Email ~ ssc.in.34@gmail.com
A sibling of mine nonchalantly inquired ~ 'Why dwell on the past?' to which I pondered, to which I have no exact answer. Perhaps it was because of the hardship we endured, or perhaps the camaradarie that we forge, or perhaps keeping tabs on old friends for old time sake, reminiscing. Perhaps ... :D
A US Air Force C-141 was scheduled to leave Thule Air Base, Greenland
at midnight. During the pilot’s preflight check, he discovers that the
latrine holding tank is still full from the last flight.
So a message is sent to the base, and an airman who was off duty is called out to take care of it.
The young man finally gets to the airbase and makes his way to the
aircraft, only to find that the latrine pump truck has been left
outdoors and is frozen solid, so he must find another one in the hangar,
which takes even more time.
He returns to the aircraft and is less than enthusiastic about what he has to do.
Nevertheless, he goes about the pumping job deliberately and
carefully (and slowly) so as to not risk criticism later. As he’s
leaving the plane, the pilot stops him and says, “Son, your attitude and
performance has caused this flight to be late, and I’m going to
personally see to it that you are not only reprimanded but also
punished.”
Shivering in the cold, his task finished, he takes a deep breath,
stands up tall and says, “Sir, with all due respect, I’m not your son;
I’m an Airman in the United States Air Force. I’ve been in Thule,
Greenland for 11 months without any leave, and reindeer are beginning to
look pretty good to me. I have one stripe; it’s two-thirty in the
morning, the temperature is 40 degrees below zero and my job here is to
pump shit from your aircraft.
Now just exactly what form of punishment did you have in mind?”
"THE officers and men are my precious jewels." These were the words
of a former battalion and unit commander who braved the battles during
the height of the communist terrorists' insurgency, the Confrontation
(with Indonesia) and the Emergency.
Colonel (Rtd) Harchand Singh, who turned 90 on April 7, still
remembers the gruelling encounters in the deep jungles of Peninsular
Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak while serving with the Royal Rangers
Regiment.
"They were torrid times and our lives depended on each other
on the frontlines. We worked as a team and were a close-knit family of
brothers in arms.
"I treasured commanding them in various missions deep in the
jungles," said Harchand during a recent impromptu reunion with 31 of his
close friends and former comrades from various corps at the home of
Captain (Rtd) Loo Choon Chew in Lukut, Negri Sembilan.
Present were former Army Divison One commander Major-General (Rtd) Datuk
Toh Choon Siang, Army Senior Officers Institute deputy commandant
Colonel Inderjit Singh, reunion coordinator Major (Rtd) A. R.
Ramachandran and Harchand's wife, Eva Guest.
The reunion was also held to usher in Warrior's Day and to commemorate National Day.
The occasion was held via a video phone call between Harchand and
another illustrious veteran, Rear-Admiral (Rtd) Tan Sri K.
Thanabalasingam, the country's first local Royal Malaysian Navy chief.
Harchand and Thanabalasingam go way back in their relationship.
"It was a short yet delightful conversation, as we recalled our old
encounter at Parry Road (now Jalan P. Ramlee) in Kuala Lumpur.
"My eyes lit up as I heard his voice. I nonchalantly uttered 'I love
you with my heart and soul' to my good old buddy'," said Harchand, as
his comrades gave him a fitting Rangers' Iban battlecry Agi Idup, Agi Ngelaban (As long as we live, we shall fight on).
Harchand, who hails from Kuala Kangsar, Perak, had his early education at the Anglo-Chinese School in Ipoh.
In 1953, he was interviewed by British High Commissioner to Malaya,
Field Marshal General Tun Sir Gerald Templer, and was included among the
pioneer batch of 36 Short Service Commission cadets who underwent
training in Port Dickson for six months.
He then made his way to Eaton Hall in Chester, Britain for another six months.
Harchand, subsequently, was among 24 cadets to be sent to the
prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom and
was commissioned as a second lieutenant after 18 months in 1953.
In an illustrious career, he served with the United Nations
peacekeeping force in Congo and commanded five Ranger battalions, before
finally retiring as commandant of the Army Combat Training Centre in
Ulu Tiram, Johor in 1985.
Toh described Harchand as a seasoned paratrooper, a flamboyant character and a dedicated leader of men.
"It is the best way to describe him. Harchand was always protective of his officers and men, whom he described as his jewels.
'KOTA BHARU: Peristiwa getir dihujani peluru dan saling berbalas
tembakan dengan musuh hingga hampir meragut nyawa, masih segar dalam
ingatan Mejar Jeneral (B) Datuk Tengku Ahmad Noor Tuan Chik.
Ibarat hanya sejengkal daripada ajal, bapa kepada tiga anak ini,
berkata detik cemas itu dialaminya ketika bertempur menentang pengganas
komunis dalam Operasi Kota Foxtrot di Perak pada Mei 1985.
