OCS Delta 10 IOCC 1/82: D10

Ex Don Quijote

Our first gathering took place on the 3rd day of Chinese New Year 2016. It was a good time to organise a get-together as our overseas bros would be home for the festivities and thus available to meet up. And indeed, many of them - who were posted to work overseas - did return. The gathering was a blast.

Most of us haven't seen each other since we left OCS some 34 years ago!

As one can imagine, all of us have gotten a little wrinkled, a bit out-of-shape, a little hair-less (well, defintely more hair than we had during OCS!) but once the introductions were over, we could all recognise each other back when we were cadets. It did not matter whether we passed out (graduated) from OCS or not. The bonding time at Platoon 10 was what mattered most. And as mentioned before, we were a special bunch with a rather special PC and PWO duo (platoon warrant officer). We at D10 were allowed to manage ourselves (I'm not sure why though. Did Capt Ang need time out of camp to see a mistress? Did Staff Karu also do likewise?) Haha, we would never know. Probably not Capt Ang as he was one of those clean-cut Chinese-educated officers in OCS bck then... with baby-soft skin and a kindly face. But never make him lose face or it's "extra this extra that". Your weekends would definitely be spent in camp. We eventually accepted this trade-off punishment for the luxury of managing ourselves. I fell asleep once holding my changkul (hoe) digging a foxhole on Marsiling Hill and got an extra. It was not even intentional! Fail in your tests and you'll get an "extra". Slack in your physical tests and yet another extra! Haha. At one time, there were so many of us doing extra over a weekend that it felt like a normal day in OCS!

Our first gathering took place at the Don Quijote restaurant and bar up on Dempsey Hill on 10 February 2016. It was a Wednesday night. DQ served tapas and heavier stuff like tomahawk steak, suckling pig and Spanish ham. They did wines too As tapas bars go, DQ had a nice cozy atmosphere, low lighting and exuded Mediterranean charm.

However, you should have heard the noise we made after having not seen each other for soooo long! Or seen the big wide smiles on our faces the instant we recognised one another, or recounted the incredible times we went through over the nine months of OCS!

Suddenly, we were back to our old young selves at 19 or 20.

I think the pictures below speak for themselves. The happiness, gaiety and genuine friendship. A friendship forged under the Sword and Torch of OCS. Whether you did well or not at OCS (also depends if you are military minded as well), the nine-months you'd spent there will surely shape you in one way or other. Funnily, I was a fan of Vic Morrow's Combat on TV. I've always thought a sergeant was more a field leader than an officer. On the field, on patrol, that's where the small battles are won. Where courage prevails.

Thanks go to Dennis for picking the place and also introducing us to some very fine old whiskey. Not everyone drank that night. And the occasion was way too short (it was a work week night though, after the CNY 1st and 2nd Day). The bill came to $200 a person, which I thought was a bit high, esp for the non-drinkers. In the end, we decided to hold a "free" gathering the next time to make up for it. But hell, no amount of money can make up for seeing your old army buddies again. I'll drop whatever I'm doing for the next meet-up. Our time at OCS was special and shall remain special. As they say, brothers-in-arms always!

Oh, yes, thanks to Karu for inviting the SAF Army News newsletter folks down to cover the event. It was great to have them take pictures and write about us. But in the end they took up much of my time interviewing (I was one of the main organisers and "people-searcher" LOL). In the end I didn't talk to my bros much at all. Time just flew by and before I knew it, it was time to say goodbye. By 2100 hrs some folks had to go off (a working day next). Dang, just too short for such a long-time in waiting gathering! However, some did manage to stay until 2330 hrs sipping whiskey and recalling old times. A great way to see the night off, really. And what a special night it was!

Captions note: Some truth, some fiction. And some laughs (hopefully!)

The Don Quijote tapas bar and restnt on Dempsey Hill

Karam Singh and Poh Ian Chiak. "Goddamn it! You mean your office is just next to mine?"

Staff Karu and Robert Yeang/ "Boys, no hard feelings, eh....those extras. Heheh..."

"Robert Yeang!!!" says the outstretched hand.

"Look., I tell you, 1 in 3 Sgren has diabetes in Sg. ...But none in PAP because none of them know how to sweet talk."

A hearty toast to old friends and brothers-in-arms.

Damn, that old whiskey was good!

Those who came later were not in this photo.

Same group but with more whiskey inside.

Danny Lee recounting us his days in ASEAN secretariat and CNA. "I tell you, the laksa controversy is
the tip of the iceberg. Malaysia will want mee siam and chicken rice. Chicken Rice? No way. That's our national dish!" - not discounting the fact that Sgrens like to go Malacca for (wait for it)... chicken rice.

