11 Dec 2006 | MILESTONES
A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE IN OCS
STORY // Chen Wei Li
PHOTO // Roy Lim
PHOTO // Roy Lim
When Second Lieutenant (2LT) Mohammad Ismael Dato Setia HJ Mohammad Samid first stepped into the Officer Cadet School (OCS), he did not know what to expect.
As a foreign cadet from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, 2LT Ismael, at 25, was much older than most of his peers. The last time he had visited Singapore was about eight years ago and many things had changed since then.
"There was this feeling of doubt, whether or not I could adapt and blend well with my peers," he said.
But 2LT Ismael need not have worried so much.
Not only did he successfully complete his officer cadet training, he became the first foreign cadet to be awarded the Sword of Merit, for graduating among the top 10 per cent of his cohort.
On 9 Dec, 2LT Ismael and 432 other cadets were commissioned as officers.
Recounting his experiences at OCS, he described his intensive training, which included a 32 km route march and dining etiquette lessons as "a blast!"
In particular, he felt that the lectures he attended, where values in line with being an officer were imparted, were very meaningful. "I paid a lot of attention at such lectures and really enjoyed them," he added.
Despite the age difference, 2LT Ismael got along very well with his peers: "We gelled very well and I made very good friends."
"I even picked up one or two words of Singlish from them!" he joked.
One memorable incident 2LT Ismael had during his time with OCS was when he got appointed as Deputy Cadet School Commander to lead his fellow peers. This was one of the three pinnacle cadet appointments and he was the first international cadet to hold such an appointment. He had never performed such a role before, and was grateful for the opportunity.
"To tell the truth, my achievement has far surpassed my expectations," he said, "but the credit goes to my friends here who spurred me on."
2LT Ismael returned home the following day, but the experience he had at OCS was so positive that he would relish the opportunity to return to Singapore to train again.
"I would have no qualms about coming back to train," he said.
"The people at OCS want to make OCS a world-class institute. I believe that OCS is already world-class."
As a foreign cadet from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, 2LT Ismael, at 25, was much older than most of his peers. The last time he had visited Singapore was about eight years ago and many things had changed since then.
"There was this feeling of doubt, whether or not I could adapt and blend well with my peers," he said.
But 2LT Ismael need not have worried so much.
Not only did he successfully complete his officer cadet training, he became the first foreign cadet to be awarded the Sword of Merit, for graduating among the top 10 per cent of his cohort.
On 9 Dec, 2LT Ismael and 432 other cadets were commissioned as officers.
Recounting his experiences at OCS, he described his intensive training, which included a 32 km route march and dining etiquette lessons as "a blast!"
In particular, he felt that the lectures he attended, where values in line with being an officer were imparted, were very meaningful. "I paid a lot of attention at such lectures and really enjoyed them," he added.
Despite the age difference, 2LT Ismael got along very well with his peers: "We gelled very well and I made very good friends."
"I even picked up one or two words of Singlish from them!" he joked.
One memorable incident 2LT Ismael had during his time with OCS was when he got appointed as Deputy Cadet School Commander to lead his fellow peers. This was one of the three pinnacle cadet appointments and he was the first international cadet to hold such an appointment. He had never performed such a role before, and was grateful for the opportunity.
"To tell the truth, my achievement has far surpassed my expectations," he said, "but the credit goes to my friends here who spurred me on."
2LT Ismael returned home the following day, but the experience he had at OCS was so positive that he would relish the opportunity to return to Singapore to train again.
"I would have no qualms about coming back to train," he said.
"The people at OCS want to make OCS a world-class institute. I believe that OCS is already world-class."
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