TOMBOY AT HEART

Most girls are into fashion and beauty, but not Military Expert (ME) 2-1 Rain Teo. In fact, the self-confessed tomboy cringed when she had to wear a feminine dress for this photo shoot. The 26-year-old clearly prefers a tank top and jeans, her usual outfit when riding her Honda Super Four motorbike.

She is into sporty stuff and doesn't mind getting her hands dirty. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to stand a desk-bound job, ME2-1 Teo chose to study marine engineering at Singapore Polytechnic. She was one of only three girls in her cohort. That perhaps explains why she felt very much at home when she joined the Navy in
2009.

Her most cherished moment on the job so far? Spending 14 weeks in the Gulf of Aden for a counter-piracy operation in 2012.

"It's just your crew with you when you are out at sea. They are like my family, the ones who share my happiness and problems," she said.