Commemorating 50 Years of the Saf
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ISSUE 233 MARCH 2015 IN THIS ISSUE: COMMEMORATING 50 YEARS OF THE SAF PLUS+ THE EARLY DAYS: MR. WEE SOON KONG WE REMEMBER THE COLLAPSE OF HOTEL NEW WORLD #OurSgArmy 05 07 16 12 Dear Fellow Soldiers, 21 Your generous contributions towards the Army Charity Drive 2014 exceeded our projected target. This sum will go a long way in helping our beneficiaries, namely The CONTENTS President’s Challenge, Community Chest, SAF Care Fund, and SAF Benevolent Fund. On Around Our Army behalf of our Army, I want to thank you for your donations and willingness to partake in 06 a good cause, and we look forward to your continued support. 3 WPU Homecoming 18th BMT(V) Graduation Ceremony 4 SEA Games Media Brief Warmest Regards, Transport Formation Milestone Parade MG Perry Lim Chief of Army Features 25 16 The Early Days: Mr Wee Soon Kong 18 The Collapse of Hotel New World In This Issue 5 4 SAB Homecoming Run 6 Passing The Torch 7 The Lion Within 8 SAF Cardiac Heart Centre 10 Emergency Ambulance Services (EAS) 11 HRSSC Inauguration 10 12 SAF50@VIVO: Celebrating 50 Years of SAF 20 Showcasing the SAF 21 Revisiting Our Past: Pulau Senang 18 22 Symbols of Our Army: SAF Ammunition Command 24 Road To Excellence: Our WOSpecs 25 A New Wave of Expertise and Innovation 26 Health: Understanding Lower Back Pain Army News 3 Editorial Board The Singapore Water Purification Delegation supporting the Malaysian Armed Forces led flood relief efforts returned COL Alfred Fox the home to Singapore on 14 January. The team, which included SCDF & PUB engineers, was deployed for 2 weeks and COL Chua Boon Keat Editor Speaks provided more than 130,000 Litres of clean water to those affected by the recent floods in Kelantan. COL Paul Cheak LTC Kee Kian Boon CWO Ng Siak Ping march on towards our third month and in this issue, SLTC (NS) James Suresh e MAJ (NS) Sebastian Sim we take you to Vivocity where we engaged our Public through the SAF 50 exhibition. The presentation of Wweapons on board the RSS Endurance was very also Editorial Advisor poignant as it was timed to coincide with the time of Singapore’s surrender during BG Lim Hock Yu World War 2 . News Crew We remember the tragic episode of the collapse of Hotel New World in 1986, and Editor Head New Media the brave men who took great risks during the rescue attempts. Mel Ferdinands Dyson Ang We also speak to one of the pioneers from the early days of our Army. Thank you Deputy Editor Photographers Wilson Ng for writing to us to let us know about your grandfather’s incredible story. Melvin Loo Low Kai Heng Amos Poh And to all our readers, keep the stories coming! Assistant Jason Chua “I had the opportunity to distribute water to the villages, some of which were quite badly hit. Having Editors Mel Ferdinands Aloysius Lum Graphic Editor of Army News seen this devastation, I am glad that I was at least able to help relieve some of their worries, even if it was WPU Lee Xiang Rong Designers only a little. I also feel that Singapore is lucky that it does not have to face such a situation; however should Roy Chong something similar occur, I am confident we will be ready for it.” HOMECOMING Lim Wei Jian STORY | BRANDON LEOW Writers PHOTOGRAPHY | MATTHEW LIM Leong Khee Shuen Jeremy Hong 3SG Auzharie Bin Shakirin, part of the Singapore Water Purification Delegation Saravanan s/o Munusamy Lim Han Cong PASSING ON THE BATON Brandon Leow February Ashwin Lee Facebook Keita Sin Representative Appointment Incoming Outgoing Alastair Loe CO / 1 GUARDS LTC WONG PUI CHUAN LTC FAIROZ BIN HASSAN 18th BMT(V) Today marks The beginning of your life as a Trained soldier. you can sTand Tall and proud To join The previous CO / BMTC SCHOOL 2 LTC EDDIE KHNG WEE LIANG LTC LEE BIN HWEE GRADUATION generaTions, who have come before you To serve ns and To do Their parT for singapore. you are our new generaTion of CO / 3 ISTAR LTC JOHN LEW TZE WAH (CAH) LTC CHAN CHOON MENG (CAH) CEREMONY soldiers, conTinuing To ensure our securiTy STORY | ASHWIN LEE and sovereignTy. CO / 234 SA MAJ CHAN KUM TECK (CAH) - PHOTOGRAPHY | LIM WEI JIAN Reviewing Officer, Commander 3rd Division, BG Ong Tze-Ch’in CO / 294 SA MAJ CHOY WAI HONG (CAH) - CO / ARTILLERY VOC TRG SCH AI SWO CHOONG KENG ON SWO LEE CHER PIN Army News would like to thank (from left) Koh Jian Le and Matthew Lim for their service and CO / 778 SIR MAJ (NS) LIM KIM SOON DANIEL LTC (NS) GOH KEE YONG contributions during their stint in Army News ARMY NEWS is a monthly publication of the RSM / 324 SCE 3WO (NS) CAO YUEMING MSG (NS) LEE HOU KEONG Singapore Army. The opinions and views in this newsletter are those expressed by the writers and do not reflect the official views of RSM / 783 SIR 1WO NG CHIN