance Brigade will march up the audience stands to popular NDP song Count on me, Singapore.

"These 14- and 15-year-olds are our future, and I think it will be a very significant moment as the spectators watch them marching up the gallery steps," said MWO Kannan.

In another first, the National Police Cadet Corps will be part of the Combined Military Band, joining forces with the musicians from the SAF and the Singapore Police Force to provide the rousing rhythm that will help cue the contingents as they perform their marches.

Traditional parade favourites like the Presidential 21-Gun Salute and the celebratory rifle salute Feu De Joie, or the fire of joy, will also thrill the audience and the crowds around Marina Bay.

At the helm of this year's parade is Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) (NS) Clarence Tan, the fourth NSman to be Parade Commander at NDP.

On his thoughts about being parade commander as Singapore celebrates 45 years of NS, LTC (NS) Tan said: "NSmen comprise the main bulk of the fighting force that provides Singapore's national security. We are a large cohort so to be given a chance to lead this year is quite significant."

For more information on NDP 2012 activities, visit ndp.org.sg.