ART, The story teller - Part VII

PART VII – LIFE IN SUNGEI PRAWN

SEA PHASE THE – THE RACE AROUND THE ROCK,

The normal routine during the sea phase of training is to paddle the one tone assault boat with 10 guys and race to a small rock about 1 mile from the beach at ‘Bertutu-Inn’, that is after carrying the boat on your shoulders and run around the entire Prawn Camp, as PT pagi routine!

Which ever team that loses will repeat the race with the next team, imagine how many times we had to row – in- out, in-out, in-out…macam mau putus tangan….!

Guess that is why we were put through this gruelling exercise before paddling up-river MUAR, which I am going to relate later. Buat exercise with assault boat isn’t a joke, kena buat heaving macam Log-PT, I say go aje….naik semua lepas tu down…just as we watch the SF training routine on National Geographic channels!

So most of the time we were all soaking wet, celoreng tak pernah basuh, basah dan kering atas badan sahaja, stoking tak sah kira kering dalam boots!

JUNGLE PHASE - record breaking up stream paddle in Sg Muar by intake 34 to conduct raid upon ‘Rebro Station’ at Gunung Ledang!

When the real test came we were told to paddle up the Muar River in pitch darkness just after sun-set, the tide was then receding, imagine how tough it was! The “Mission” was to paddle and do a silent beach landing and conduct a Morning “RAID” on top of the Gunung Ledang Rebro station!

Kayuh melawan arus, ke hulu sungei Muar – itu kerja GILAQ…memang Komando suka buat kerja GILAQ! Nak buat macam mano!

So each boat had 10 GI’s and one instructor ( Pte Only), with a 50 HP Johnson engine hanging and a loaded fuel tank. Mana ada life jacket, semua pakai baju & seluar celoreng, buka kasut dan tiada topi! 

The orders were simple “kayuh tanpa berhenti!”. Each time somebody faulted or slept/pewai boat turns around, because one side was paddling and the other senyap!

Out Troop! 

Punah – the instructor would shout : “OUT-TROOP” everyone out from the boat and into the pitch dark & murky waters, crocodile infested as well! Mana mahu tahan, staf minta ampun kami akan kayuh!

As we were all hanging from the side of the boat the tide drifts the boat down stream again following the outward tide, penat hilaq! Wasted effort & time! We did not have dinner or any grub, let alone water to drink!

So, this went on, and each time out troop, we got banged with the boat paddle by the Private First Class Trooper from RGK! We can’t do nothing, even we were officers, we were without our ‘pips on our shoulders’, it was all removed from the first day of entering Camp Udang, that is why we were addressed as “Siswa” and not TUAN!

So, the next thing we did was to bang each other so that we all don’t get banged by the PFC trooper himself! Whoever falls asleep or slacks in his paddling we make sure he gets bang! The rhythm of the roving was: IN-OUT, IN-OUT, IN-OUT……..UNTIL your arms become sore and numb, just like robots we rowed the boat silently! 

At long last we reached the target area – it was about 0300hrs, after rowing for almost 8 solid hours in the dark, we finally got out of the boat! We did not know we broke the record, which was held by the Basic Commando trainees at that time! We only found that out later on returning from the RAID!

So, after the tiring journey in the river we continued with our foot march without any rest to our next mission, this is the same routine used by SF around the world! By the time we hit the objective it was almost day-break, just in time for a morning “first light raid”! In total we marched for about 3 hours after landing, it was yet another gruelling test of MIND OVER MATTER!

The whole day was spent moving from one point to another, in total we were kept awake, since the previous day since 0600hrs, it was already 24 hours without any rest or sleep, and we raided the objective successfully, no one was killed or captured though! There wasn’t even any enemy there! We just finished firing and shooting the blanks we had in the magazine! That is the real Commando challenge!

So, in reflection

The camp phase in which we all endured, with minimum sleep & rest was to prepare us all for this final exercises, which we never knew it was meant to be that WAY! They never did explain anything at all or state the purpose of each activity that was conducted! 

SWAMP PHASE 

The swamp phase was mild considering we were never really thrown into a swamp and asked to survive as the basic course would do, we had just a simple exposure of sorts only! One thing we did was to compass march inside the swamps, it was not fun trust me! It took its ‘toil’ on your legs first, later the body itself tires quickly, the heat, humidity and the mud. It saps up your energy like nothing!We were lucky not to sleep on top of trees or try searching for food inside the swamps! 

FINAL EXERCISE – THE SABOUTEUR 

This is the part of the whole course that Intake 34 wants to forget! The final exercise was an Escape & Evasion Ex (E&E), we were given one map, one compass and with only clothes on our backs with the rifle! Nothing else!

The team had 5 members (1 x RKK Team) we termed it “RKK-RONDA KERUP KARP”! The “enemy” was basic commando students who were given a mission to catch us and earn their marks! So, they were as eager as ever to scalp our heads, if we are to be caught! That was their ‘reward’, they would shave or carve their unit designation onto our already bald heads! So, the master plan was to avoid reporting to any check points and wait out till the exercise ends on the fifth day!

Well, the story did not end that way. My syndicates’ plan was to break up into 2, one group had the compass (2 men) and the other held onto the map (3 men)! This was to happen if we were ambushed & caught and end up running as a broken-up team! Me, being the syndicate leader decided to hide away a fifty dollar note for us to survive the next 5 days! No food rations were given and we were to ‘live off the land!’

The sure way to keep the money save was to stomach IT! Yes, because the instructors would check your arse-holes during the inspection before the exercise starts, no holes were left unchecked! Even clothes were switched, to avoid people from sewing their money into the seams of their clothing, it is old trick by the way! Shoes, jungle hats and webbing were swapped! 

So, me the smart guy eat the MONEY

One fifty dollar note, rolled tightly into a small ball, wrapped it with hard plastic from the food ration packs (RICE pack), stuff it into a BANANA and walah, swallow IT…!

