Salam sejahtera, and good evening to respected Commandant of PUSWATAN, CI, OC, our handsomely capable Senior Intructor, our sweet and kind AO, distinguished trainers, fellow candidates or should I call ‘brethren and sisters in arms’.
Allow me to speak in this language as the words you are about to hear comes straight from my heart, as I face difficulties in translating them into my less familiar Malay tongue.
Tonight is not about rank.
It is not even about who stood first or last in the course.
Tonight is about memories. Memories we gained from the short 2 weeks we spent together. Nevermind the short period, I believe each and everyone in this mess hall has their own which they cherish and treasure till the end of time.
As I have repeatedly asked to sing, “我们不一样，” each of us are different and unique. When we first reported for Platoon Commander Course Serial 1/2026, we came as individuals — from different units, different backgrounds, each with different strengths and weaknesses.
But somewhere between the early mornings, the long marches, the endless tasks, the sleepless nights, the cruel land where we dig our battle trenches, the freezing ambush night, and the tears and laughter we shared — we became something else.
We became a platoon, who fight for each other, unified by our differences.
I stand here deeply grateful.
Grateful to our trainers — who demanded excellence from us not because they were hard, but because they refused to let us be average.
Your standards were uncompromising.
You were not just training us to pass a course.
You were shaping us to be what we signed up for – a platoon commander.
I believe everyone here has their own cherished moments to share. Tonight, I want to share four memories I personally treasure.
The first — It was a scorchingly hot day of CW, where we were tasked to dig our own battle trenches. My fellow section mates gathered to prepare for departure to OP. There were 4 of us, the guys, accompanied by this interesting female section mate of ours. Her closest section mate was thirsty, asked her for a sip of water. This female section mate searched for her water bottle, and she was greeted by a pile of 4-5 bottles around her bagpack, and she stood frozen. She then with a dim voice said, “I’m not sure which one is actually safe to drink, I forgot which one is the bottle is from the water trailer.”
Nevertheless, she reached for one of them and confidently passed it to my section mate. After he took a big gulp, she continued to offer the other 3 of us (me included). It was a hot day, we were thirsty, so we did indulged the water offered.
When we finished, I passed her the bottle, and all 4 of us were hoping the same thing, “that she will drink it as well, for our safety.”
She did no such thing. Instead she just held the bottle in her arms and smiles at us, almost as she was happy we enjoyed our drink. When asked why she hasn’t take her sip, she replied while giggling,
“I’m actually not sure if the water is from the water trailer.”
From that point on, there is a slogan in my section – Section 1 can only be killed by Section 1.
The second — This can be considered a sweet memory of mine. I was tasked to help with the GP team to dig their battle trench. We were given a short timeframe, a set of loose hoes and heavy pickaxes, positioned on a ground layered packed with stones. Instead of the usual “chuk-chuk” sound of digging soil, all we heard was a repeated “KA-TING!”, when we chip the stubborn stones, making our way deeper into the ground, from morning till night, till the next morning. It took at least 10 of us, in short shifts, to gain a depth of merely half-a-meter through the night.
It was already 4 o’clock early morning. All my teammates were laying on top the sandbags in various positions, long defeated by exhaustion. I refused to give in not because of good spirit, but because I slowly gained to hate the stones beneath. Using every hatred I had stored thoughout the day, I lifted the heavy pickaxe high, and stabbed it down as hard as I can.
To my surprise, I was helped by this beautiful teammate, who has been quietly sitting aside previously. She has always been a quiet person without complaint, which is a quality I admire. She reached for a shovel and dropped herself down into the trench with me. She then shoveled up the stones I have chipped down at the bottom. No words were spoken between us. I am glad for that though, because any speech would have ruined the moment.
It kept me going for another 30 minutes, before she retired back to sleep, and my dopamine levels returned to normal. It was 4.30 am when I surrendered to exhaustion. But I was glad, when my pickaxe hit the layer of soft soil hidden beneath the cruel stones, I smiled knowing that my teammates will finish the job next morning.
The third — In CIW, just before our ambush operation, God bestowed us the ultimate challenge – where HE summoned a heavy rain on us, soaking us wet just before the operation. Our instructors supported the gesture by preventing us from changing or drying up our clothes, straight sending us into the ambush positions. Soaked and battered, we were then greeted by the darkenend night of frozen hell. It tested our wits to the limits, as we shivered in absolute silence, we solemnly hoped for our enemy to appear, and the sun to rise on the invisible horizon.
As I sat depair, with my finger frozen against my rifle, I was shocked by a sound, resembling a beast loudly growling from behind me, ready to devour me whole,
“Ngrrroooo…!! Ngrrooo…..!!”
I quickly turned around. It was then I saw him, one of my teammate, sleeping, snoring.
After a sigh of relief, knowing that I won’t be eaten by a tiger, I slowly navigated myself through the darkness to wake him up. I felt pity for the guy, knowing he must have been so tired to snore that way. Still, if I didn’t, I am sure, even until now, that any enemy would have heard it from far away, our mission would have failed miserably by the enemy running away for their lives before even stepping into the kill zone. How am I be sure of that? Because although ‘the tiger’ and me were at the center of the kill team, teammates from the end of the left flank has told us that they have heard it clearly.
It was in that same night I feared for my teammates life. There was another teammate beside me. While I stayed awake in ready, he was lying face-down beside me resting. I was worried, because he was in that position for a very long time without moving even an inch or making a sound. I seriously thought he was dead at that point. Luckily, upon checking for a response, he did reply with a weak growl, still without any movement. God blessed, he stays alive until now. May he live long and prosper.
And the fourth — I think everyone knows about the story where we soaked ourselves in the river, so I will not elaborate on that, since we just had a nice dinner.
These are memories I will carry long after this course ends, possibly till the end of my time. I do believe you have your own stories as well, equally important and meaningful for the person who holds them dear. These will become the bond that binds us together, even after the course ends.
During this course, in the early phase of CW, our Commandant once asked us a question:
“If the country summons you for deployment into combat, will you answer the call?”
Tonight, I answer clearly, and I believe my answer will be the same as most, if not every candidate in this mess tonight.
Yes.
I will answer the call.
Not because I seek war.
Not because I seek glory.
But because I know my brethren will be there — in arms.
If the nation calls, I will answer.
Because I know for a fact – you will be there.
And I will stand with you.
Leadership is not about going to war alone.
It is about never allowing your men to stand alone.
To our trainers — thank you for shaping us.
To my fellow candidates — thank you for walking this journey with me. I would apologize for any misdeed, especially for the “shoutings”. I do hope it hasn’t hurt anyone, as my intention was never to do that. Thank you, my brothers and sisters, for allowing me the opportunity of being your YDP for the course.
Thank you. Sekian.
Dr Vie Cheong Thong M.D. 