They were in the thick of the action during their country’s formative years and faced life-threatening moments at the height of the communist insurgency, the two Malayan Emergency periods, the Confrontation with Indonesia and the May 13, 1969 racial riots.
Some of them progressed as senior officers to hold key positions in the army, navy and air force of the then Malaya, Singapore and Brunei.
These were among the 52 Federation Military College’s Intake 5 regular-commission cadets who were initially trained at Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan in 1961 and other academies later on.
The octogenarians kept their camaraderie intact by holding annual reunions for 60 years – except for the earlier six years owing to various factors and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Among the more prominent were Major-General (Rtd) Awangku Ibnu Basit Apong, who rose to become Brunei’s Armed Forces chief and later its deputy defence minister.
He was among three from Brunei, along with former culture, youth and sports minister Major-General (Rtd) Awang Mohammad Daud and the late former ambassador Major-Gen (Rtd) Awang Sulaiman Awang Damit – who were Royal Brunei Armed Forces first and second chiefs.
Speaking on their behalf, former Royal Malaysian Air Force Inspector-General Brigadier-General (Rtd) Soon Lian Cheng said that a total of 52 teenagers had put their foot forward to be trained at FMC from January 1961, and were later commissioned into the various units and corps.
“Many of us had served as career military officers and retired distinguished in the respective armed forces of our countries,” said Soon, 80, at the FMC Intake 5’s 60th-anniversary reunion at the Royal Lake Club, last Saturday.
He added that the latest reunion was eagerly awaited as they last met in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei in 2016. “As we get older and wiser, we plan to meet more often in the coming years.However, age is taking a toll on all of us as we struggle to move on.”
Soon, who along with his brother-in-law and the late Flight-Lieutenant Buang Ahmad were the first two RMAF officers sent to New Zealand for pilot training in 1962. Buang’s daughter Aileen, who is Soon’s niece, also attended the reunion.
One of Soon’s course mates was Lieutenant-Colonel (Rtd) Kamarrudin Jamal who was awarded the Pingat Gagah Berani, the nation’s second-highest bravery award for his role in operations against the communist insurgents.
Kamarrudin was elated to be reunited with everyone. “We have had memorable reunions previously at various locations in Kuala Lumpur, Brunei, Singapore, Genting Highlands (Pahang), Pangkor Laut (Perak), Kuching (Sarawak), Desaru (Johor) and Kuala Terengganu. Hopefully, we can continue these splendid gatherings for many years to come.”
Football Association of Singapore Brig-Gen (Reserve) Bernard Tan, who represented his late father Lieutenant-Colonel Albert Tan from the Republic of Singapore Armed Forces, was attending the reunion for the first time.
“My father gave me a sense of military training, camaraderie and the experiences that he and the early pioneers of the Malaysian, Singaporean and Bruneian Armed Forces forged.
“My father did not speak much about them but spending time with his course mates at this reunion made clear to me that the early days were special. This was the pre-independence era (for Singapore) and the influence of the British was still very dominant.
“The things learnt laid the foundation of the armed forces in the region. But more importantly, the bonds that were built during FMC persisted across borders and lasted over time. This is something that cannot be replicated today,” said Bernard, who hoped to continue his friendship with his father’s course mates.
Brunei’s Awang Mohammad said that he took the opportunity to visit former Malaysian Armed Forces Chief General (Rtd) Mohd Hashim Mohd Ali in Kuala Lumpur.
“I and Awangku Ibnu later made our way to Singapore to have a joint FMC Intake 4,5 and 6 reunion with the republic’s defence minister Teo Chee Hean and its former Armed Forces chief Major-General (Rtd) Winston Choo. Also, there was (1956 Melbourne Olympics sprinter) Lieutenant-Colonel (Rtd) Kesavan Soon,” said Mohamed, adding that they all shared a strong feeling of solidarity which has lingered on.
“Our reunions are always successful gatherings and I look forward to another one in the next foreseeable future,” said Mohamed.
Former Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) deputy chief Rear-Admiral (Rtd) Yaacob Daud, who was later Task Force VII (Vietnamese refugees) commander, recounted how he was among six naval cadets.
“The reunion was a mustering of our comrades who were able to see each other again after so long. It was a perfect opportunity to exchange old stories, to discuss and exploit our enriched experiences,” said Yaacob.
Former RMN eastern region commander First-Admiral (Rtd) Nicholas Eugene Peterson said that of the 52 cadets, three each were from Singapore and Brunei while the remaining Malaysians comprised 39 from the army, six from the navy and two from the air force.
“Our journey commenced with tears of joy, pain, sorrow and moments of despair and achievement, as we were put through the traditional military training. It was the time-tested drilling to convert boys into men, and men into leaders of soldiers, sailors and airmen.
“The respect and fellowship of our Intake has continued for 60 years and is clearly manifested in the numerous reunions over the years. While some of our colleagues have left us in the line of duty and service to our country, this did not stop the remainder meeting to remember them and their families for their unflinching sacrifice to our King and country,” said Peterson.
Mohamad said that his expectation before the reunion was that he would meet a lot of people walking with a limp. “After all, most of us are already octogenarians and I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was the only one walking with a stick. Nevertheless, we were very energetic and shared cordial and jovial anecdotes of past events that brought laughter and mirth throughout the evening.”