'Camaraderie will stay with us for life'
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Mr Kenneth Foo (at left), now deputy director at the Singapore Cancer Society, with some of his fellow soldiers during his NS days.
KENNETH FOO, 45
Deputy director at the Singapore Cancer Society; and Workers' Party deputy organising secretary and Central Executive committee member
Q What was your vocation when you were a full-time national serviceman?
A I was a lieutenant, artillery officer for the 21 Singapore Artillery Battalion. I was in NS from June 11, 1998 to Dec 10, 2000.
Q What do you remember most fondly from your NS days?
A It was when I was with 733 Singapore Infantry Regiment as a fire support officer.
During an evaluation, there was a full troop exercise for five days. I remember that it was raining heavily prior to the evaluation and the training area was muddy. We had difficulty manoeuvring through the undulating terrain.
However, everyone encouraged one another to push on. We saw men down and fellow soldiers had to carry them. On one night, the medic was down and the medical officer immediately took over his load of medical equipment and supplies and carried on. We were exhausted, but we never gave up and completed the mission as a team. The teamwork and camaraderie will stay with us for life.
Q As we mark 55 years of NS, can you share what it means to you?
A The peace we enjoy comes at a price, as it would not have been possible without the commitment to national defence by Singaporeans and the sacrifice by their loved ones. Those who came before us laid a strong foundation for a respectable force built to deter any possible aggression. I can say that we have done well but we should never let our guard down.
