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AT THE HELM: Parade commander Lieutenant Colonel Mark Teo (left) and parade sergeant major Master Warrant Officer Shamsuddin Isnin will lead the charge. -- ST PHOTO: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN
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SHE may be just three, but Claire Teo is already 'commander' of this year's National Day Parade commander, Army Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Teo, and his harshest critic.
'She shouts the commands with me and even corrects me if I fumble,' said the 38-year-old father of two, of his home practice sessions, held in addition to twice weekly rehearsals at Nee Soon Camp.
The branch head in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Joint Staff has to remember 34 commands in Malay and all the cues for the 57-minute ceremonial parade, themed Celebrating the Singapore Spirit.
Also keeping an eye on his performance is wife Adeline Ong, 31, an auditor who records most of his two-hour rehearsals, so mistakes and sloppy moves can be caught.
'They can be even tougher than the drill instructor,' he quipped.
All the yelling he does means extra effort has to go to ensuring he still has his voice come Aug 9. He has daily cups of his wife's home-made honey drink and abstains from spicy food for now.
The prospect of being the man leading 2,612 participants in 28 marching contingents gives Lt-Col Teo 'butterflies', he admits.
This is understandable - 27,000 people in the Marina Bay seating gallery and thousands more watching on TV will have their eyes on him.
And President S R Nathan will be standing just 8m away from his spot on the new promenade between the seating gallery and floating platform, expanded for September's Formula One race.
That extra space means Lt-Col Teo is not the only one who will be at closer range, the NDP organising committee said yesterday. It also brings the four Guard-of-Honour contingents - comprising the army, navy, air force and police - closer, said Colonel Loh Kean Wah, chairman of parade and ceremony.
'We will be christening the promenade before the F1 cars zoom down the track,' he added.
In fact, the four contingents will be near enough for the audience to smell fumes of gunpowder from their SAR 21 rifles during the during the Feu-De-Joie (fire of joy), added Col Loh.
This year's ceremonial parade will not just be closer, but bigger too - there are three new contigents.
They will be led by the 40-member SAF Central Band, marching instead of playing sitting down for the first time since the 1980s to mark the band's 50th anniversary. It means extra daily drill sessions but the band's music director, Captain Muhd Yusri Md Ali, said they cannot wait.
'It's good to be on our feet again and, better still, we will be the first contingents people see. It's an honour and we feel proud,' he said.
jermync@sph.com.sg
What do you think defines the Singapore Spirit? Send your comments or photos to stndp@sph.com.sg
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