SAF ARTILLERY UNIT THRILLS STUDENTS WITH TOTAL DEFENCE DISPLAY IN SCHOOL

It was an unusual sight for students of Manjusri Secondary School as over 90 soldiers from 20th Battalion, Singapore Artillery (20 SA) thronged the sprawling grounds of their campus along Ubi Avenue 1 on 10 Feb.

The servicemen from 20 SA were making their debut appearance on the school compound alongside their military hardware as part of a Total Defence display organised by the artillery unit, 1st Transport Battalion, Supply Hub East and Manjusri Secondary School.

While some students tried their hands at face camouflaging, others sampled some of the combat rations that soldiers of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) consume during field training. Among the small arms on display included the M16 rifle and the SAR 21 (Singapore Assault Rifle 21). The youths even had the chance to get up close and personal with a Field Howitzer 2000 (FH 2000), a FH 88, a mobile field kitchen and a battalion casualty medical station.

Secondary Two student, Amirulamin Bin Mohd Osman, who went atop the FH 88 at the event, found the experience to be "awesome" and was thoroughly impressed with the machine.

"The FH 88 is very technologically advanced and huge. After seeing it, I want to join the Singapore Artillery," he enthused.

"In future, I can help defend Singapore by using the artillery gun to stop invaders from attacking Singapore," he added.

The event, which was held in conjunction with Manjusri Secondary School's week-long Total Defence programme, was a reflection of 20 SA's effort to align the unit's commitment to defence and community involvement activities, with its commemoration of Total Defence Day, which falls on 15 Feb.

"By bringing the military defence aspect of Total Defence to the students, our soldiers are getting a fresh perspective and deeper meaning of whom and what we are trying to defend as we train everyday," shared Major (MAJ) Matthew Tong, who is the commanding officer of 20SA.

"When our guys saw how excited the students were, I think they do feel a stronger sense of duty to the country and a stronger sense of responsibility to the society that they are trying to protect."

MAJ Tong found the high level of interest generated among the students to be most encouraging.

"I think the enthusiasm and energy of the kids was overwhelming and exceeded our expectations and I think this energy is just bouncing off both sides. Our guys are so hyped up too," he told cyberpioneer.

That certainly met one of the key objective of the organisers, which was to inculcate the importance of Total Defence in the youths through a fun and engaging way.

"To the students, it's about having fun but the message they may actually receive is what soldiering is all about and the role that the SAF plays with regards to the defence of the nation and it is this military defence aspect of Total Defence that we are portraying through this activity," said Chinese-language teacher Ng Choon Seng, who was part of the organising committee.

For Secondary One student Chua Thiam Kok, he found the booths very useful in helping him learn more about the Army and also got him thinking about his role in protecting the country.

"Everybody has a role in defending Singapore... I can defend Singapore by going to NS and learning how to use the machines and weapons. Total defence is extremely important and it's important for the military and us to defend Singapore," said the 13-year-old.

Besides the students from Manjusri Secondary School, about 160 students from neighbouring Maha Bodhi School also got to interact with the soldiers and their hardware as they visited the displays and various booths.