MOULDING INSPIRING OFFICERS

From an obese storeman to an army officer.

This is the dramatic transformation that Officer Cadet (OCT) Clement Chin has gone through in his National Service (NS) journey.

He has also emerged as the top graduand in the Office Cadet Course (OCC) for logistics, and received the Sword of Honour.

It is a great honour for me because I was a storeman before, and now I am an officer and also received the Sword of Honour, said OCT Chin, who will be posted to the Guards Formation as a logistics officer.

His was a journey of perseverance.

OCT Chin had dropped out of the obese Basic Military Training (BMT) programme due to a bout of pneumonia, and was posted to a transport battalion as a storeman. But he excelled in his second attempt at BMT and was recommended to attend the OCC.

He was among 542 officer cadets, including one from the Royal Thai Army, who were commissioned as Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) officers on 14 Jul at a commissioning parade held at SAFTI Military Institute. Of these, 441 were from the Army, 55 from the Air Force and 46 from the Navy.

Even though he could choose to become a combat officer, OCT Chin opted to be a logistics officer because he found meaning in his work during his short stint as a storeman.

He described combat logistic support as the back bone of the army which has to maintain an uninterrupted supply chain of ammunition, food, and water to the troops on the ground.

And having been a storeman before, OCT Chin feels that he can better motivate storemen under his charge to do their best: I can understand their motivations because I have been in their shoes once. And I'd like to motivate them and make an impact on their lives.

I would tell them, 'It's not about moving a few stores, it's about a bigger picture,' added the 23 year-old, who was 90kg when he enlisted for NS, but is now a trim 75kg.

SAF officers play an important role as commanders in developing a sense of mission in their men and women.

Deputy Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean, the reviewing officer of the parade, emphasised this point in his address to the graduands: Lead by example and demonstrate a strong sense of conviction in whatever you do Help them to adjust to life in National Service and to take personal ownership over national defence.

The message was not lost on OCT Afiq Shah Bin M Ismail, who will be a platoon commander in the Basic Military Training Centre. He wants to inspire new recruits to overcome their limits, just like what he had done at OCS.

At 1.58m tall, and weighing 50kg, OCT Afiq was the smallest-sized among his fellow cadets. When he was undergoing the Jungle Confidence Course (JCC), he struggled to cover 55km while carrying 20kg of load over nine days. But he succeeded because his course mates constantly motivated him to press on and offered to share his load.

I don't see my physical limitation as a struggle; I see it as a challenge, said OCT Afiq. I want to show my recruits that if I can do it, they can also do it.

The JCC is a component of the OCC which all cadets have to pass before they can be commissioned as officers.

Similarly, OCT Heng Tao Han, who has decided to sign on with the Air Force, hopes to make NS a positive experience for the men under his charge.

Being a officer, you are put into a position of being able to influence people. This is something that I want to do, said the 20 year-old who won three awards Sword of Honour, Overall Best Trainee and Best in Knowledge (Air Force, Ground-based Air Defence).

You should not only make things happen. As leader, we have the responsibility to bring out the best in the people whom we are leading, he added.

As for Midshipman (MID) Satyajeet Akhilesh who is a naval diver, he relishes the challenge of leading men in combat missions.

When a situation arises such that there is no clear instruction, you have to take the initiative, be able to take charge of the situation and tell your men what to do, said the Sword of Merit (Navy) recipient who has signed on to be a regular.

The parade marked the completion of 38 weeks of rigorous training at the Officer Cadet School. The realistic training conducted during the course sharpened the officer cadets' combat, planning and leadership skills.

The newly-commissioned officers will move on to assume command, instructional or staff appointments in the SAF.

Also present at the parade were Members of Parliament, senior MINDEF officials and SAF officers, as well as families and friends of the newly-commissioned officers.