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Take charge of our country: Singapore female military veteran

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Judy Kong (second from left), a veteran who volunteered with the Singapore Women’s Auxiliary Naval Service (SWANS), and Setoh Wei Leng, Born a Hero panelist who provided her significant other with moral support as he went through National Service. (Photo: Born a Hero)

By Calum Stuart

A softly-spoken woman in her late 60s, Judy Kong does not fit the typical image of a seasoned military veteran.

However, looks can be deceiving. “All in all, I’ve spent more than 30 years of my life in the uniformed service,” she recalls. “I’ve done the land, I’ve done the sea… I haven’t done the air, but I’m too old for that now.”

As the 50th anniversary of Singapore’s independence approaches, many Singaporeans have taken this opportunity to look back over their history and what made their country what it is today. The Born a Hero project aims to do just that, by raising awareness of the - often neglected - role women play in their country’s military, and by “honouring and celebrating women who have contributed to (Singapore’s) national defence network”.

The project, which was initiated by lifestyle website, Material World, held their latest event at Tangs department store on Orchard Road on Wednesday evening (1 July), which is also Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Day. Live musical performances and prize giveaways took place alongside a panel of women discussing their experiences with the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).

On the panel, Kong recounted her experience on joining SWANS, the Singapore Women’s Auxiliary Naval Service, in 1964, and her volunteering in the army in the following years. She staunchly maintains that her years of service were not just important to her for personal development, but they are intrinsic to her identity as a Singaporean: “I grew up at a time when there was a lot of instability - it was a new nation and we were all new citizens. For me, it was important to have a sense of duty and belonging, and that we, as a people, take charge of our own country.”

But the heroes the project honours are not just women who have joined the military but also those who have experience service life second-hand: the mothers, wives and girlfriends who support their loved ones as they go through the rigours of military life.

Panelist Setoh Wei Ling remembers the time when her partner served two years in national service. “We were away from each other a lot so we really had to communicate, be understanding and trust each other,” she says. “Any problems we had, we’d try and tackle together because we really didn’t get to spend much time together. He was thankful I was there for him, even during the tough times when he was training.

“I think it’s better if you just accept that your (significant other) is in NS. If you’re negative about it you’re not helping them in anyway and just adding to their problems, so one thing to do is be there when they need us.”

The discussion on Singapore’s military being overwhelmingly male has seen increased discussion in recent years. There are currently about 1,500 women in Singapore’s military, a number the SAF hopes to increase by 500 in the next three years and to double in the future.

The overwhelming male-to-female proportion in Singapore’s military is also heavily affected because national service only applies to men. Many have seen this as unequal for both sexes, and there have been discussions, such as women’s rights group, AWARE, proposing a reassessment to widen the service options for both men and women.

Some inroads are beginning to show. In 2012, the first female fighter pilot took her place in the Singapore Air Force, and only last week Singapore commissioned the country’s first female Brigadier General.