If there's war, I would rather be led by a SWO who has years of
REAL experience, rather than a MAJ who has only theoretical
knowledge.
I'm not saying all our commissioned officers are bookworms &
have no real experience, but the fact is that is the case for many
of them. I've nothing against scholars flying up the promotion
ladder & becoming COA or CDF. But seriously, in times of war,
how effective are these ppl?
The ability to get all As in exams does not equate the ability to
make effective decisions in combat. Similarly, one's grades does
not reflect on one's soldiering ability. Best e.g. being some
A-level students in my coy who were slackers & chao keng all
the way, while there were some O-level students who were damn on
the ball.
If I had to choose between experience & education, I'd choose
experience. During my active days, our coy had 4 platoons. Our's
was the only platoon with a 1WO as a PC. The rest had 2LT or LTA.
All the other platoons had tons of trouble ranging from unhappy
soldiers to sub standard performance. Our's was the only platoon
with minimal trouble.
Call it coincidence if you like. I, on the other hand, feel its
'cos our 1WO had the experience to keep things under control. He
demanded we performed well while looking after our welfare.
Something which clearly the other 3 PCs weren't able to
achieve.