After the releasing by the JL we headed for the so-called first check-point about 5-7 map squares away. The route was already full of “enemy” soldiers ready to catch & ambush all of us! So my plan of action was to move off from the route, stay low and avoid detection from the enemy!

It worked, we were not caught, the first day! We slept nicely, the next day was to wait for the SHIT to come OUT, wait for the money drop!

We had 50 dollars to last for 5 days, so we moved slowly away from the training grounds and headed towards a kampong area, recce first if it was save to go buy some grubs! Yes, the job was done, came back with buns, maggi-mee and chocolates plus rokok off course!

The 2nd day was not that plain and simple, we were ambushed by the enemy, all 5 were caught and our heads all carved with X-A initials! We were told to move on with the exercise, but we were determine NOT TO follow orders but stick to Plan A!

So, we moved into another location and slept it out, avoid being caught again. On the 4th day, we were confident that a move towards home base was the thing to do! We planned to head for camp sg.udang in the dark, to get back and slip back silently! After all the exercise would end surely on the fifth day and all will return to base (RTB)! How WRONG was all of US!

As we approached the camp, in the dark, we were spotted by a commando Capt. Rajah, he was the duty officer that night! Lo and behold, all hell broke loose that night, the CI was then Lt Col Ramli (deceased)!

He yanked us all out from the drain after a few quick chops and karate flying-kicks…..that scared the shit out of the 5 of us…( Hamid aka ‘go-da-dee’, the late Rashid Marsalan, Osman Samin aka Jojo, me and one more guy…can’t remember who he is till today)

ORDERS FROM THE CI: SENT THEM ALL BACK TO THE TRAINING AREA NOW! You start the exercise again!

There we were, 5 POWS sent back by land rover to face HELL!

PELEMPANG MAUT – SYNDICATE KENA SEPAK & TERAJANG

On arrival, I was called by Capt Zahir (Misang Perang) he was the SI of the course, this was after the CI had blasted him nice and proper in front of all of us, I would not want to say the words that flew out from the CI and across into his face! Better left unspoken!

The next I knew was – I GOT HELL!

BEING THE SYNDICATE LEADER – I was responsible and answerable!

First question: What happen?

Next question: Flying KICK!

I was told to reveal the truth about this whole planned of action – the sabotage!

I kept my word not to spill the beans, and I paid the PRICE dearly!

He kept me erect and made me his punching bag, every-time a punch landed, I held my stomach muscles firm and hard, after all the push ups and sit ups my body was solid like a rock! Still is till this very day!

I was slapped by everyone that reported at the final check-point, those were the days of memories that I will carry to my grave! Whoever who did not slapped me hard enough would get a slap from me in return! Some of my skottee did not have the heart to hurt me any more than I already had! I have since forgiven everyone that slapped me. It has made me what I am today! A real survivor!

At the end of it all, he was not to get any answers from me, he was frustrated he could not break me down! He finally, kicked me in the shin-bone and it made me flew in grave pain, yet I was still stubborn not to break the silence!

After that session, and after everyone had reported at the final check point we were allowed to eat, guess what, I could not open my mouth and could not chew or eat anything, my face was swollen and numb after all the punishing slapping from my own skot! I can’t remember how many slaps landed on my face!

Upon ending the exercise we had the debrief session, and he still wanted to know why we sabotaged the exercise, nobody wanted to talk about it, we just wanted to get back to camp and leave the course!

Finally, one daring skot by the name of 2LT Zahar, now the DA in Manila, stood up and said it all…the ‘Rest is HISTORY’…for those of us who were there knew the true story and the truth of it ALL! 

I was called by the 2 CO’s of the Commando Regiment that time, namely Lt Col Yap & Lt Col Chua personally, both assured me ‘THAT’ I have a place in the SF Regiment, it was all because they heard what had happened and what went ON! My reply was simple: YES SIR, THANK YOU SIR!

We had to plan the farewell party the next night – I was one of the committee members, so we rushed to one hotel in Malacca town, can’t remember the name. I had a real long good shower in the hotel room, after 6 long weeks of non-bathing chance, the water in the tub was pitch black!

The dinner was a very sober affair, none of the trainers or JL came, the whole course was boycotted by all of them, they were all pissed off with our INTAKE 34! 

That was the last course for any young officers from the ARMY or RMAF, never again was it to run anymore!

......to be sambung

ART, The story teller - Part VI

PART VI – MAKAN KUDA

This is surely going to get everyone’s attention, even if you do not have time to read this account, yes siapa lagi…Md Nor Koeng..bapak dia horse trainer, pada suatu hari ada seekor kuda mampus, harap sembelih lah…masa itu aku semua makan, tidak kisah lor! This Koeng is from the BOYAN CLAN, the best horse men in this country, that’s why he became a Cavalry Officer, entah dia pandai naik kuda ke tak! Yang aku tahu Fakaharuzi je yang pandai kuda-kuda dua kaki! Ooops, empat….lah!Kawan kita baik punya hati, sudah kasi makan “Satay Kuda”..hosssh banyak sedap woh! Semua orang tengok je mula mula, habis benda free sodap le hentam semua licin beb!

Ini belum al-kisah makan MONYET lagi kat Commando Orientation Course kat SWTC…ramai duk marah aku makan benda itu…Staf Sgt ‘gigi jongang patah’ sudah tembak se ekor monyet (Ungka aka Gibbon) dan bagi kat aku! Apa lagi fresh ration pak! Aku buat satay monyet dan bakar le…time to survival mode…no food, no water & no nothing! Kawan semua kata ish ish ish, kau makan monyet TEOH!