"Oh yes, I remember the time before Brunei doing guard duty and not sleeping for four days straight. Er, who gave me Platoon Sergeant appointment?"

Then and now. No change. Always a smile and laugh with everyone.

"Capt Ang, how come your skin is still so smooth? Do you use L'Oreal's Intensive Night Repair?"

Dennis, Mark Chan, Karu, Bennett and Yew Meng.

"You see, the one trick to staying young and handsome is to eat all kinds of wild animals.
Snake, pangolin, dog, cat...even the occasional arowana."

"Yeah, you know, this Najib situation is getting out of hand. Now the FBI has him by the balls."

Being interviewed by Army News. "You see, D10 history is not just me and a few friends. It's a collective. You have to find everybody to complete that history. And hopefully, once found, they want to reconnect. It's always an iffy at that point. You just don't know what people have gone through over the years. You can encourage, but in the end, the decision is theirs."

Chan Boon Kiong and Lim Yew Meng in a "Wow, I've haven't heard that one before!" moment.

Koh Tiah Ann and Capt Ang Tow Hai. "Yeah, I know you always fall alseep
inside the three-tonner. No secret."

Bennett Tan and Tan Liang Teck sharing a biz-card moment. "These days they 3-D print everything, including g-cheong-fun. How, next time maybe they 3-D print army rations on the spot during field camp?"

Gerard Lee and Ng Kheng Hua listening to another tall tale. "The reason I did not sign-on was I had
camouflage displasia. I see things in those patterns. It's like porn to me. Cannot lah... how to function as a good soldier???"

Fabian Khoo and Johnny Lim. "I'm telling you. This guy Trump will win the US Election."

"You rmbr that time during Mandai ambush a couple came out of their car undressed and hei-so hei-so? Man, never was the commscord comms pulled so hard and often that night."

"And then there was that lady who sold drinks at Pengkang Hill. Man, she ran up and down with the fellas every time. I think she was the fittest person in SAFTI!"

Wow....not exactly SAF canteen but the same fellas!

"And this one time I bought a parrot and it was previously owned by an army RSM. Bloody bird would wake
me up for 5BX each morning, reminding me of BMT."

"Yean Cheong, I remember you!" said Capt Ang. I remember him for his excellent guitar-playing skills.

"And in Vietnam, the bribe situation is down to a science. You have to bride a person to bribe person to bribe another. Up the chain. It's a vertical industry that's working very well there."

"Sir, remember the time in Taiwan when we had transport problem and I just commandeered a civilian lorry?"

"Did we ever return the lorry???"

Suckling pig. Because of the Army News interview, I didn't get a chance to eat any!

Platoon 10 - all the way! Yup, we didn't make Capt Ang lose face, LOL!

"You don't believe me when I say Trump will win?"

"You got sandfly bitten? I was attacked by bees on Tekong."

"Mark, remember the sword they gave you? It wasn't a kukri knife!"

"And so why are women like hurricanes? When they come they are wet and wild. When they leave,
they take your car and house! HAHA"

"And so they asked me what is 6.9? I said, "Six Point Nine?" Er, a good thing spoilt by a period?

"Did you get TC's joke?"

"Alright man, I got it!"

"Haha...6.9. Period. Haha!"

"I still have some more one liners in my pocket."

"TC, can you tell me a joke with 7.0?"

"So what is worse waking up at a party and have a penis drawn on your face? That it was traced. LOL"

"Dang, whose penis is that on this face?"

"Haha, I think I know whose. We bathed together in Taiwan remember?"

BMT and OCS photos.

"Wah lau eh....so so long ago!"

Many old pics from Liaw. We shud have taken more. We were the cross-over NS generation. Green to camou.
New No.3. No.4 for lectures. No more polishing of boots. But same barbwire beehoon in the morning, oily chicken and overcooked yellow veg.

Where's the tomahawk steaks?

"And they came to my house and finished my father's whiskey!" "Ok, that was me!" is what Boon Teck seems to be saying. I busy savouring a rare moment of food!

"Remember our field training? Watermanship?"

Platoon function pix from my album.

"Ah, back when they were all in Army kindergarten...."

"Is that Golf Company???"

"Thank you constituents! Vote for me next time!"

"See, this skinny fella in the thick glasses is you...."

"As I was saying, living on the mountain like a kung fu sifu has its drawbacks. For one thing, wi-fi is hard to get. We get clouds a lot. . but not so for storage."