From a recruit to being emplaced as an NS officer, LTA (NS) Mohamed Ibrahim Musa, Deputy Company Commander, Public Shelter and Resilience Unit 13A shares his memorable moments of serving Singapore.
TEXT AND PHOTOS: SCDF
LTA (NS) Mohamed Ibrahim Musa, 36, enlisted for National Service in the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) back in 2006. Since then, he has remained a proud and committed member of The Life Saving Force. As an NSman, LTA (NS) Ibrahim continued to display dedication towards National Service and his stellar performance secured him the National Service Excellence Award in 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2021. In recognition of his exemplary performance, LTA (NS) Ibrahim was emplaced to the rank of Lieutenant (LTA) after he completed the Officer Conversion Course from 20 to 24 June 2022.
ENLISTMENT DAY
When LTA (NS) Ibrahim first received news of his enlistment into SCDF, he recalled feeling nervous yet excited. However, after he realised the importance of his role, his feelings of uncertainty subsided.
“During my recruit training, I learnt about my role as a fire and rescue officer and understood the importance of SCDF personnel to the community as part of the lifesaving force and that gave me the confidence to carry out my duties,” he says. “To this day, I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to help save the lives and properties of my fellow Singaporeans.”
WORKING AT THE FRONTLINE
LTA (NS) Ibrahim’s skills were put to good use for the first time when he responded to a road traffic accident with his teammates. “Unfortunately, it was a fatal accident and we had to extract the driver from the vehicle,” he recounts. “As it was my first time responding to a road traffic accident, I felt the added pressure of performing my duties in public. I could still remember how that felt.”
In such situations, LTA (NS) Ibrahim is extremely grateful he could rely on his team for assistance. “My Encik (Warrant Officer), who was an experienced specialist, came to my aid and provided the mental and physical support I needed during the incident. After the incident when we were back in the station, he continued to share with me his experiences and how I can be better prepared in carrying out my duties for future activations. I have learnt a lot of useful skills from my team while serving my full-time National Service with SCDF.”
GENERATIONS OF STRENGTH
As we celebrate 55 years of National Service (NS) this year, LTA (NS) Ibrahim expresses his joy in sharing the knowledge he acquired during his NS with another future NSF – his son. “My years of service have been meaningful beyond words. Every year, I look forward to reporting back for duty and have always made it a point to impart my knowledge and experiences onto those in my charge. After all, we are The Life Saving Force.”
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