HUN - the Ministry of Defence. All rights reserved. Subjected to the provisions of the Copyright MWO SIVAGNANAM S/O MWO SELUASUNDRAM S/O Act, 1986, no part of this publication may SSM / BMTC SCH 1 in any form or by any means (electronic, OTHIRAPATHY NAGALINGAM mechanical, microcopying, photocopying, recording or otherwise) be reproduced or RSM/OPS WO (CAH) / 3 ISTAR BN 2WO CHAN HON GALVIN - transmitted without prior written permission from the publisher. Visit us online! Read Army News on the internet at *Amendments from the last issue: For the section “Passing of the Baton”, the outgoing officer for 56 http://www.army.sg SAB was 2WO(NS) Larry Pee Kah Liang. For the article on 3WO Tee Kar Lin, her name was mispelled. We apologise for the errors. Have something you wish to share with us? If you have any articles to contribute or suggestions about our newsletter, contact us at : [email protected] FOLLOW US! ARMY NEWS (Suggestions and Feedback) facebook.com/oursingaporearmy @oursgarmy youtube.com/OurSingaporeArmy A total of 510 servicemen from the 18th Basic Military Training (Vocational) graduated from their training 5 Depot Road, #08-10 @oursingaporearmy thesingaporearmy.tumblr.com pinterest.com/SingaporeArmy phase in Sembawang Camp on 8 January. Tower B, Defence Technology Towers, Singapore 109681 Tel : 6277 0382/ 6277 0383 Fax : 6277 0381 3 Army News 4 Army News 5 LAUNCH OF SEA GAMES 2015 STORY | BRANDON LEOW PHOTOGRAPHY | LEONG KHEE SHUEN “The Singapore Artillery is honoured to be organising the OCC once again. Building on our experience from organising the Ceremonies for the 1993 Games, we look forward to staging an inspiring and spectacular show to kick off the 28th SEA Games. After 22 years, some of the veterans who were involved in the previous SEA Games will bring their experience to contribute as advisors and volunteers. We look forward to harnessing the energies and capacities of these diverse groups of individuals and making their participation a meaningful and memorable journey.” Chief Artillery Officer, COL Lawrence Lim, Chairman of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 28th Sea Games 4 SAB HOMECOMING RUN STORY | CONTRIBUTED BY 4 SAB PHOTOGRAPHY | KEITA SIN & JASON CHUA On 15 Dec 2014 at exactly 0412* hours, 4th Singapore Armoured Brigade (4 SAB) conducted its inaugural ‘Home-coming run’ as the Terror Brigade returned to Sungei Gedong Camp (SGC), after being away since 2003. Carrying the Brigade flag, the commanders and soldiers of 4 SAB ran 14.6km from Kranji Camp II to SGC. The route was planned to recollect memories by running past Keat Hong Camp where 4 SAB was founded, eventually, arriving at the Home of Armour. Chief Armour Officer, COL Kenneth Liow, welcomed 4 with my friends allowed me to feel like I am part of the Armour SAB back to SGC by officially opening the new 4 SAB building, Brigade Family.” marking a new chapter in the long history of our nation’s first Ever imagined travelling around the globe? Through the support, diligence and professionalism of these Armour Brigade. servicemen, the Transport Formation successfully moved the Army over a combined distance of 900,000km In his remarks to the unit, Commander 4 SAB, COL Yew over the course of their National Service! That is equivalent to about 22 rounds around the earth! Chee Leung said “today, as we were running here, one word Upon reaching the new premises, the entire 4 SAB gathered came to mind – the word TEAM – which is also an acronym for at the parade square for a symbolic flag raising ceremony at ‘Together, Everyone Achieves More’. At the end of the day, the first light. This was followed by the first-ever Brigade PT Attended by family members, friends and commanders of Transport Formation, the inaugural Transport Formation army is about people and the 4th Brigade is about a team; it is session. Collectively, the members of the Terror Brigade Milestone Parade was held at Sembawang Camp on 17 Jan 15. The Milestone Parade commemorates the transition of about everyone coming together and contributing. It is not just achieved 40,000 push-ups, sit ups, jumping jacks and over-head our Full-Time National Servicemen (NSF) into the next phase of their national service as Operationally Ready National Transport about the equipment, but is also about the men behind them. It claps respectively to signify what the Brigade can accomplish Servicemen (ORNS). is about man, machine, and spirit.” Formation together. 3SG Aakash M Khot, section commander from 3rd SAF TPT BN said, “My time in service has given me the time to reflect Milestone To end off the homecoming run, a Brigade Connect was Such Brigade exercises allow soldiers to understand that they and reconsider what was most important to me as an individual.