The commander of this year's National Day Parade (NDP) has a trick to keep his white face mask in place while shouting his thunderous commands: cosmetic tape.
Before the parade, Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Nicholas Ong will tape a small strip to the apex of his nose to prevent his mask from sliding down. "At first, I was a little bit apprehensive about the mask, because I was really afraid of how the projection of the commands would be like. We tried a few masks and found the most suitable one that's light and doesn't impede the shouting of my commands," the 38-year-old parade commander told the media during the NDP 2020 rehearsal on July 26.
"It may not look like it, but I'm quite nervous, so the advantage of this mask is that it helps me regulate my breathing," he added. LTC Ong was the reserve parade commander last year.
Wearing a face mask while standing under the hot sun is just one of the challenges faced by participants in this year's parade at the Padang, held amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Another change due to Covid-19: Participant numbers have been reduced to about 300 in total, down from the usual 5,000 to 6,000 people.
Despite a scaled-down parade, the parade regimental sergeant major, Master Warrant Officer (MWO) David Ling, 43, said training was not any easier. For instance, keeping a safe distance between participants makes it more difficult to achieve uniformity during marching.
Contingent participants will stand at least 1m apart from one another, instead of the usual 0.4m to 0.5m. "My challenge is how to get the parade in a straight and organised manner," said MWO Ling.
He tried on six masks "of different forms and shapes" to find the best fit for the contingent.
"Most important is the breathability, because I'm concerned whether the participants can breathe properly and stay wearing it throughout the parade," he said. "We trained progressively to get ourselves acclimatised to having a mask on in this heat and humidity." Parade training started only around the end of June, he added.
The parade comprises the State Colours and four Guard of Honour contingents formed by the army, navy, air force and the Singapore Police Force (SPF). Each contingent's size was reduced by half. A combined military band from the Singapore Armed Forces and SPF will usher in the ceremony.
During the parade, LTC Ong will lead a special salute to honour front-line fighters.
While this year's parade may not be as packed as previous years, MWO Ling said the goal is to put up a "solemn, dignified and respectable parade". He said: "What we want to put on show on Aug 9 is a parade that showcases Singapore's strength, unity and spirit to the nation."
