MY ARMY DAYS

August 1988 - August 1990
Army

Introduction

This pages that you are about to journey into highlights the most memorable events of my early years of medical practice, which was spent in the Army.


Joining the Medical & Dental Corps

I had just completed my houseman-ship in August of 1988 in Malacca General Hospital, when I decided to join the Malaysian Army Medical and Dental Corps with two other doctors who had also just completed houseman-ship from the same hospital.

Angkatan Tentera Malaysia Medical & Dental Corps 'Pingat Perkhidmatan Am' MedalMy service medal.

Training

I had to undergo a short period of training before being commissioned into the Medical and Dental Corps. I was physically fit and very active to begin with, but the training still left me with a bruised ego, sore muscles and aching feet.

Training - after being winched down from a helicopter
At training - after being winched down from a helicopter

I had weapons training which included handguns (Browning, HK)and automatic rifles (M-16).
Browning pistol M-16 assault rifle
When I joined the infantry units later, I had the chance to use the M203 grenade launcher, light machine-gun, and the general purpose machine gun (GPMG). The first unit that I joined (Bn Inf 303) was a unit in 'operation' in Grik and Temenggor, and it was mandatory to be armed at all times. Thankfully I never had to use firearms for war, only during practice and training.
M-203 grenade launcher
The M-203 is my favourite weapon as it has a combination of the M16 rifle and the grenade launcher which was a delight to shoot from.

Around the ambulance
Around the ambulance

Maps

Map 1. Map of Malaysia, with the Lakes of Hulu Perak in blue box. Map 2. Detail map of Hulu Perak District.

Map of Malaysia - Temenggor within blue box Map of Hulu Perak

303 Infantry Battalion

On completion of training I was posted to the 303 Infantry Battalion, based at a place I had barely heard before, called Kem Temenggor, in the state of Perak, as the Regimental Medical Officer. Temenggor is today an angler's paradise. The Temenggor Lake stretches a distance of 80km, covering an area of 15,200 hectares. In the 1980's, this area is restricted only to the Army personnel because the insurgency war with the communist fighters had not ended. For more on the beautiful lake paradise of Temenggor and my one-year there, click on to this link. BN INF 303


8 Ranger

My second year in the Malaysian Army was spent in Kem Terendak in Melaka. I was posted to the 8 Ranger unit, which was at that time under conversion from an infantry unit to a full-fledged airborne assault unit. The peaceful and quiet life in the backwaters of Temenggor suddenly had changed to the active and vigorous training rituals of a commando styled unit, and this was quite a transformation for me. Yet it was still as much fun, flying in a C-130 instead of taking boat rides on the lakes. 8 RANGER AIRBORNE


Civilian Again

Upon completion of my two years service, I opted to go back to Malacca General Hospital where I had started my medical training two years before, joining the orthopaedics and traumatology unit.


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