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EPILOGUE
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SIXTEEN
was one of the outcomes of these anniversary functions, largely inspired by LTC (RET)
Leslie Terh’s
Sons and Officers. Life at Prestigious Military College
.
But, there was also a more compelling reason for the book. When it was known that Timothy
was going to retire, members of the First Batch proposed organising a collective farewell
from the SAF, as it would also mark the end of the millennium. The intention was to hold a
grand function in SAFTI Military Institute with a state-level guest list. Obviously MINDEF
had to be consulted about its feasibility and indeed its propriety. But, when the appointed
First Batch representative broached the subject he was asked: “Excuse me. What is the First
Batch?” The idea of the farewell function was accordingly dropped and it was agreed that a
collective record of the training of the First Batch would be a more meaningful alternative.
Endnotes
1. The process of distributing National Servicemen in company intakes to each battalion was later changed into
what became known as ‘mono-intake’ where up to three battalions at a time would get all the Infantry
recruits for that intake and train them through the whole cycle, thereby allowing for the release of each
battalion as one cohort collectively into the reserves. The system was subject to other
modifications over time.