Tek pe lah aku apa kisah masa itu. Orang pun boleh makan pah! Sesudah siap separuh masak kutu datang dan hentam kasi habis satay monyet aku…yang duk cakap cakap banyak pulak yang hentam….lapaq beb..mana nak tahan…sudah bau sodap! Itu lah monyet punya kawan semua! Malam aku buat sop otak monyet pulak, sekali “BOOM” melutup thunder flash….JL baling siapa lagi…apa lagi siswa ”stand to” semua jerit! Aku punya sop otak monyet dalam mes-tin kena sepak kutu pulak…hancur lebuh semua terbang dan jatuh ke tanah! Hempeh….

Ini cerita makan katak lagi pak……malam sudah pi cari katak “ONG” di sungei dekat Gunung Ledang…..it’s me and 2LT Cheo Yew Hock ( Intake 33 - Sigs ), kami dapat seekor hampir 2 kgs! It is as big as our NATO helmet the Biggest ever bull-frog I have caught and eaten by 10 hungry YO’s! 

Staff Gigi Blank File sudah ambil dan kata terima kasih…hancur lebuh hati aku lagi…..half an hour later I was called and given a big pot of white rice & a plate of frog meat cooked to hotel standard! 

Walah we had a feast – all the china-man plus 1 Iban ( Stephen Mundaw). Sorry folks for those yang tidak pi YO Pulada dan Komando Orientasi Pegawai you all missed the good fun, masih ada banyak al-kisah seram, sedih, pahit & manis…..berlaku kepada Intake 34!

PULADA & YOUNG OFFICERS ORIENTATION COMMANDO COURSE

The YO Commando has the same module as Basic Course which entitles one to wear the Green Beret, it is such that they shorten the course from 3 months to 6 weeks for us YO-YO!So we are all considered half a ‘green beret’ for those who survived the ordeal and torture! It was funny, fascinating and hilarious at times, more often sickening that point in time!There were a few who refused to be part of it…no names mentioned, but I salute those RMAF chaps who were with us thru thick & thin in PULADA and SWTC ( virtually skinny ) would say “syabas & tahniah” to all of you.

In the Sungei Udang Camp…the welcoming words at the main guard room was not too comforting: “KAMI TIDAK MENGUNDANG, JIKA RAGU-RAGU PULANG LAH”. Imagine what we all felt deep insides our thumping hearts! MATI LAH KALI INI…KELUAR MULUT BUAYA (PULADA) MASUK NAGA PULAK…MAMPUS!

The training was so simple and simply put ‘no time table at all’ …. as and when the JL shouts we are ready to roll! The day begins at 0600hrs, during the camp phase all of us slept at “BER-TUTU INN”, its name is so friendly, but you’ll be amazed what is there, do not know whether that place still exists today, my serving Cdo friends should be able to tell us! For the benefit of those that did not go...bertutu-inn is by the beach inside kem sg udang! 

The skies have been kind to us most of the time, not much rain, otherwise all hell breaks loose! The home is always on our ‘backs’, yes we carry that pack, FSMO all day & night, all the time, everywhere and every day, except during meals time!

We did not see our civilian clothes from start to finish, right till the very last day of the course it was all kept in storage. The home or house was 1 poncho as roof & 1 poncho as ground sheet, and that’s it! My buddy was Hamidi (RAMD), we shared the hootch nicely, he is a kind hearted guy till today. 

Many tricks were played by our fellow skotee, the time for night sentries is about 45 minutes to an hour, every night, and guess what some smart skotee did, they turn the clock and wake up the next guy.. after only doing duty for 5 minutes..ini semua cari pasal & curi tulang beb! Siapa yang buat sendiri tahu lah!

CAMP PHASE

The first phase was camp phase. All activities inside the camp vicinity only, the minute you see the sky you bloody well run for your dear life! Only time you are allowed to walk is after meals, before meals everyone is required to do 7-8 chin-ups, 25 push-ups and 30 sit-ups at the cook-house, otherwise no FOOD! One thing we all respect them, they took great pains to provide us with the best food they can…to keep the morale high! Hope that tradition remains till this day!

One day we had our lunch, and shortly into our meal, then came the 3 ton trucks, all parked and ready to roll out! It only meant disaster to all of us watching each other, should we eat or abandon the meal? What next if NOT another gruelling 10 mile aerobic run after lunch! We thought no running after meals?!!

They wanted to test our will-power, eat and suffer or don’t eat and go hungry! This is a true story, if given a choice, in a real battle, do you hesitate to eat or run, if the enemy comes, or still worst eat and run at the same time! 

In any given real life situation, what would one do…. Eat first and think later or run first and think about eating if you are still alive, which one is of priority? Bombs can drop in at any time, no matter what you are doing or any time of the day! 

As I did learnt my lesson in Somalia – stray rounds from outside the camp walls almost took away my head 3 times in a single day, the first in the wee hours of the morning at 0430hrs when, Somali militiamen after a night of chewing ‘KHAT’, became “very high” - the equivalent to our local GANJA, they decided to have a gun fight at “OK CAROL”! 

The incoming round - It was hardly 2 feet away from where I was heading to, back to my bunk, when I left the OP tower after watching the gunfight! Had I walked a wee bit faster, I would have been dead meat! 

The second ‘stray round’ was at T-Break time, 1000hrs, this time I was walking along the tennis courts of the compound which I was stationed, it was a former Hotel in Mogadishu which we made into a Malaysian base camp! It hit the wall of the tennis court just while I was walking below the broken doorway above my head, it was also just 2 feet above me, it pays to be short-arse I guess! The plaster on the wall came crashing down, I was with an Ex-Yankee GI, who was a truck driver then, working for Brown & Root Co. Both of us dive down and counted to 3 and ran like Hussin BOLT!

The 3rd stray round was in the evenings, after finishing my normal routine round the camp checks on night sentries inside the compound ( It was called the ‘Hunters Base’ ) I stopped at the Brown & Root site to chat with the guys. As we were all chatting another salvo of stray rounds hit us! They were fighting again outside our camp grounds, this Somalis are never tired of fighting, day or night! Luckily we had huge solid metal containers all stacked up three high to block out all the in-coming, otherwise ART will not be here to tell stories anymore!

