SG Navy accident

[Yr1985]

I beg to differ.

 

Humans have choices. How would you accurately attribute their signing-on to being sacrificial? It may jolly well be a case that the army, navy or airforce pay them more than what they would have got outside due to their (possibly) lack of skills, education, abilities.

 

And you call that a sacrifice ?

 

I call it a fair exchange if you may....

 

eg Ah beng that works as a delivery driver vs Ah seng that joins RSN (having to spend eons away from their families as you've kindly pointed out)

both have the same qualifications (actually lack of it) and ah seng probably draws more pay....

 

So in this case, he sacrificed his family time for more wages (and i'm sure he's well aware of the risk he is facing... ) - Its a fair exchange.

 

My heart goes all out to all those servicemen who have faced death or disabilities due to work mishaps... we all can sympathise with them, but to respect them?? Ooh come on, let's not let our emotions rule our judgement.

 

Also, how many of these mishaps are real sacrifices and not caused my their own negligence? May well be a case of "ooh, I went to a thai bar last night, and I lack sleep, and so, I felt drowsy at work, and I miscalculated and snap, something happened, and I ended up in hospital".... just saying, but you got the drift....

 

If you know of a case of any folk doing well in public sector, then taking a pay cut to join the dangerous but scarifying job of protecting the nation.... Pls holler. I would love to interview this person.

Else, there is no such thing as being self-scarifying just because you don a SAF uniform.

 

 

i second you, for all the reasons which i am not going to spill here. Most dudes dunno hw much a bitch tea lady in the force earns.

 

[Baphomet]

seriously.. I don't care how ppl feel about a regular in the SAF. Regulars do not have to account/prove to anyone about their passion. But to openly say that regulars do not need to be respected or are not heros, especially after such a tragic accident is very distasteful.

Edited December 24, 2012 by Baphomet

[Gendut]

And they rank them selves MILITARY EXPERTS

[Berncsp76]

Seems like the guy have gotten better.

 

But he still have the future to think...only 29...

 

[Silver_blade]

Good to know Mindef will be taking of medical & future living expenses and getting help from USA military in regards his rehab. Hope there will also be expert helping him emotionally. I know a couple friends (UK army) who were deployed to front line combat in Afghanistana few years ago. Even they had help with emotional trauma, they are still not quite the same as before their tour of duty. One of them still suffer from flash backs.

[Happily1986]

Good to know Mindef will be taking of medical & future living expenses and getting help from USA military in regards his rehab. Hope there will also be expert helping him emotionally. I know a couple friends (UK army) who were deployed to front line combat in Afghanistana few years ago. Even they had help with emotional trauma, they are still not quite the same as before their tour of duty. One of them still suffer from flash backs.

PTSD. hope this friend is getting help. can be really debilitating.

[Kuwahara]

If you know of a case of any folk doing well in public sector, then taking a pay cut to join the dangerous but scarifying job of protecting the nation.... Pls holler. I would love to interview this person.

Else, there is no such thing as being self-scarifying just because you don a SAF uniform.

 

 

Not local.

Not SAF.

But nonetheless......

 

Introducing Pat Tillman, but sadly you won't be able to interview him.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Tillman

 

http://abcnews.go.com/US/pat-tillmans-wido...pat-tillman.htm

Edited January 25, 2013 by Kuwahara

[So_nice]

Seems like the guy have gotten better.

 

But he still have the future to think...only 29...

 

not easy. he has a brave heart. all the best to him and a speedy recovery

[Cerano]

Not local.

Not SAF.

But nonetheless......

 

Introducing Pat Tillman, but sadly you won't be able to interview him.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Tillman

 

http://abcnews.go.com/US/pat-tillmans-wido...pat-tillman.htm

 

he enlisted immediately sacrificing his million dollar per year job.

 

Hell, not even to be an officer. Just a grunt on the ground. and he gave everything after 9/11

[Genie47]

Not local.

Not SAF.

But nonetheless......