Beliau ketika itu adalah Penolong Ketua Kompeni D yang ditugaskan
mengetuai platun bersama 24 anggota bagi menjejaki pengganas komunis,
selepas bunyi ketukan buluh yang sengaja dilakukan oleh musuh didengari
bagi menarik perhatian askar Melayu.
"Selepas mendapat arahan, kami keluar untuk menjejaki pengganas
komunis pada malam keesokan harinya dan bunyi ketukan buluh itu semakin
jelas dan kuat.
"Bagi mengelak dikesan musuh, kami berpecah kepada dua kumpulan.
Hanya pada hari ketiga, musuh dapat dijejaki, lalu saya bersama dengan
beberapa anggota mara membuat tinjauan dan ketika itulah berlaku
pertempuran.
"Kami dihujani peluru dan saling berbalas tembakan dengan musuh yang
dianggarkan seramai 15 orang," katanya ketika ditemui di rumahnya di
Panji, di sini, hari ini.
Beliau berkata, dalam kejadian berbalas tembakan dengan pihak komunis
itu, beliau hanya berada dalam jarak kurang 30 meter dan ditembak secara
rambang oleh seorang daripada komunis.
Mejar Jeneral (B) Datuk Tengku Ahmad Noor Tuan Chik berkhidmat sebagai
anggota tentera selama lebih kurang 41 tahun selepas bersara pada 2018. -
NSTP/Nik Abdullah Nik Omar
"Nyawa saya terselamat kerana tembakan itu tidak terkena pada
bahagian perut kerana dilindungi kelopak peluru di vest yang dipakai,
selain hanya udi senjata yang pecah.
"Komunis beranggapan saya cedera terkena tembakan dan menghampiri
saya untuk mengambil senjata, tetapi saya terus bangun dan menembak ke
arahnya menyebabkan dia berguling untuk menyelamatkan diri.
"Dalam pertempuran itu juga saya melontar bom tangan ke arah
pengganas komunis, sebelum melaungkan kepada anggota platun terus mara
ke hadapan dan ia menyebabkan musuh berundur kerana mengesyaki kami
dalam kumpulan yang ramai.
Koleksi gambar Mejar Jeneral (B) Datuk Tengku Ahmad Noor Tuan Chik. - NSTP/Nik Abdullah Nik Omar
"Bagaimanapun, operasi menjejaki pengganas komunis tidak boleh
diteruskan kerana pihak musuh sudah melarikan diri ke Selatan Thailand,"
katanya yang menamatkan perkhidmatan pada 2018 sebagai Ketua Staf
Markas Medan Barat Tentera Darat di Kem Sungai Besi.
Beliau berkata, peristiwa lain yang tidak dapat dilupakan ialah
ketika Operasi Sedar Gubir di Kedah pada 1982 apabila tiga anggotanya
mengalami cedera parah selepas terkena jerangkap samar.
Katanya, ketika kejadian itu mereka digerakkan untuk membantu Kompeni
B, Batalion 18 Rejimen Askar Melayu DiRaja (RAMD) yang diserang oleh
pengganas komunis dan mengakibatkan tiga anggota cedera ditembak ketika
membuat penjejakan sehingga ke kem pengganas komunis.
"Selama dua bulan kami menjalankan operasi menjejaki pengganas
komunis dan dalam tempoh itu, keadaan amat merbahaya, banyak berlaku
kejadian jerangkap samar dan serang hendap oleh pengganas komunis.
"Namun di atas semangat keberanian dan setiakawan dalam kumpulan,
kami berjaya untuk menghapuskan pengganas komunis daripada bertapak di
negara tercinta," katanya.
Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un. Received telegram msg from Sec Gen on the demised of skot almarhum Mohd Sani Hj Royan. May Allah azzawajal shower him rahmah n maghfirah n ease the burden upon his family, aameen ya robb
PETALING JAYA: When K Thanabalasingam was appointed chief of the
Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) in 1967, he scored a couple of firsts.
He was not only the youngest ever chief at 31, the British-trained naval officer was also the first Malaysian to helm the post.
Incidentally, his retirement, too, was a first as no head of service has ever left the armed forces at the age of 40.
What is interesting is that the Kuala Lumpur-born former Victoria
Institution student was not the first name that was considered by Tunku
Abdul Rahman, who was the prime minister when he decided to Malaysianise
the navy’s top post which was then headed by an Australian.
The Tunku first asked senior army officer Brig Gen Mohd Sany Abdul Ghaffar to take the job.
Thanabalasingam designed the Malaysian navy ensign, which is still in use, in 1968.
“But Sany represented the old Malaysia that I miss now. He was honest
and admitted that he had very little knowledge in naval matters and
told Tunku that a senior naval officer was the best person.
“It was then that my name apparently cropped up, presumably
recommended by my superiors,” the 85-year-old Thana, as he is fondly
known, told FMT in an interview in conjunction with Malaysian Navy Day
today.
