Photos from Brother’s Officer Commissioning Parade
An event where everything happens quickly, where there are no second chances, and where mobility wasn’t possible.
Here’s something I’ve never been part of – cap tossing at the end of the Officer Cadet School’s (OCS) commissioning parade. These few seconds are like flower toss by the bride in a wedding, only it’s amplified joy by a hundred fold. My brother was among those who ‘suffered’ the tough training for 38 weeks. Their reward: a 2nd lieutenant rank that will command authority in much of the Singapore Armed forces (SAF).
Being able to be present for this grand event is one of the plusses of coming back to Singapore. I had missed his passing-out parade from Basic Military Training last year (which is another important date) so I feel grateful to be here and help him take photos. The stands were packed when we got there (late) so we settled for third row from the bottom.
From a photographer’s standpoint, it’s wasn’t too bad as it gave me some elevation over the cadets and it allowed a diagonal line of sight to my brother. I didn’t bother moving away from my seat apart from going down to meet him.
Most of you probably don’t know that I didn’t make it to become an officer during my own military stint many years ago (I’m only a sergeant), even though I wanted it bad and worked my ass off. Some things — especially in the army — were just beyond our control. So having seen my brother go through the ‘shit’ and come out as a respectable officer, it really does make me proud and happy to see that he achieved what I could not. There’ll be many bigger and brighter rewards awaiting him in the years to come, accomplishments that my days gone by have failed to materialise.
I love my brother.
