It is refreshing to read about third sergeant Kyle Brendan Coughlan's decision to make Singapore his home in spite of having lived overseas for so long and having dual citizenship (1,200 graduate as SAF specialists at Pasir Laba camp; May 26).

The Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF) notoriously gruelling Specialist Cadet Course is certainly not for the faint-hearted, as it is designed to train the SAF's creme de la creme for leadership positions.

For someone like 3SG Coughlan to have won the Golden Bayonet Award - awarded to the top Specialist Cadet trainees - shows that the SAF is an inclusive and credible fighting force that truly bonds Singaporeans from all walks of life. This is something all Singaporeans can be proud of.

During these times of heightened security tensions and soul-searching as to what constitutes the Singaporean identity, narratives like this could be relevant and meaningful.

Woon Wee Min