So lesson learnt from CDO training …… run like hell first… eat later! 

The one thing the JL likes to do is to play games with all the SISWA, even till there is total darkness, check senjata di-malam buta, main bola sepak di-dalam gelap buta ( kicking one small tiny little stupid tennis ball in a football stadium in pitch darkness ), buat roll call di-dalam buta-buta, semua supaya jangan dapat tidor! 

Yes, they wanted us to be deprived off sleep, we were allowed minimum sleep and that is commando & Special Forces training world-wide standard! We must be able to perform as normal with minimum sleep and keep moving all the time!

The JL has their time-table, they go home sleep and wake up and take turns to keep us all awake! Hiyah mau pengsang who! This kawan of ours….we were all on compass marching one night, every time take 5, semua membuta, guaranteed, letih pak! So dah bergerak, semua tidak ambil pot untuk kira cukup orang ke tidak….lepas jalan 10 minit baru sedar ada se-ekor tertinggal!

Hadoi – kena back track cari dia, membuta sahaja nombor satu….tanya apa sal…katanya aku tidak boleh buka mata…what an answer, but that was it, it was the truth, we would walk with eyes closed and hands held together, not a JOKE!

Ini belum tidor dalam sungei lagi…macma kerbau, kepala sahaja keluar, badan rendam sampai PAGI esok…ada kawan kita Din Specs “Armor” ( intake 33 ) buat lawak….ada ular didalam air….semau panic! Tetapi JL tak hairan, siapa bangkit kena “life-fire”, we had an officer instructor by the name of Lt. Hamzah 'TOYOL', this guy was a terrorist, he terrorize all of us, he would fire life rounds above our bloody heads, not a JOKE! Siapa berani pasti MATI!

The commando course written test is so simple, after running 10 miles you are all seated immediately on the parade square and given your test papers & asked to answer simple questions!

Q1. Siapa kah Commandant PLPK?

Q2. Apa Kah binatang yang Boleh dimakan?

Q3. Apakah tujuan latihan Komando?

Q4. Kenapa anda masuk askar?

Q5. Apakah cogan-kata Komando?

Q6. Apa jenis pokok yang boleh dimakan?

Q7. Apakah nama kem INI?

Q8. Siapakah nama bapak awak?

Q9. Adakah kamu suka kursus INI?

Q10. Sedia kah kamu menjadi seorang Komando?

I MUST ASK MAT "KERAPU" IF THIS SET OF QUESTIONS ARE STILL BEING USED NOW!If anyone fails, the commandant, at that time was none other than Col ‘Wak’ Borhan, that guy would swallow you alive! He shouted at all of us during the opening address inside the dewan (forgot the name), mind you ¾ of the students were dead asleep, during his address! Get out and forward roll….hiyah terus jaga semua!

stay tune for the next phase.....

APEK MAHU TITON

ART, The story teller - Part V

PART V – How to EAT?

You guys must be thinking why write a story on this subject, well as civilians we eat however ways we want, not in Cadet Wing, we were taught how to eat like officers. Yes eating “SQUARE” was the only standard approved, up satu senduk, up dua bawa ke depan dan up tiga mum mum masuk mulut! No slurping sounds, no clanging sounds of the fork & spoon and off course no yapping while you eat. Even eating on the green coloured food trays was a luxury!

The most un-digestible menu in the cook-house, guess what? HATI LEMBU! This has always has been my public enemy NUMBER One! How to eat that stuff, cooked just like that! However way you cook this meat, to me, it was just horrible and some said that the meat was as old as we all were!

The ikan jacket besi or ikang cincaru was another meal to forget, just imagine, gutted and thrown into the hot frying pan, no flavour no nothing, memang jaket besi betul! It was so deep fried that it turned black and hard like a piece of rock!

Then we have sawi and kangkong rebus dalam air sahaja…they termed it makanan ITEK….yet we survived with the good old alternative kitchen called Jamal Kantin…maggi mee goring was the best option for many of us!

A suspected Communist from IPOH

This was my most horrifying moment on arrival at Sebatang Karah, after a long train journey from IPOH Mali, I boarded the 3 ton Mercedes at Seremban town. Everything looks good & fine at that time! A new experience awaits a young man of 18 years ole. There was this apprehensive feeling inside all of us, to go ahead or turn back. Turning back was never an option in my mind, why…because malu kat orang kampong nanti…akan dilabel tidak ada TELOQ!

The terror started when I landed inside the camp, the Orderly Sgt on duty took me with my papers from the truck and I landed on the huge parade square, his question & orders were simple: Q1. Where are you FROM? A1.IPOH!
Ha ini komunis! Mana bom dan pistol awak! Mana parang awak?

Can’t imagine what raced through my little frightened brains! I said mana ada bom staff! Saya bukan komunis staff! Saya mahu jadi askar dan tembak komunis lah..hiyah!
So my whole bag was opened up and everything was searched thoroughly and nothing offensive was found. I was wearing long sleeve shirt with a tie and my shoes were 4 inch platform shoes, JOHN Travolta was the in-thing back then, something I regretted till this very day! Had to run with it to the barracks! That night it was even worst, everybody had to run on “Orders”…and the shoe was broken, what a waste!

What to wear & how to wear

After all the fuss was over, maybe in two weeks, we finally got the tailor made ‘planters order’ rig for night wear, with the green cadet wing tie, the pants were a pair each of grey & brown and the shirt stripped with a piece of blue and the other was red. Off course we had to wear singlets too! The Johnson long boots also came later, but if you were to report sick you put on the walking out kasut potong & PD Green only!

All the neck-ties were never un-knotted, all ready for use at any-time. The handkerchief was also a part of the uniform a cadet must have! Ironed and nicely pressed but never used or stained!

As for the socks we have maybe 2-3 pairs only, alternating its usage from one to the other, cuci entah bilaq? White socks was a problem for games period, some has turned black!