Recalling the day when the signal on his promotion arrived, Thana
said he was annoyed with the signals officer of the brigade as he
thought he was playing a practical joke on him. He had had no inkling of
the promotion, as no one had told him anything.
At that time, he had been commanding the naval base in Tawau, Sabah, with the rank of lieutenant commander for only four months.
“I told (the officer) that his joke had gone too far and that I would deal with him when I see him in the officers’ mess.
“I got a shock when I saw a huge welcoming party at the mess. Then I
began to realise it was true. I thought to myself, ‘Good heavens, how am
I going to run the navy? All the immediate officers at the headquarters
below me will be senior Britons and Australians’.
“No one in the right frame of mind would have imagined that a
31-year-old was going to head the navy. The funny thing is that I was
never consulted nor asked if I could do the job,” he said.
One of his main tasks after taking over was to move the RMN
headquarters in Singapore to Malaysia and that required much thought and
planning.
Thanabalasingam welcoming Tunku Abdul Rahman during a visit to the Woodlands naval base in 1969.
The Tunku had told him he wanted the base to be in Port Klang but
Thana had some reservations because of the location and availability of
land.
“I met Tun Abdul Razak, who was then defence minister, to persuade
him to consider Lumut. It was not congested and we had plenty of land.
But he told me Tunku was adamant about having it in Port Klang.
“Then I happened to meet Tunku privately at a function and tried to
convince him but he did not yield. It was at this time that May 13
occurred and the project had to be delayed. Emergency was declared and
Tun Razak took over as the director of operations of the National
Operations Council,” he said.
Soon after he became prime minister in 1970, Razak called up Thana
and told him he could go ahead with the move to Lumut, assuring him that
he had informed the then economic planning unit (EPU) head, Thong Yaw
Hong, about it.
“He had told Thong that I would be contacting him. And the next morning, Thong called me up and asked what would be the budget.
“I must say Tun Razak’s brilliance helped when he put this project
under the EPU, thereby taking it out of the tight defence budget.
“He also approved my request for assistance from the then West German government for the development of the naval base project.
“We chose the West German model because they had rebuilt their bases
after being flattened into a rubble during World War II. So, their
experience was vital,” he said.
Thana also designed the current RMN ensign which has the Malaysian
flag at the left corner on a white background with the two keris
criss-crossed at the right corner
above an anchor.
He did away with the British ensign which had the St George’s cross
on it in early 1968. “I did not want anything religious on the ensign.”
Another of Thana’s major achievements was initiating the extension of
Malaysia’s territorial waters from three nautical miles to 12, soon
after confrontation with Indonesia ended.
While May 13 may have helped him with his Lumut plans, it was
responsible indirectly in curtailing his career and made him “retire”
prematurely at the young age of 40.
Razak died in London on Jan 14, 1976, and Hussein Onn took over as prime minister.
Thanabalasingam welcoming Abdul Razak Hussein to the Kuching naval base in 1974.
“Coincidentally, the course of my career took a different trajectory after this,” he recalled.
Hussein offered him the post of an ambassador after his “retirement”
but Thana declined because he felt that it was not a new career, adding
that it was a short posting of only three years.
With that, he left the service and became a civilian at 40.
He said that apart from the ambassador’s post, the government did not
offer him any other position in quasi-government bodies or
government-linked companies.
“Most of my army counterparts were offered directorships or
chairmanships in big institutions while the Armed Forces Fund Board was
headed by retired army generals. I was excluded,” he said.
Talking about the “good old days,” Thana said he could not recognise
the Malaysia of the past in the present, where all races had respect for
each other.
“There were no quotas whatsoever, everybody lived together, dined together and partied together.
“We worked hard and played hard, enjoying ourselves to the hilt. I
even once dated a young Malay lady who happened to be the daughter of a
ministry secretary-general then,” he recalled.
Thana said besides racial policies and practices, corruption has also destroyed the nation as it has become nearly endemic.
Due to corruption and the economic situation of the country, he said,
the armed forces’ continual development has been neglected.
“You need to continue developing and replacing old ships and aircraft
to maintain the capabilities of the armed forces,” he said.
Thana, a bachelor, is writing a book on his life in the Malaysian navy, which he hopes to finish by the end of the year.
Received via telegram from skot Zambri, today , 23rd Feb 2021 at 1118 am.
'Salm dukacita dimaklumkan skot kita Suhaimi Bedul telah menemui penciptantanya subuh pagi ni. Arwah akn disemadikan di Kgnya di Machang Kelantan'
Semogaa Allah azzawajal melimpahi magfirah dan rahmah keatas beliau disamping meletakkan beliau di kalangan para solihin serta allah kurniakan ketabahan dan dipermudahkan segala urusan ketas waris2 yang ditinggalkan, aameen ya robb
