KEEPING UP MILITARY TRADITIONS - THE SAF'S 'DINING-IN'

On 18 Nov, officers and warrant officers from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Medical Corps came together for their biennial Dining-in.

The SAF's Dining-in is a formal military function steeped in tradition where officers, decked up in their mess kits or more commonly known as the 'Number 2' dress, observe proper dining etiquette and maintain the highest standards of conduct, behaviour and manners.

Chief Army Medical Officer Colonel (Dr) Teo Kwang Joo, chairman of the organising committee for this year's Medical Corps dining-in, explained that the occasion was a good opportunity for officers to meet socially in a formal function.

"Not just active officers but our NSmen, we all come together and it s a time when we renew our esprit de corps," said COL (Dr) Teo.

He added that the dining-in is popular among the officers because "dinner and dance functions are just about sitting down, eating and going home".

"Dining-in reminds us that we are still part of an organisation, the SAF".

Military dining-in is characterised by a sequence of activities. The first and second bugle calls, which prompt members and the Very Important Persons respectively to enter the dining room, the marching in and out of the colours, the toast to the President and post-dinner activities.

The SAF Medical Corps dining-in, however, distinguished itself from other military dining-in with the singing of the Medical Corps song 'The Medics of the Field'. This singing segment is a personal favourite of COL (Dr) Teo.

For others, their favourite segment is the informal post-dinner activities. This is where the officers drop all the formalities and take part in games and singing.

Second Warrant Officer (2WO) Zainal Abidin has been attending dining-in functions since 1999. Each time, he looks forward to the singing part of the post-dinner activities.

"I like the karaoke part because you seldom get to see your officers singing in front of you," said 2WO Zainal.

"It ends the night on a high note," added COL (Dr) Teo. "People go back feeling very positive and they really enjoy themselves."

One of the highlights of the dining-in is the loyal toast to the President. In this segment, the chairman of the dining-in organising committee knocks the dining table thrice with a mallet and says "Mr Vice, the President."

Then, 'Mr Vice', who is usually the youngest officer in the dining-in, proposes a toast to the President by saying: "Ladies and gentlemen, please rise. May I now propose a toast to the President of the Republic of Singapore."

After which, the national anthem is played and Mr Vice proceeds to raise his glass of port wine and say: "To the President."

All other guests present will raise their glasses and repeat "The President" and sip some wine.

In every SAF Medical Corps dining-in, there will be awards given to the various Combat Support Hospitals (CSH) for competitions like 'Best Shooting and 'Best CSH'.

However, the most 'notorious' award is the Rubber Chicken award. As COL (Dr) Teo explained, the idea behind this award is for commanding officers to get as many personnel from their CSH to attend the dining-in - to "stretch the rubber chicken" as much as possible. This award will be given to the CSH with the highest attendance of personnel at the dining-in.

For the record, 3 CSH took home the Rubber Chicken this year.

Report by Chen Wei Li
Photos by Lum Ngia

Officers and cadet lieutenants (CLT) of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) had their very own dining-in on 29 Nov.

The 3rd NCC dining-in, held at SAFTI Military Institute, was distinctive because for the first time, parents were invited for the function as well.

According to Dr Arthur Beng, Chairman of the NCC Council, people who are not part of the military rarely get the chance to attend a dining-in.

However, their presence at the NCC dining-in was significant for another reason.

"You can imagine the amount of encouragement that the parents, having experienced this, will give to their sons and daughters," said Dr Beng. "Especially if their children should decide to join the SAF in future or when they go in for their basic military training."

Apart from the parents, Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General Ng Yat Chung and other senior SAF officers were present as well.

For cadet trainee Ameer Hassan, it was "an opportunity of a lifetime to be able to interact with SAF officers" after the dining-in.

"It was a great pleasure to meet them," he said.

Ameer, who has been thinking about his future career, said he hopes to become a pilot with the Republic of Singapore Air Force.

And this NCC dining-in has helped him reach that decision.

"It gives me a better view of military life," said Ameer, who has been with the NCC for four years.