KUCHING: Former Ranger's Kanang Langkau, the only Malaysian soldier to be conferred two gallantry awards, is an unassuming hero. To him, fighting the communists and shedding blood during battle was part of his duty as a soldier. “I never even thought about getting a medal. My pride is not in the medals I received but in my fellow soldiers who fought alongside me, especially those who died or who lost their limbs,” he said.

In February 1980, Kanang was part of a platoon from the 8th Battalion Rangers involved in combat with communists in Tanah Hitam, Perak. He launched an attack in which five communists were killed and one captured although he was also shot thrice.


Unassuming hero: Kanang showing his Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa certificate after receiving in Kuching as 3rd Brigade commanding officer Brig-Jen Jeyabalan S looks on. For this, he was awarded the Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa, the nation’s highest gallantry award, in June 1981.

For an earlier exploit in the jungles of Korbu, Perak, in an attack which saw three communists killed, Kanang was awarded the Pingat Gagah Berani in June 1980. “These are incidents that I will never forget. Sometimes, thinking about my fallen comrades still brings tears to my eyes,” he said after receiving two certificates of appreciation for his service to the country at the 3rd Brigade’s 48th anniversary parade here yesterday.

Now 67, Kanang joined the Sarawak Rangers in 1962 as an Iban tracker and was transferred to the 8th Battalion Rangers in 1973. “I did not have any ambition of becoming a soldier because at that time only two or three people from my village had joined the army. I didn’t know what being a soldier was all about. “In December 1961, there was an army recruitment drive so I went for it and I was accepted,” he recalled.

After serving 21 years, he retired as a warrant officer in 1986 and now spends his time relaxing and looking after his grandchildren. Married to Helen Latai, he has six children, one of whom has followed him into the Army and is a bombardier with the Royal Artillery Regiment based in Temerloh, Pahang