 

Introducing Pat Tillman, but sadly you won't be able to interview him.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Tillman

 

http://abcnews.go.com/US/pat-tillmans-wido...pat-tillman.htm

 

There is a saying. "Friendly fire is more accurate than enemy fire." RIP Pat.

[Little_prince]

seriously.. I don't care how ppl feel about a regular in the SAF. Regulars do not have to account/prove to anyone about their passion. But to openly say that regulars do not need to be respected or are not heros, especially after such a tragic accident is very distasteful.

Hmm. U do realise that the accident probably occurred becuz of his or one of his fellow navy regular's negligence right?

 

It's sad that he got injured. But that doesn't make him a hero.

 

And as for respect for regulars. I guess most ppl here have their own opinions clouded by their experience with jiak liao bee regulars in NS.

[Baphomet]

Hmm. U do realise that the accident probably occurred becuz of his or one of his fellow navy regular's negligence right?

 

It's sad that he got injured. But that doesn't make him a hero.

 

And as for respect for regulars. I guess most ppl here have their own opinions clouded by their experience with jiak liao bee regulars in NS.

 

investigation results out? The last I heard is probably due to machine failure.

 

I think you did not get my point. I did not say all regulars are heros.. and I think he do not consider himself as one either. But to openly say he's not after such tragedy?

 

The undeniable fact is that he hurt himself when he was doing a service for his country. wheter he's paid or not is beside the point..

 

 

Edited January 30, 2013 by Kratoschumacher

[Endure201]

investigation results out? The last I heard is probably due to machine failure.

 

I think you did not get my point. I did not say all regulars are heros.. and I think he do not consider himself as one either. But to openly say he's not after such tragedy?

 

The undeniable fact is that he hurt himself when he was doing a service for his country. wheter he's paid or not is beside the point..

 

Can I say all chinese are greedy, all malays are lazy, all indians are wife beaters?

 

 

[Berncsp76]

Extract from Facebook

 

 

"Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength." - Kudos to Mr Jason Chee, keep up the spirit.

 

The Sunday Times, 17 Feb 2013 - I want to walk again this year, says navy man - Life goes on, says Jason Chee, who lost both his legs and an arm in accident on warship last year

 

By Poon Chian Hui

When his superiors visited him at his hospital bed, navy man Jason Chee was drugged and drowsy but he tried to raise a hand to his forehead to salute them.

 

Family members watching him struggle to show this act of loyalty wept silently by his side.

 

The plight of the 30-year-old serviceman, who was critically injured in a horrific naval accident last December, moved a nation. Hundreds donated blood and money to help him.

 

He lost both his legs, his left arm and three fingers on his right hand.

 

Two weeks after the Dec 10 accident and to the immense relief of his family, Mr Chee pulled through and woke up on Christmas Eve.

 

Today, he can sit in a wheelchair. A piece of cloth is wrapped around the end of his torso to prevent him from falling over.

 

He looked calm and composed when The Sunday Times visited him last week. He described being upbeat about his recovery so far.

 

Over the Chinese New Year break, a chest tube which had been fitted in his body for the past two months to help him breathe easier was taken out.

 

And this week, he will cross another milestone - he will be transferred to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for rehabilitation.

 

He has come a long way, he said, from the first days of being admitted to Changi General Hospital.

 

"My face was bloated. My body was like, so huge in size," he recalled, adding that it might have been due to the drugs.

 

Earlier last month, he was able to breathe on his own again. A move to the hospital's general ward followed, where he now stays.

 

At Tan Tock Seng Hospital, he will be able to "train up his body" with more intense exercises.

 

"I'm happy," he said simply. "Because the worst pain is over."

 

The weapons systems supervisor described how, in the first weeks of recovery, he had to endure several procedures. These included four operations which left him in a "terrible" daze, due to the powerful anaesthetic used.

 

Because his remaining right arm was hurt, he had to have blood withdrawn from his groin area instead - a total of 10 painful times.

 

Skin was grafted onto the wound of his remaining hand, covering the thumb which he lost in the mishap.

 

Painkillers and other drugs also kept him in a drowsy state. "I kept sleeping, kept having dreams."