The Kelantanese Clans – Fakeh Zulkifli

The cultural shock which I encountered when entering the TUAH Coy Barracks was the Kelantanese Clans Man..he is none other than, Cadet Fakeh Zulkifli. He spoke with the other tribesman in pure Kelantan dialect, which was alien to me at that point in time, never before had I heard such conversation in my entire life!

It was pure Kelantee speaking, “mu nak kena Teh”…to me it seems an invitation for teh tarik….but lo-and behold…it means do you want to have me beat you UP! This Kelantan clan was a plentiful in Tuah Company, the likes of Suhaimee ‘budu’, Tajri Alwi, Nawi, Tengku Adli, and a few more I can’t remember their names.

Remembering Fakeh our Expert Tomoi exponent who wanted to box like Muey Thai when in RMC, his legs could not stay down on the mat, whoever Cadet who boxed with him was terrified. I wonder where he is today, never met him since commissioned 35 years ago!

Our intake had a number of Kelantanese Cadets, the likes of Tengku Mat Wan Chik, Wan Mahat, Shokeri, etc….

The Smuggler – Buns & Bulan Puasa

This is an odd job which I swore never to do again, yes, fasting month in Pre-OCTU was dreadful, for it was hot, dry and sweaty because of the closeness to the sea. These so-called buddies of mine in Tuah Coy would pesan for grubs from the canteen when I do my lunch every-day. One fine day, it was the event just waiting to happen! I was already done for lunch, my mission was to buy buns and chocolates for my skotee! Here we go, full of buns in my pockets and pants, I walked along the Sgts Mess towards the barracks, and all of a sudden, my favourite PTI, who else….S/Sgt Ismail Murukun!

Kadet mari sini, he whispered in his ever so soft and unique voice……nak ke mana? Balik Bilik Staf!

Ada apo dalam baju dan seluar? Keluarkan SEMUA! Ohhhh…hang nak seludup yah…kau makan semua sekarang…and I had to eat and swallow all the 7 pieces of buns, all assorted flavours! By the time I had finished he was ready for round two! I thought that was it, no he had other ideas – sekarang forward roll…aduoi hai….mati aku….SELAGI AKU TAK SURUH BERHENTI TERUSKAN…..apa lagi semua keluar balik lah double quick time! Lain kali nak buat lagi kadet…tak mahu STAF! Balik sekarang….when I reached the barracks everyone looked at me, hoping to get good news…but the mission failed, everyone was disappointed with me……nasib baik aku tak dapat lepaskan makanan semua…kalau tidak aku jadi bersubahat dengan orang-orang yang tak puasa! BERDOSA AKU ……It was a blessing in disguise I GUESS!

IT WAS A GOOD LESSON LEARNT – the hard way! NEVER HELP A FRIEND TO DO A BAD DEED!

Guess for that training in side roll and forward roll including back roll we can stay steady even after drinking a gallon of chap anjing, or go deep sea fishing for days and remain steady…..ummmmm never know whether it was that PT drill? I will have to ask Ismail ‘Cdo’ Feisol….if he mabuk laut?

The Friday evenings escapism thanks to Capt Samy and Indian Cadets…..

This was another secret of my cadet days, nobody knew about this plan, except for the 5 China-man ( Tan, Ong, Lee, Leong & ART) and 3 Indian-man ( Kandiah, Bahawanin & Rajasingam) and off course Capt Samy himself the mastermind. I guess he knew we all needed a break and cool off! Every Friday nights were temple nights out in PD town, the gang of 8 would take a land rover and rush to town by dusk and return by 2200hrs just in time for roll-call! I can't recall whether Subit Chuan joined in or not! Must ask him personally.

The Indian cadets would go to the Indian temple and the China-man eat BAK KUT TEH! Everyone came back smiling in the insides only, all the faces look sullen off course, all well camouflaged like nothing had happened! It was the 1st COVERT Ops for me!

Friday Prayers & Malam Tahlil…

This was another night non-muslims cadets look forward too, whilst the Muslim cadets did their prayers, some took cover as usual,,,,…..we stayed in the barracks to finish our chores, kilat kasut, iron baju and wash up in peace, knowing the instructors will not be around to harass. These were precious little moments of peace and bliss!

The Rank Holders

If I am not mistaken, the rank holders were picked after about 2-3 months of training, some were relegated when they failed to meet the mark, me was always a MAK CAH-IE forever….the ex-putras, ex-afats & ex-service had leadership qualities and were the chosen ones! So the low down private 2nd class do all the dirty work, cleaning toilets and scraping the longkangs!

We had Cadet CO, Cadet OC, Cadet Q, Cadet CSM, Pl Comd & Pl Sgt……ada yang berlagak nak mampus….will talk about them later..!

So far….all about PRE-OCTU & its’ nonsense….a little bit more for the next series…TBC

ART, The story teller - Part IV

PART IV – THE STORY CONTINUES

This part shall cover the other side of Cadetship, there was this one day in my life story, when my own Mum visited the Camp, we were all on our way back after the “tactics module” – section & platoon battle drill at the nearby rubber estate. My Mum was sitting at the guard room, in anticipation to see me for the very first time after 3 months of absence from home, she could not recognise me, I was right in front of her, that’s how we all looked like, all bald headed, dark skinned and ‘kurus’ like prisoners of war! We can’t blame them parents, they loved us so much and she cried, after I called out to her! 

What has happened to her beloved son she wonders!

This is the price we pay to become a Cadet with the hope of becoming an officer after 12 months of rigorous training, 6 months at PRE-OCTU and 6 months at RMC. That was not the end of it, remembering what Maj. Muslim my OC Abdul Rahman coy said, it is just the beginning of things to COME! How right he WAS!

