Training to be soldiers, fight for our land~
Once in our lives, two years of our time.
Every guy who’ve been through National Service in the SAF would be familiar with this song.
Unfortunately for some, it’s not just two years. It could potentially affect their entire life.
Commando NSF Injured In Taiwan Training Exercise
Here’s a flashback in case you’ve missed it:
According to Mindef, on Wednesday night (18 Dec 2019), a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Full-time National Serviceman (NSF), PTE Joshua Quek Shou Jie, 21, sustained a cervical spine injury during unilateral parachute training conducted in Taiwan.
Or, in layman’s terms, the mother of all spine injuries.
He was immediately evacuated to the nearest hospital and underwent surgery.
Last we heard, he is in stable condition and under observation in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
And now, shortly into the new year, there’s been an update. And it’s a pretty good start to the year.
NSF Underwent Second Op Successfully
On 2 Jan 2020, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) announced that Pte Joshua Quek Shou Jie has undergone a second operation for his cervical spine injury successfully.
He managed to regain some motor functions after the second operation. However, he will need continued rehabilitation and physiotherapy for his long-term recovery and to minimise the long-term damage from the incident.
“PTE Quek is currently breathing without assistance, conscious, alert and conversing with his family at the hospital.”
It was added that the moment that Pte Joshua Quek is able to, Mindef will arrange for his safe return to Singapore.
What Happened Exactly?
Well, nobody knows.
Currently, the SAF is conducting investigations into the incident.
Meanwhile, training has been suspended, and this will continue until they get to the roots of the incident.
Not A Good Time For SAF
There have been several high-profile incidents in the SAF for the past 18 months.
- The death of Mediacorp actor Aloysius Pang who was involved in an accident during a training exercise in New Zealand back in January 2019.
- Back in Sep 2017, 3rd Sergeant Gavin Chan passed away after a vehicular mishap in Queensland, Australia.
- Dave Lee passed away in Apr 2018 after suffering a heat stroke at Bedok Camp.
- Pte Liu Kai passed away in a vehicular mishap at Jalan Murai training area in Nov 2018.
So to all NSFs and regulars in Singapore, stay safe while doing your duty to the country, yeah?
And remember to follow all safety protocols.
Because safety procedures only work if people follow the SOP set out for them. Trust me, I know. I got do reservist one, k.