 

Today, he is lucid and has to take painkillers only twice a day, along with vitamins.

 

He said he is coming to terms with the disability.

 

"The accident already happened. So no choice; life has to go on," he said, with barely a trace of emotion.

 

Mr Chee, who holds the Military Expert 2 rank in the Republic of Singapore Navy, was caught between a motorised winch and a berthing rope while doing a routine check on board a warship.

 

On the loss of his limbs, he said stoically: "Just lost, lost lah. Because I still have hope."

 

The self-described "never-say-die" man believes that prostheses can be fitted in the future and that would make him whole again.

 

"And I can still move my right arm. I still have these fingers on my hand," he said, holding up his arm.

 

Physiotherapy, too, has taught him to sit up on his own, eat, brush his teeth and even comb his hair.

 

"My goal this year? I want to stand up and walk."

 

An only child whose mother died two years ago, Mr Chee said he is quite close to his retiree father, Mr Chee Kwok Chor, 72.

 

When he was working, his father would cook dinner for him every weekday. In turn, he would cook for his father on the weekends, and handle household chores such as sweeping, mopping and washing the toilet.

 

Both father and son are grateful for the outpouring of public support. When Mr Chee came around for the first time, he could not believe so many people had been praying and rooting for his recovery.

 

Relatives had told him about the sheer numbers of strangers donating blood and money.

 

More than 800 people flocked to blood banks last December, after an appeal by the Republic of Singapore Navy. Thousands also turned up to hand over more than $370,000 in cheques and cash at the Thomson Shunfu Residents' Committee, which was helping to raise funds for the family.

 

And SIM University (UniSIM), where he is enrolled, has collected some $25,000.

 

"The first thing that came to mind was, wow, the whole Singapore is supporting me," he said.

 

"I was so touched."

 

He added wistfully: "I cried, I really cried."

 

Determined to look ahead, Mr Chee also wants to return to full-time studies at UniSIM.

 

He intends to obtain a degree in mathematics, a pet subject which he aced in secondary school. Mr Chee attended Westlake Primary School before going to Guangyang Secondary School. He joined the navy after graduating from Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

 

The private university has offered to sponsor his studies. The Ministry of Defence has also said it will pay for his medical and rehabilitation expenses, so Mr Chee is not worried about money matters.

 

"Only my health, I'm worried about," he said.

 

For now, he remains focused on completing his studies - which was brought up to the Naval Personnel Department to consider as his re-training phase.

 

"I just want to have a degree first," he said. "That is my mother's wish."

 

And support from relatives, friends, neighbours and fellow Singapore Armed Forces colleagues has helped to keep him going.

 

"They would visit me every day and encourage me to be positive," he said.

 

He added: "They called me a hero."

 

The memory of his late mother is also a source of strength. "Before she passed away, she told me not to give up on anything."

 

That is why he is set on rebuilding his life.

 

"My character is different from most people. I've got a good determination, a good fighting spirit."

 

[email protected]

Edited February 17, 2013 by Berncsp76

[Audioniche]

And they rank them selves MILITARY EXPERTS

 

Hey...the specialists got no choice but to be called Military Experts. Who thought of such names and scheme...???

 

Even if they are called Military Experts, is there anyone out in the job market better than them now? Is there anyone can replace them to do their jobs? They are the ones that let us have peaceful nights during our sleep.

 

Come on...give the regulars a break. If the monk has a choice, does he wants to be botak?

[Lethalstrike]

Seems like the guy have gotten better.

But he still have the future to think...only 29...

 

The irony that i find in this picture is that everyone is beaming happily as if they kanna 4D, whereas Mr Chee and his father are trying their very best to eke out a smile.

Edited February 17, 2013 by Lethalstrike

[Toothiewabbit]

The irony that i find in this picture is that everyone is beaming happily as if they kanna 4D, whereas Mr Chee and his father are trying their very best to eke out a smile.

These guys are well-schooled in PR 101.

[Solar]

got this via facebook.. seems like he's got up now.

positive spirit and never give up. good on him!

 

Jason Chee