We all thought everything ends at the commissioning parade, no it just started actually! We were facing realities of military life as an Officer, and a junior one called 2 Lieutenant. We had to learn many more things to become a bloody officer, the ropes of surviving the dangers and acquiring knowledge, skills and experiences!

Some others were luckier, their parents had cars and were loaded, every-time their parents came, it was good fortune, they brought loads of goodies with them, nicely packed and ready for a feast! But, others never had their parents visiting for the whole 12 months! Yes, some were too lonely at times!

The goodies were a welcoming thing for those waiting in the barracks, some unlucky guys got theirs “cukai-ed” by the orderly Sgts at the guard room! No names mentioned we know who they were, lets forgive them for their transgressions. Biar lah KITA halalkan semua makan dan minum depa angkat semasa itu! 

Then it was time for selection for overseas training…..Portsea was the only vacancy in PD…yes our beloved skot…Shahrani Sany made it. He was always visited by his MUM also, his dad was the PAT & never did showed up, the big boss during our cadetship! He never was a ‘sombong’ cadet. Always with a smile and always a gentlemen till this very day, and next in line to put on his 2nd STAR, insya allah! His ability to strum the guitar at night by the longkang of Tuah Barracks was a tension releasing session and healing those aching body joints, Cadet CO was another good buddy by the LONGKANG! We did many unforgettable things there every night in the dark! This was after blackout time or lights out time. Some still ironing their PD Green others polishing their “kepala bot”!

My “Capoi” mate was the late Capt. Tan Eng Huat (RMAF), may he R.I.P. another person with a wide smile as always, still never could forget the day we last met, I was in Batu Melintang operating as usual, he was doing re-supply for all my battalion locations in the forward areas ( FFB ). After the tasking was over he was about to shut down for the day, he offered me a quick lesson in flying the NURI! What?

Yes, he told his co-pilot to step out of the cockpit and asked me to put on the headset and take over as his co-pilot! “O” SHIT was he joking, no he wasn’t….his orders: “left paddle turn left, right paddle turn right, joy-stick lift up to make the copper move upwards, push forward for the bird to move forwards….the left hand lever to uplift the bird! Walah after three minutes it was me piloting the aircraft, flying around the town of Batu Melintang, he becoming the co-pilot instead! I never got the WINGS though, but he surely gave me my flying lessons without the license! This is the untold story! 

Fate has it that way, 3 weeks after I completed my operational mission and returning to base in Mentakab, I heard the most dreaded news, copper down in Banding, pilot and all killed. "PILOT CAPT TAN!"

It broke my heart to lose another skot! All in the name of “DUTY TO KING & COUNTRY”! Our Intake lost 3 of the best pilots in the forces, all good soldiers and fine officers, and may the almighty blessed their souls….!

The other two was Awrah 2 Lt Razif and the late Maj Ong. They have all gone before us but never will we forget them!

Sebatang Karah is never the same anymore, the 'old ways' they used for training cannot be accepted today in this millennium, it is out-dated, they all say, but I beg to differ, so many of us ‘old dogs’ still believe that was the only best way to make boys become men - REAL SOLDIERS AND NOT “BOY SCOUTS” & “Girl Guides” like what we have today! If there is a WAR anytime around the corner, I dread to have the present generation going into REAL BATTLE! 

I would rather BE THE ONE TO carry the rifle and fight till my last drop of BLOOD! 

So much for this weekend short write-up…….stay tuned FOLKS…

Adious Amigos---…mu cha cha......

ART

ART, the story teller - Part III

PART III – BASIC TRAINING

Lets’ take a long walk down memory lane, firstly we were taught basic discipline in the form of KAWAD KAKI or Drill!

It was not easy for some of us, because they were just like “robots” - left foot with left hands, right foot with right hands! A few did not manage to pass out parade square on the first test! While others did it in fine style the very 1st time, it is the green light to leave the camp and look at the outside world after 3 months of solid ‘confinement.’

We need not mention who they are…..

The other module for basic training is Jungle Tactics which includes Field Craft or IMP ( Ilmu Medan Perang). We were all “make-up” or so well camouflaged that we can’t see each other practically, covered from head to toe with branches and leaves.

Everything that can reflect light was taped-up, including mess-tins, water bottles, mugs, buckles on the braces and even white shoes were painted BLACK! Not to forget our dog-tags too!

The battles drills were also fascinating, from section to platoon level quick attacks, the famous comment was: ‘berbuntut-buntut kadet’ buat semula…hiyah kena lagi! The Instructors can never be satisfied somehow or rather, maybe they were a bunch of sadists’ I guess, only god knows!

The other classic activity is games time, this is probably the only time some of us can relax and let our guard down a bit. That is if your team wins, otherwise masuk lubang beruang le kalau kalah! Atau forward roll sebab tidak memberi sokongan JITU kepada pemain…..sometimes to think about it, isn’t that crazy! Just imagine this nation is punished if Malaysia loses the Merdeka Cup!

Some cadets were just good at games and played every game, while some were good cheer-leaders and others water boy forever till today…we know who they are too! Tuah company was very ‘Bertuah’ in every sense of the word, we had a cool OC, he was never in tantrums, kalah atau menang sama aje! Yes, we were yellow line yard wearers in RMC later on!

But we never complain, we did it all, whatever they threw at us, nothing was impossible as a cadet way back then, do not know if it does happen NOW! I think the whole intake would abscond double quick TIME if the same practice continues till today!

Lubang Beruang & Lubang Sarimah is so annoying to all cadets, imagine 234 cadets jumping into it, one go…even the snakes inside it FLEW OUT! That is the real stuff we the intake 3-4 is made up of! The never say die guys, except a few that scaled the fences on the first night and never to return to the hell hole again! I can never remember their faces or names, but If am not mistaken, almost 20 left us after the first day!

Those that stayed put endured it and later on, some drop out too, some on medical grounds and others got injured, Cadet Lee was one of them that broke his leg doing Junam MAUT! A few more the likes of Cadet Nazri, who tried so hard ( 3 times ) to be an Officer, sadly he did not make it with us!

