SAF Merit Scholarship
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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-,,,
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how come the sour grapes jealous losers only responded to the SAFOS thread and not here? That's funny... what a bunch of losers. here not elite enuf is it?
Leave personal attacks out of your comments.
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Originally posted by insidestory:
how come the sour grapes jealous losers only responded to the SAFOS thread and not here? That's funny!! what a bunch of losers. here not elite enuf rite?
And p/s: which 'scholar' can almost went to NTU engineering, a well-known 100% dumping ground for the lousiest biggest loseriest JC students and come from "Jurong JC",? Elite my arse. more like farmer 'scholarship'. the rubbish contrived shit at the end of the article about whether he got the SMS, a farmer scholarship through the interviews or through the his heroic act does nothing more than throw up suspicions on the whole rubbish thing.
Don't be so straightforward and laugh at them - the sour grapes - so directly.
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I hope Gedankan felt sexual relief from the closed topic.