Captain Kamal Hashim was the IO, he was giving instructions, once in a while the CO, Lt Col George Edward Simon  came on the air and told us to keep up the pace. The distances we covered were great, we even came across "Dead Letter Boxes", where the Communists Terrorists would leave messages for their men.

The aim of this operations was to prevent the Communists from contacting the Min Yuen in the jungles of Pahang, Communists too celebrated Chinese New Year. They needed supplies, such as food, Ma Ling ham and stewed pork and much more, new recruits, medical supplies. The Chinese in my Battalion, Seventh Rangers did NOT celebrate CNY!

That day was the eve of Chinese New Year, we were based up. I was still up at night. All of us were very tired our cams were soaked like as though we had a dip. Of course we did NOT bathe.  It was pitch dark in the deep jungles of Pahang. Suddenly I heard the noise of a can being opened, "sssssstup". That was my OC secretively opening a can of Guiness Stout.

"Bloody hell sir, you are drinking that by yourself?" The response was, "Shhh Tambi, don' talk so loud, Chinese New Year la have to celebrate." I was wondering how many cans he had, I asked him he said only two cans, I did not believe him. "Sir, if you do not share with me, I will wake everyone up and tell them you have lots of stouts, you won't get to drink another drop."

Anyway I blackmailed him for two cans. He relented. That was a very memorable Chinese New Year for me. He had 6 cans. Okay fair he lugged them for miles. When we did the infamous Gonzales Lasak from Kampong Bonggor in Gerik to Batu Melintang in Kelantan which was 122 Km by road.

It took us 7 days 7 hours, where we broke the Army record. The distance on the map as the crow flies is 80 clicks. The Infantry is all terrain, we have to cross country, except at the lake in Banding we used the bridge.

122 Km - Distance from batu melintang to Gerik Perak

2nd Lt Wong Heng Ging was map reading for us at the head of the column, he was bloody efficient, this time he did NOT carry any stouts. I was made to be the sweeper, coming at the rear of battalion column. I reined in 2nd Lt Ivan Lee Synn Leng to keep me company, as it was very lonely at the rear of a 500 men column. Lt Col GE Simon was still commanding.

The head of the column moves at around 0730 hrs while the rear moves at around 1000 hrs. They would normally stop at 1600 hrs. The rear, us, would reach their location around 2000 hrs, stumbling and falling over each other in the pitch dark!!