IN THE FORCE
HOMEGROWN HEROES The Home Team honours ten NSmen at this year’s HTNS Awards
Back row (L-R): SGT (NS) Yahya Bin Abdul Razak; SSSGT (NS) Irwan Bin Abdul Rahman; SUPT (NS) Wong Soon Yang; MAJ (NS) Dennis Gay Keng Hian; MAJ (NS) Teo Yik Tee Jerry; WO2 (NS) Mohd Fitri Bin Mohd Jamil; SSGT (NS) Jimmy Woon Siew Loong. Front row (L-R): LTC (NS) Jonathan Joseph Tan; Mr Eric Yap, Commissioner SCDF; Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs; Mr Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs; Mr Ng Joo Hee, Commissioner of Police; DAC (NS) Charles Ng Kok Wee; SUPT (NS) Chua Song Heng.
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t takes a special kind of dedication to go above and beyond the call of duty as NSmen. Since 2007, the Home Team acknowledges five SPF and five SCDF NSmen annually for their outstanding contribution and achievements towards NS. This year’s winners range from 34 to 49 years of age, and four of them have served more than 15 ICTs. At the presentation ceremony held on 26 September at Concorde Hotel, these ten
homegrown heroes received their award from Mr Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs. In recognition of the part their families have played in supporting their NS duties, their spouses also received a token of appreciation. Frontline salutes these ten true-blue sons of Singapore who have done their part to keep us safe.
SPF DAC (NS) Charles Ng Kok Wee, 49 • Chief Financial Officer of Club 21 Pte Ltd • NS Commander, Ang Mo Kio Police Division • Role: To plan and manage PNSmen to meet the operational needs of the SPF • ICTs served: 24 NS has taught me to lead with compassion, and to be flexible to adapt to changing scenarios. These qualities certainly apply to my job as CFO of a luxury fashion retailer. My wife and son both fully support my commitment to NS. In fact, they often tease me that this is my second full-time job!
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SCDF LTC (NS) Jonathan Joseph Tan, 41 • Chief Operating Officer and Director of AsiaMedic Limited • Battalion Commander, 11(A) Rescue Battalion, 1st CD Division • Role: To command and control a rescue battalion • ICTs served: 17 There’s a saying that there are no bad soldiers, only bad generals. This is something I believe in. As a leader I am only as good as my men, and I’ve learnt a lot from them. Going through a crisis situation together has helped me see how people perform, and that’s how you know you can count on them.
WORDS & PHOTOS JEFFREY KONG
Home Team NSmen of the Year 2012