mmm was going thru some of my documents:

OCC Reflection

I remembered my first few weeks as a cadet in Alpha wing. Every night, the fear of having turnouts will always come across the mind and when it did happened, the thought of quitting got me gritting my teeth. The infamous leopard crawl will always be the main soup of the turnout, topping up with fast marches and casualty evacuation. Thinking of it back, it really builds the mental strength in me; dare to overcome.

The experiences gained during my term in OCS are worthwhile. From handling different types of weapons to navigating on different terrains, I personally experience the feel of being a real soldier and in addition, we were trained on scenario based missions with us having different appointments such as Platoon Commander, Platoon Sergeant Etc. so to have us trained as leaders that could lead the fight. Besides outfield exercises, appointments were also being practiced during admin. This helps us to better understand the structure and hierarchy of an army organization as well as the chain of command. I deemed OCS have structured the learning syllabus to train and nurture as us leaders to be so that we can adapt to any situation when leading people comes into play. That I believe make us different from a normal soldier, to be in command and lead.

Excellence were always practiced everywhere in OCS, especially during written tests. I recalled retaking my final tactics test because it was not up to standard. I knew I could have passed but leaving out minor details lead me to failure. From then onwards, I be more particular in everything I do so that I excel in the final outcome.

There are moments in OCS that I will never forget. During JCC, which was part of Exercise Lancer package in Brunei, I lost important controlled equipment which leads me to failure of the course and not qualify for the badge. It really had a great impact on me with regards to the loss of the item and how it relates to real situation. I knew I was in deep trouble at that moment and my focus was lost. After the whole exercise ended, most instructors consoled me and I would not forget what LTA Davmes told me, “Losing a man in a battle, must not stop you from continuing the war”. A statement full of meaning I will not forget.

One of the defining moments of my cadet life was winning the platoon assault course. The strong belief of winning that the platoon had and the solid team dynamics overwhelmed the other 8 platoons we were competing with. I realised that differences does not play along in winning as a team. A similar goal of winning inspired the team and me to end the assault course the fastest.

In short, 9 months of strenuous and grueling training in OCC builds the character in me. The good and the bad that were faced throughout the 38 weeks shaped me to become a better officer, a better leader for the army and also the society.


OCT Saleem Abdul Rahim
Alpha Wing / Platoon 2

Peace