SINGAPORE: During his time in the navy, Osman Jaffar, now 88, carved out a reputation for being every inch as stern as one would imagine Singapore’s military pioneers to be.
“When I was coxswain, I was in charge of a crew. If I had joked with them, they wouldn’t have taken my orders,” the retired first warrant officer told Channel NewsAsia with a warm, wide and single-toothed grin.
“When I was a seamanship instructor, I was also very strict. They used to say: ‘Wah, Encik Osman coming, be careful!’”
A reminder of his steely, mustachioed past hangs on the wall in Osman’s Woodlands flat. The sergeant major’s pace stick he brandished in the photo has since been replaced by a walking aid, the ramrod-straight posture bent by the scoliosis of aging, and a full head of jet-black hair dispersed into thinning wisps.
A framed photo of Osman in his final appointment before leaving the navy – sergeant major at the School of Naval Training.
Yet his eyes still flashed with the same duty-bound verve and vivacity as he traced his beginnings in the Singapore division of the Malayan Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, circa 1954.
It all started on a rather mundane, if not vain, footing: 24-year-old Osman signed up because he was keen on wearing a uniform – not just any, but the navy’s dashing white.
“Also we would be able to go on sea trips, to follow the (British) Royal Navy ships for training,” he laughed.
“During the first few days, we really enjoyed being part of a gathering of all sorts of people who didn’t know each other. But when our instructors started teaching us, we were also very concentrated on learning.”
It was a good thing he paid attention – in 1966, Osman was mobilised for Confrontation, a drawn-out conflict arising from Indonesian opposition to the formation of Malaysia. He took charge of four radar stations surrounding Singapore’s waters – Bedok, St John’s Island, Raffles Lighthouse and Pulau Sakra – and described his task as “protecting Singapore from the enemy”.
“We had to look after our waters. The enemy had so many ways to come in, so we had to be alert.”
‘WE JUST THOUGHT ABOUT WORK, NO OTHER THING ’
When Confrontation ended, Osman was appointed coxswain – in charge of navigation and steering – on, at different times, the RSS Panglima and RSS Bedok.
The RSS Panglima name was added to the School of Naval Training in 1991, shortly after the ship decommissioned after 36 years of active service.
The two patrol crafts – along with the RSS Singapura – made up the total arsenal of the Singapore Naval Volunteer Force then.
The RSS Singapura was moored at Telok Ayer Basin and doubled up as the headquarters of the Singapore Naval Volunteer Force.
And it was a routine patrol shift on board RSS Bedok in 1967 which led to one of Osman’s most memorable experiences. “We saw a fast motor sampan moving from Anak Sambu Island (north of Batam, Indonesia) to Pulau Sebarok (a restricted island south of Singapore).”
In this undated photo of RSS Bedok crew, Osman stands in the back row (left-most).
“My CO (commanding officer) ordered me to give a warning shot at them, and after a few rounds from a light machine gun the sampan stopped,” Osman recalled. “Our boarding party found five Indonesian commandos and five AR-15 rifles hidden under the floorboards. They were all handed over to Marine Police.”
An undated photo of Osman (far left) during his coxswain days.
From 1971 to 1979 when he left the navy, Osman was recognised as a regular, and even in the later years of his service, continued to be involved in momentous events such as Operation Thunderstorm, the Singapore army’s bid to contain refugees fleeing Vietnam in 1975.
“In May 1975, when Vietnamese refugee boats and ships headed into Singapore water, the RSN (Republic of Singapore Navy) and Marine Police worked to prevent the refugees from making unauthorised landings,” said Osman.
“Food, water, oil and medicine were supplied to the refugees. We persuaded them to continue on to their destinations. The operation took more than 10 days, without sleep or rest at sea.”
Osman later wound down his career as a seamanship instructor and sergeant major at both the Naval Supply Base and School of Naval Training. He was awarded a clutch of Singaporean, Malaysian and British government service medals, but shrugged when asked to name the proudest moment out of his 25 years.
Osman’s medals include a Uniformed Services Malaysia Medal (far right), awarded to Police and Armed Forces members in the service of the State on Sep 15 1963, to commemorate Malaysia’s establishment the following day.
“We just thought about work and no other thing. Because as you know, during those times, we could not relax. We had to defend Singapore. We didn’t want the enemy to come – they were very near,” Osman reiterated.
He admitted however that the toughest part was having to see his family – wife and five small kids – for only two days at a time before leaving for long spells on board ships.
Of greater difficulty was having to “shoulder the burden of protecting our homeland and safeguarding Singapore’s territorial waters” after separation from Malaysia, said Osman in a transcript of a 1988 interview for the naval archives.
The mantle rested with just two seaworthy ships, 12 officers and 40 enlistees at the time.
Said Osman: “To achieve this, a few things the individual soldier must have had – faith, courage, bravery, respect and honour at all times.”
A letter to Osman from Colonel James Aeria, Singapore’s first head of Navy.
Notwithstanding the early struggles, he said he enjoyed being part of building up the Singapore navy to its present capabilities, and was looking forward to attending the commissioning of its first littoral mission vessel on Friday (May 5) at Changi Naval Base.
“I use wheelchair, also want to see,” he chuckled. “Encik Osman coming, be careful!”
(Photos: Justin Ong)
