SINGAPORE - Whenever Military Expert 1 (ME1) Sherry Lim’s father spoke of working as an engineer in the Singapore Army, it was clear to her that he felt proud and fulfilled serving his nation.
Motivated by his passion, she decided to join the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) after graduating with a diploma in nursing.
“Even though he couldn’t reveal what he does at work, I could sense that he loves what he’s doing. He told me that he found a purpose in his job and it’s not just a career for him,” said the 23-year-old, who has signed on with the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). Her brother is also a regular in the navy.
On Thursday night, her father proudly watched her graduate with distinguished honours and receive the coveted Golden Bayonet award at the 55th Specialist Cadet Graduation Parade. The award is given to each top specialist cadet graduand from 10 vocations.
ME1 Lim, who was the best in her course at the SAF Medical Training Institute, said her father always advised her to find a job that is purposeful, fruitful and enjoyable.
“He told me that I should be resilient in the face of adversity and be willing to serve,” she added.
A total of 942 cadets graduated as specialists and military experts of SAF. Of these, 819 were from the army, 48 from RSN and 75 from the Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS).
The parade, which was held at Pasir Laba Camp, marked the cadets’ completion of 22 weeks of rigorous training in leadership and combat skills.
Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport Chee Hong Tat, who attended the ceremony, called on the cadets to lead through their values and actions, and set high standards for their team.
“Inspire those under your charge, and create an environment for your people to reach their full potential. Be your team’s pillar of strength to plough through hardship and adversities,” he said.
Another cadet who received the Golden Bayonet was Third Sergeant (3SG) Lim Tian Le, who topped his DIS cohort.
The 19-year-old, who trained as an open source specialist, did not expect that full-time national servicemen like himself would be able to work on different projects. He was trained to monitor information and news relating to both national security and natural disasters in the region.
“I didn’t expect (DIS) to be so forthcoming with opportunities, and I’m appreciative of how much they value me as a team member, said 3SG Lim.
Meanwhile, 3SG Jerrald Capuno Caballa was not aiming for any particular route when he started his national service stint. In fact, the combat medic had hoped to get through the two years “as fast as possible”.
But being selected for the Specialist Cadet Course sparked the 21-year-old’s desire to step up and hone his leadership skills. It also pushed him to improve his fitness for a role he had not expected to be so physically demanding.
“A huge part of being a combat medic is physical work. When we help our fellow soldiers out in the battlefield, we need to be able to get them to a safe place to provide treatment for them,” said 3SG Caballa, who graduated from a polytechnic with a diploma in applied chemistry.
On top of the scheduled physical training, he and a few other cadets would do their own workouts or run three or four days a week.
3SG Caballa, a permanent resident from the Philippines who moved to Singapore with his family in 2007, said he was thankful to learn new skills and become a medic, despite not having any prior knowledge in what it would entail.
He said: “I’m proud that I’m able to serve. This country has given me a lot of things that I’ve benefited from, so serving national service is a way for me to give back.”
