"The Men Did Not Move"
What does it say when an accident turns out to be the brightest
spot in an event? It could mean that the event was a trial in
mediocrity that was kindly vindicated by Murphy's Law, or it could
be as an imperfection in a masterfully-crafted work of art that
gives it its value in uniqueness. The SAF Day Parade 2006 was the
latter.
It happened toward the end of the ceremony, as the parade commander
was preparing to order the contingents off for the march-past.
Facing the dignified assembly of spectators, with his back to his
parade, he bellowed the order for the Colours (flags representing
the various formations) to be raised, as he had done so countless
times during the rehearsals over the past month. But nothing
happened. The men did not move. It took him approximately three
seconds to realise his error, that they were not in the correct
posture for that command to be given: they were in the "at ease"
position instead of the prerequisite "at attention" for them to
properly execute the order. Recovering from initial uncertainty and
with a remarkably confident "Semula!" (an appended nullifying
command) which overtook the few seconds of doubt, he then went on
to call his men to attention and reissued his order for the Colours
to be raised.
Now this could have turned out to be an international embarrassment
in front of the gamut of dignitaries, local and foreign, invited to
watch the SAF showcase the regimental skill and discipline of its
finest. But that was not to be. Instead, that gaff turned out to be
a shining moment, showcasing exactly and exactingly the regimental
skill and discipline of the SAF's finest for that one reason: the
men did not move.
Those of us who have participated in our fair share of parades know
that when a wrong command is given, it is inevitable that the less
alert amongst the contingents' members would react to it by
attempting to excute it even when they are in an inapproriate
posture to do so (it does not help that the commands are given in
Malay to a predominently Chinese demographic). In doing this, their
sudden movements, which quickly become confused and awkward
abortions as they realise no one else moved, are like highly
visible fractures in the integrity of the contingents'
constitution. It is a given, even amongst the most seasoned parade
sergeant majors (the men who orchestrate the parade rehearsals,
traditionally known as the 'Kings of the Parade Square') that some
men, somewhere would perpetrate this; eventhough it would not be
entirely their fault, as they were ironically, just following
orders. That is how most parades are ruined.
But not the one held on the First of July, 2006. The men did not
move. Of the thousand men on the parade square, not a twitch was
observed when the wrong orders came. One thousand bodies that
shared a singular impregnable mind. It would not have been
inappropriate if the applause that had accompanied every sharply
executed drill throughout the parade had also rung out in the
seconds after that defining command. The silence and stillness that
enveloped the square in what could have been cynically interpreted
as a disobedience of orders spoke volumes about the alertness and
mental fortitude of each individual soldier who represented the SAF
on the parade square that day (as the Regimental Sergeant Major of
the SAF later remarked, they were truly 'thinking soldiers').
Beyond that, it spoke volumes about the effort and
conscientiousness the men had put into the countless sapping
rehearsals that marked the month before. It spoke volumes about the
quality and ethic of the SAF.
It was also volume that marked the recitation of the SAF Pledge and
the singing of the National Anthem moments before. The concluding
line of the pledge where the men swore to protect the independence
of the nation "with our lives!" was shouted with such frightening
conviction that the shivers that went up my spine emerged as an
emotional lump in my throat. And the anthem that had been sung into
numbness at every single rehearsal suddenly came alive again,
reanimated by the unrehearsed emotion of the moment.
It is necessary here to record that inspite of the mistake he made,
the parade commander had been an inspiration for me and my
colleagues by the absolute professionalism, conscientiousness and
astuteness he displayed during the rehearsals every step of the
way. And in fairness, the parade format that he had confidently
mastered had to be abridged at the last minute because the
President had taken ill and could not attend. Nerves get the better
of even the best. Even then, history will associated him not with
his oversight but with the greater good that came of it.
All told, it was a humbling and moving experience to have been part
of this. Come the tenth day of August this year, I will look back
on this day and think that the two years that led to this was worth
it. Because while the men did not move, I, and many others
were.
