Last Thursday an Apache helicopter crash-landed in a field at Woodlands and we were activated back to camp at around seven in the evening as a standby/relief unit in case the wreck could not be cleared that night. Thankfully the RSAF duly cleared up the mess and we stood down nearing nine that night.

On Saturday evening after a night out with my MPTS buddies we received an urgent message that COG the very next day was postponed pending news of Mdm Kwa's passing earlier in the day. News outlets initially reported that 'A private funeral will take place on October 6 at Mandai Crematorium..'.

Business as usual on Monday as we outnumbered the dudes over at NCC HQ and (almost) visited the Hu the very next day. Guess some SAF Band people spotted me though. Hm. It was Josh I reckon, watching us go by our job involving everyone in the complex (except for them).

Home beckoned that evening and I looked forward to enjoying perhaps a chilled beer or two relaxing in my room stalking people on facebook. Yet just as I stepped foot into my house..

"Attn fellas.. (we) are to be on standby at home. If we are activated, (go) back to camp within an hour with No.1 prepared.."

After I showered and before I could even sit down at the dining table..

"This is by (Boss). Rehearsal at 2200 hrs tonight at Mandai.. 2x tonner will arrive at 2100 hrs.. Prepare our guys in No.4 with peak cap, arms and move out latest by 2130 hrs. Please make sure we have 48 + reserve.."

So that's that. A supposed private funeral became a (semi) state funeral, and as the ceremonial gun carriage was activated we are to be involved in the proceedings as well.

$17.40 later I was back in camp getting ready to move out. Details were still fuzzy at that stage as plans were thought out and reworked due to the urgency of this development. The rehearsal over at Mandai was pushed back to 2359 hrs, allowing us a welcome respite to learn/perfect our tafakur before heading over to the crematorium.

The rehearsal started on time and things soon got pretty frustrating as the hours ticked by due to our positions/movement being changed, modified and refined again, and again, as each of his boss' boss' boss' bosses gave their opinions on how things should be done. Finally we scraped by despite a pretty horrendous coming-in sequence to extricate ourselves from the scene at around 0330 hrs.

Surreal scenes involving volleys of vulgarities and the like ensued in the morning as we rushed to get ready for the operation. Had a final rehearsal at three before the whole sequence of events kicked off neatly at 1630 hrs. And the rest, as they say, is history all in the the news.

48-MAN LINE-OF-HONOUR FOR THE FUNERAL OF MRS LEE KUAN YEW @ MANDAI CREMATORIUM
6th October 2010



From CNA: Third from the left :D

NEWS REPORT - 061010

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