Cadet Nazri was an exceptional case, he was as confident as anyone else, he would take the initiative to be the pack leader, or rather squad leader, making us green horns ‘berbaris’ every-time there is a need to be gathered by the ‘jurulatih.’

Swimming Lessons – this was another horrifying ordeal for cadets who can’t swim, practically thrown into the sea by assault boats, you either make it back to shore if you can swim, otherwise you sink or drown! Ask our good friends that can’t swim…how much salt water they took-in! Until today his name stays with HIM…aiyah YOD!

This is not the end of the sea water treatment, it is supposed to heal wounds they said, in a way it is true salty water heals all the ‘kurap’ and bruises as a result of leopard crawls under barb wires. Some unlucky few had boils as big as tennis balls, full of ‘nanah’! But we all survived the ordeal!

The incident which never ever will leave my memory is the day we kena short & sharp: ‘pacak check up satu’ from the main parade square straight unto the beach & into the sea with our HK weapons! Fulamak – macam tak percaya, JL lupa mau bagi orders berhenti ke! No way hozey. It was on purposed…!

The next best thing for the cadets is the Mess Pegawai Kadet, the best chocolates, best soap, best cigarettes off course it is Benson & Hedges 20sticks pack, with Brymays yellow box matches from England (NAAFI), not to mention Chap Hanchor & Anjing Bodoh Hitam!

The squad huts by the road and along the fence was also another get away on Sundays for poor cadets to see the world and everything that passes by. Polishing the boots off course.

Another horrifying memory is the change parade routine at roll-call time (2200Hrs) after the bugler does his number, the DO has his fun & games! At the end of the session the lockers will be like ‘terabuh taugeh’. One night which beats all other nights is when 234 cadets were asked to go on ‘birthday suit’….some did not click in their heads as to what is a birth day suit! Holy cow…what…all 234 cadets naked on parade…worst has yet to happen! When the orders were given “salah langkah kedepan” mama mia orang depan GELI! Raptakan lagi the next orders…hancuh lebuh..all of us lost our concentration & started to giggle…and then the ultimate happens….the DO with his torch lights, doing a REAL close-up inspection of birdies!

Macam macam ada! It was done as part of the body inspection for diseases and infection it seems! But who were we to lodge any complains to any one, let alone talk about it to any outsider, not NOW, the press and media would have a field day playing up this incident!

Having dinner is another ordeal – cadets had to go on parade and get inspected by the DO again, those without a clean hanky, have stained glass with finger prints, unpolished Johnson Boots and un-oiled hairdo will face the music, as I did learn the hard way!

I had to buy a new bottle of hair-cream and swipe it all over my crew cut hair! The whole bottle! Waduh….after that I made sure it was like grease lightening …and now never again had I used any hair gel or cream, after commissioned!

The real secret as to why my hair is still jet black & only my moustache and beard is greying & white ….. it is god given! Alhamdulilah. Hair cream and shampoo kills off the hair cells and damages hair follicles because of the chemicals in it, which nobody knows what they really contain!

Too much hair talking for today….till the next episode stay tuned folks ..good night!

ART

ART, The story teller - Part II

Part II….Life in Sebatang Karah….

The favourite Medical Corporal is Nawi, sama nama dgn skot kita – SEMBOYAN fellow!

The Favourite PTI – Cpl Mc Clean….now a trainer at MSN…

The most Feared Instructor – Capt Rosli

The Best PTI – S/Sgt Ismail Murukun ( Arwrah) semoga rohnya dicucuri Rahmant ALLAH SWT . Incidentally, the late WO I Ismail worked with me in the same office whilst in MSAT, he was my technical adviser on PT, his training was tough no doubt but effective, we are what we are today, many thanks to HIM. We are mentally & physically tough and strong willed because he push us all the way….

al-fatihah.

The Best Paymaster – Capt Samy always pays us all on time, every time, all the time, but balik hutang bagai nak rak!

Best friend inside the Camp is – Mr. Jamal Kantin operator, without him cadet kebulok! Ada hutang sampai lupa nak bayar, baik minta ampun dan minta halakan semua..langsaikan hutang semua….!

The best & flamboyant commandant – who drives his car right onto the parade square whilst cadets tengok wayang di malam minggu..cerita P.Ramlee Tiga ABDUL….Lt Col Hacharan Singh…we must invite him for our function, the next one hopefully, he is still alive in PD, if I am not wrong!

Our CI was Maj Istamar Teguh…no idea where he is….maybe C-4 can track him down for us! Can invite him too….kalau dah tidak ada…al-fatihah! We never get to see him or hear him speak…wonder why?

The next character is OC Tuah – Yaacob….now a G.M. at Jusco Maluri, must invite him next do! Was sad we did not called him last DO!

OC – Jebat…ummm can’t recall….Raja Dollah

OC – Kasturi…ummm can’t recall…no idea…blank

We have Capt. Johar – who likes Cadets to carry him from the Officers mess to the parade square in his arm-chair! It’s for ROLL-CALL at 2200HRS!

We have Capt. Vincent – the man with the dirty looking stick!

We have Capt. ……

We have S/Sgt Yusof the ‘MISAI’…we invited and saw him in person last reunion.

There was one S/Sgt Ishak “Black” ( la ha bau ) Melaka….never without this word!

The ‘Tok Moh’ was S/Sgt Mohamad (Specs) …who manage to chase away the devil inside HARIDAN in Tuah Coy, one evening after aerobic run at bukit botak! Tiga kali hembus air penawar lari hantu….kawan kita duk jerit: : “mana pistol aku”! Hish macam macam…seram beb!

Armskote manager aku lupa nama mereka dong…tetapi setiap pagi aku ada tengok barisan kadet tidor lena dgn pakain lengkap PT BODOH semua…snooze! That is called – good time management!

