Was at Kallang River this morning (17 Jun 2023) before dawn to catch combat engineers from the 35th Battalion, Singapore Combat Engineers (35 SCE) launch their M3G military float bridges into the river.
Men and women from 35 SCE worked overnight to bring the M3Gs from their camp in Seletar, crossing the width of Singapore literally from our island's north shore to the south, to take part in today's National Day Parade (NDP) Combined Rehearsal 2.
As many of you may know, preparations for NDP 2023 will take place every Saturday from now till 9 August (Singapore's National Day). Five M3Gs join up in the water to form a self-propelled raft that ferries the 25-pounder guns that will execute the Presidential Gun Salute. It's a vitally important "supporting role" that gives the combat engineers yet another training opportunity to hone their bridge building expertise.
This morning's walkabout marked the first time I had seen the M3G crews up close since Pukul Habis, a fictional stoy of war in Malaysia and Singapore, was published. The last time I saw 35 SCE's M3Gs go into the water was in 2019 - before COVID upended our lives and saw NDP scaled down tremendously.
It was quite special for me, walking down the same riverbank where years ago, I had spent many Saturday mornings observing how the combat engineers deployed their rigs. As I watched the combat engineers do their thing, I tried to imagine them doing it at night, under pressure and possibly under fire. Those observations helped me write the battle scenes where M3Gs are mentioned in the book. I hope I got it mostly right!
This morning, two officers who heard about the book came over to chat. Was heartened by their interest.
Big thanks to many cohorts of 35 SCE combat engineers for their hardwork, for never giving up and for their dedication during past year NDPs, which helped sow the seeds for parts of my book.
Please note:
Books Kinokuniya in Singapore has stocked Pukul Habis (ISBN 9789811861499). Please visit its main store in Ngee Ann City or Bugis Junction, or check the Kinokuniya online store here. The title is also available from Kinokuniya Malaysia. Please enquire with the KLCC store. First few shipments sold out quickly - but you can leave you name with Kino Malaysia KLCC's waiting list. Thanks much!
Books Kinokuniya in Singapore has stocked Pukul Habis (ISBN 9789811861499). Please visit its main store in Ngee Ann City or Bugis Junction, or check the Kinokuniya online store here. The title is also available from Kinokuniya Malaysia. Please enquire with the KLCC store. First few shipments sold out quickly - but you can leave you name with Kino Malaysia KLCC's waiting list. Thanks much!
For readers elsewhere, please check the Amazon sites that serve your location. "Look Inside" function on some sites shows sample pages.
Singapore: https://bit.ly/3XJzInH
Australia: https://amzn.to/3ViaX0i
United Kingdom: https://amzn.to/3EZ6clA Look Inside
USA: https://amzn.to/3Ui3Eo1 Look Inside. When ordering from Singapore, please click on the "Shipping to Singapore?" button. Ignore the "Temporarily out of stock" notice on the Amazon.com page.
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