Taking on the roles of being husband and wife, as well as fellow comrades in Our Army, MAJ Ang Kee Shyan and MAJ Lee Jia Hui are certainly familiar names in the Signal formation. Having recently graduated from the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College’s (GKS CSC) Command and Staff Course (CSC), we spoke to the couple to find out how they juggle family and work as Army Regulars.

MAJ Ang and MAJ Lee met in 2009 while serving and have been in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) for 15 and 17 years respectively. Their family expanded to three with the arrival of their daughter 3 years ago. Like all parents, the couple admits it has not been an easy journey. 

The couple got wed in 2013.

As they both hold active roles in the Army, the lines between work and their personal lives can be blurred. As a result, relaxing, spending time with their daughter and working has become a fine balancing act - and one that the couple has become well-versed at.

"Respect for each other's schedules and work is important. Communication is also essential as it allows us to adjust our schedules in advance accordingly," said MAJ Lee. "My mother also helps to look after our girl, especially when both Shyan and my schedules cannot accommodate each other. Without her help, I would not have a worry-free homefront to allow me to focus on my work."

"We try to keep our weekends free of work as much as possible so that we can spend quality time as a family," added MAJ Ang, while also echoing his wife's sentiments.

Their little family: MAJ Lee (left) and MAJ Ang (right) with their daughter (centre).

Despite their teamwork, the fact that both of them are Regulars in the Army makes their situation a little more unique. MAJ Lee puts it best as she shares that "actually, being both Regulars is a blessing because we understand the purpose of our work, even if it stretches beyond 'normal working hours'."

Agreeing with MAJ Lee, MAJ Ang also shared that this understanding is sometimes required when work stretches to the weekends. "We sometimes have to deal with work on the weekends as well, but because we're both Regulars, bearing with the situation is a lot easier."

The recent CSC course that the couple successfully completed also brought unique challenges. Because part of the course was held during the initial phase of the Circuit Breaker measures, both MAJ Ang and MAJ Lee had to juggle work and family at home, especially when childcare centres were ordered to be closed. 

MAJ Ang reflected on the difficulties faced during such trying circumstances. "We had to take care of our daughter without the help of the childcare centres, as well as my parent-in-laws as they do not stay with us," he said. "We try our very best to manage and if we really need help, our syndicate mates will share their knowledge with us."

Chief of Army, MG Goh Si Hou (left) presenting the certificate to MAJ Ang Kee Shyan at the GKS CSC Graduation Ceremony held on 26 Oct.

For MAJ Lee, having to go through CSC and Circuit Breaker at the same time proved to be a unique learning experience. "CSC is definitely a special one with COVID-19. It really trained us to be adaptive, creative, and resilient leaders."

Of course, contributing to the unique experience was the fact that she got to go through the course with her husband. "It was great to have a 'learning buddy' at home, have someone to 'check 6', remind each other of deadlines, and to discuss assignments with! I wouldn't have gone this far without the motivation."

With MAJ Lee being recognised as the Distinguished Graduate at the end of the CSC, we can see how family support plays an important role in face of such unfavourable circumstances. They lend us the strength to push on relentlessly for the defence of Singapore. 

MAJ Lee Jia Hui receiving her certificate from MG Goh as the Distinguished Graduate.

Written by: REC Basil Sim (Army News)
Photography by: PTE Steve Lee (Army News), with contributions from the couple