Al Kisah PT Bodoh – tidak pernah basuh, habis PT gantung dan rembat sahaja pagi esok, terus sarong dan kena KURAP macam nak pengsan! Aku punya saiz kecil pun kutu rembat! Waduh!

Pasal kilat kasut drill boot – seksa bagai nak gilaq!

Semua Ex-service, Ex-Boy, Ex-AFAT…dah siap dan relax….semua civilian pengsan..tak kilat langsung, “kepala but macam celaka…hempeh!”

To be continued…kalau hampa tahu nama-nama yang aku balnk… tolong lah ingatkan aku…..TQ

What It Takes & Makes To Be A Military Major

By ART

ART, The story teller - Part 1

It all began when in recents months, many 'Honorary Majors' were awarded to some of the  'country's finest' such as Lim Chong Wei, Ncholas David and many more:

What It Takes & Makes To Be A Military Major
By ART

By tradition a potential Military Officer shall undergo a stringent selecting process before he is selected and considered qualified to be a Soldier first, his training may take from 12 to 24 months even 4 years depending which military institution he is enlisted.

If he makes the grade, that is, after physical fitness test, IQ test, medical test, leadership test, Office Quality Test (OQ) and security vetting procedures and a whole lot more other test. He must not be colour blind, not short sighted and not a GAY/LESBIAN (in Malaysia only).

Now, he starts his 1st day of training with his head been shaved bald, not for ladies, they just get a good short- crop, this is too ensure that no bugs or lice makes it their haven, it is more for health and hygiene reasons, something the Army never bother to explain all these years, they just do IT, as usual, once you enlist you lose all your rights, you are at the mercy of the trainers! This is only applicable during the 60’s & y70’s when you become a soldier, not today. Parents with great and good connections and fire and transfer trainers if they are too tough on the trainees! Those days trainees life is 10% written-off! It is an acceptable percentage for death due to training! Today, one is not tolerated, so we are becoming softies and sissies!

Well, lets’ get back to the matter arising!
The baptism of fire starts from the time you put your 10 little finger-prints onto the attestation forms/papers and take the oath of office (per-say)! You will be herded into a room and after all hair is removed, swear to god almighty to be a soldier! Never to run away from duty and run away from WAR! Never to be a coward and fight to your last drop of blood!

Before this ceremony the trainers will asked one last time who so ever who wants to QUIT may step out and leave, some does want to leave but too embarrass and shy, while some did not have the guts!
So let it be!

The next day is where the real fun starts, we all have our early morning breakfast, two eggs, some bread and butter and a mug of black local coffee! This is 0600hrs in the dead of the morning, all dressed in Blue Shorts ( which they called PT Bodoh) and the green holed t-shirt without collars, this combination is famously called PT-BODOH!
The real shocker begins – we are asked to do things we never dreamed off before! Side rolls, forward rolls, back rolls, uphill, downhill, on the tarmac road, on the saw-grass (lallang), the whole area is flatten after 234 cadets finished “rolling in the sun, just like a stream roller on a road building task!”

That is only a quarter of it, they ask you to climb, jump, duck walk, crawl on your bellies, dive, enter dark crowded holes, walk along narrow planks high above ground, walk on strings, do Tarzan swings, climb the monkey racks, the worst is the JUNAM MAUT which literally means the flight of DEATH! Many broke their legs and hands, the sure way of getting oneself discharged for good!

PT – the time where Cadets will do wonderful things, sometimes to escape the rigors of it all, they would climb into septic tanks, water towers, hide in bathrooms and toilets, the famous one is to REPORT SICK! There will be some evil and evil waiting those reporting for sick, there is this Medical Corporal who will torment anyone who wishes to report SICK, he ensures one is really sick and not malingering! MAY GOD BLESS HIS SOUL.

The classic case is cadets who come back from the CRS ( Centre Reporting Casualty) and gets a M&D (Medicine & Duty) it means you are not that SICK, all hell breaks lose again, you are deemed malingering. That was a hellish experience, of reporting sick, better make sure one is really SICK!

So this ordeal last everyday, we are supposed to be fighting fit soldiers, that is why the gruelling PT is never mild, it takes almost an hour of your life everyday, the “lompak katak masuk baris is the most classical of all…14 satu dua!”

This is Just the Pre-amble....many more to come.......

'Wok with Dollah...'

Hidden Talent ~ n they say he only handles helicopters..... Taken from his FB album with thanks :D

'Duo’s application struck out in RPK suit'

The Star, 19th Sept 2012


"KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here has struck out an application by two lieutenant colonels to amend their statement of claim in a defamation suit filed against blogger Raja Petra Raja Kamaru­din.
High Court judge Justice Su Geok Yiam dismissed the application after ruling that the issues for amendment brought up by Lt-Col Abdul Aziz Buyong and Lt-Col Norhayati Hassan were matters of evidence rather than fact.
She also ruled that there had been no satisfactory explanation for the delay in the amendment.
No date has been set for the next mention.
Raja Petra was charged with defaming Datin Seri Rosmah Man­sor and the two senior military officers in a statutory declaration made at the Jalan Duta court complex on June 18, 2008.
However, the Kuala Lumpur Ses­sions Court subsequently granted him a discharge not amou­n­ting to an acquittal over the charge.
The two lieutenant colonels have since filed separate RM1mil defamation suits against him."

'Eid Fitr 2102/1433 open house at Ali Khan's dated 17th Sept 2012

Photos courtesy of skot Aziz Din with thanks, (SSC 34 resident photographer without fail, heheh)

Standing L - R , The host , skots Ali Khan, Aziz Din

Seated L - R , Skots Zamani Othman, Shokeri  Hj Salleh, Ismail Feisol

Seated L - R , Skots Yusri, Suhaimi Akhtar

Mohd Sani rightmost

Skot Nawawi Said in pink shirt, Skot Osman Saamin in between Skots Suhaimi and Yusri