For Illustrative Purposes Only Similar To Ranger Lim See Meng

When we did the infamous Gonzales Lasak from Kampong Bonggor in Gerik to Batu Melintang in Kelantan which was 122 Km by road. The distance on the map was as the crow flies is 80 clicks. The Infantry is all terrain; we had to cross country, except at the lake in Banding we used the bridge. We were supposed to start the walk at 0800 hours to be released by a General.

That fuckwit arrived at 1100 hours by helicopter. By the time he had his tea and the normal bovine manure, it was precisely 1200 hours that the walk started. All the soldiers and support elements were carrying eight days of combat rations,1st line ammo and two hand grenades, all the Rangers had to carry a 60 mm mortar round.

Just barely 20 minutes into the walk, I was informed that a soldier had collapsed! Shit and double shit, I swore we had barely started. Since I was made responsible for stragglers and others, I went with my batman and one of my UCIS boys who was with a first aid bag. Apparently, the heat got to him, thanks to the fuckwit of a General, who had the luxury of not adhering to punctuality just because he was a General.

These idiots do not love their soldiers. If you want to lead soldiers, you must first love them. Most Officers do not get that simple rule. Especially fuckwit Generals who are so full of themselves, with sycophants fawning over them, with the exception of a few. Anyway, I pulled that soldier aside who was from the Engineers, told him to rest.

Suddenly an Engineer’s Corporal came up to me, I recognized him we were in the same Troop, a Corporal Jaafar. I told the good Corporal not to wait up and join his boys. The Sapper who collapsed I said we would accompany him until he has recovered fully. I just chatted with the Corporal, the Sapper recovered; Jaafar thanked me and gave me a smart salute, as he was very happy for me that I had become an Officer.

I returned a very smart salute to him. I was made to be the sweeper along with my UCIS boys, 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. I also picked him for the fact that he led the Battalion Speed March team to be champions in the 8th Brigade Speed March competition. Lt Col GE Simon was still commanding.

I assigned two of my toughest and fittest boys from the UCIS, Ranger Nagarajah and Ranger Shamsuddin to assist my CO who was fifty plus years old years old, born in 1934. I guess after the Raub incident he had  full confidence in me. A soldier who joins the Army at 18 years of age pensions off at the age of 39. He had to keep up with soldiers much younger than him, it is tough on him. Nowadays CO's who are barely 40 years old can hardly move, as some of them are built like main battle tanks.

Once or twice during the walk when I came to the end of my tether I struck them with my rifle butt on their packs as they just refused to walk. There was one Officer who had a brain wave, he told us in the Officers Mess that he was going to carry a big tin of Quaker Oats. Along with his batman who was an Orang Asli. I told him, “Man, do not do that. You will get sick of the oats.”

I saw him late in the afternoon at a stream with others; his batman was nowhere to be seen. He asked me, “Swami, do you have any food to spare?” Ivan was there, “Whatever happened to your Quaker Oats?” We all burst out laughing at him. His response was “come on guys, have a heart”. I told him to shut up and sit down, I told him of course we would share with you, told my batman to cook extra food.

On an operation in Gua Musang this same officer had to be evacuated, as there was leech attached to the white of his eye! He slept like a log, realized that only when he woke up. . I recall one Infantry unit that was walking that route after us. A soldier after listening to all the horror stories, decided to take matters into his own hands. He shot himself in the leg to avoid that walk.

He miscalculated; the round came out through his hip. I met him when I was a duty officer at the USM Hospital, Kubang Kerian. There was a huge gaping hollow in his hip, apparently the round took off part of his hip too, it was the exit of the round. I saw my former batman Lim See Meng, he was limping, I asked him what was wrong with his leg. He sat beside the road and removed his boots.

The heels of his right foot had a huge surface removed. I myself felt the pain when I saw that. The image above explains the condition of my soldier, Ranger Lim See Meng. Why should I not get angry with those who were responsible for this? Yep, Generals get a free pass.

Not to worry many curses too! We broke the army record It took us 7 days 7 hours, where we broke the Army record, 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. 122 Km - Distance from Gerik to Batu Melintang.