WHEN Lieutenant (LTA) Kok Khew Fai threw himself onto one of his
recruits to protect him from a stray grenade - and both soldiers
walked away unscathed - little did the National Service officer
realise the course of his life would dramatically change after his
act of bravery.
One year ago, LTA Kok was bound for Nanyang Technological
University to study aerospace engineering, two months before
completing his National Service.
But those plans have changed.
Yesterday, the 21-year-old received a SAF Merit Scholarship to
study aeronautical engineering at Imperial College in London,
almost a year after he was conferred a top military award for his
act of bravery.
Son of a welding supervisor and housewife, LTA Kok will start his
studies in October.
His father Kok Han Kuan, voice brimming with pride yesterday, said
he was thankful his son has been given the scholarship and hopes he
will do his best.
"As a parent, I am very happy and proud," said Mr Kok, 51. "There
is no way I would have imagined that I could afford to send him
overseas to study."
LTA Kok has two siblings - a brother, 25, studying hospitality at a
private school and a sister, 18, studying at a polytechnic.
According to Mr Kok, his three children share a bedroom in the
family's three-room apartment, and despite the cramped conditions,
LTA Kok has always been a disciplined student. "Since he was young,
we didn't need to worry about his studies," said Mr Kok.
LTA Kok said he had thought about signing on with the air force as
an Air Engineering Officer when he was a recruit, but did not meet
the requirement because he was not a Singapore citizen.
Then a permanent resident - his parents had moved to Singapore from
Ipoh, Malaysia, when he was in primary school - LTA Kok shelved the
idea, but later obtained his citizenship in 2007.
Towards the end of his National Service stint, he thought of
signing on again, and applied for the scholarship.
"I thought SAF might offer a fulfilling career and I can learn a
lot and contribute, so I decided to sign on," said LTA Kok.
During a grenade live throw exercise in March last year, a recruit
under his charge accidentally dropped a live grenade which landed
behind them 2m away.
LTA Kok had seconds to react before the grenade exploded.
The officer instinctively pushed the recruit down close to the wall
of the throwing bay and threw himself over him to shield him from
the blast.
Both soldiers were unhurt.
Saying he wasn't sure if the SAF Medal for Distinguished Act he
received had boosted his chances of securing the scholarship, LTA
Kok said he went through the same interview process as other
applicants.
Indeed, the straight-A student from Jurong Junior College sat
through at least three interviews - and none of the interviewers
brought up the grenade incident, he said.
"I feel very honoured that I have been given this chance by the SAF
to go on this scholarship," said LTA Kok, who received the award
from Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence Dr Ng
Eng Hen yesterday, along with 19 others.
Responding to queries, a spokesman from the Mindef Scholarship
Centre said: "To qualify for the SAF Merit Scholarship, applicants
must have good academic and military performance as well as strong
leadership qualities."
LTA Kok's life hasn't changed much since the grenade incident, he
said, but friends who know about it sometimes tease him by calling
him "hero".
http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC090819-0000054/From-bravery-to-books-,,,
