Take up the challenge, make a difference

Major (MAJ) Neo Su Yin, 33, Commanding Officer (CO) of RSS Dauntless, joined the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 1999. Awarded the SAF Merit Scholarship in 1999, she graduated from the University of Nottingham with a Masters in Psychology in 2003 and has served in the Navy for 10 years since then.

When I told my Junior College mates I was joining the military, I remember that they thought I was nuts. While they were trying to get out of going to National Service, there I was voluntarily opting to go in.

Looking back, while BMT (Basic Military Training) was tough and rigorous, the camaraderie and esprit de corps of my platoon mates and instructors gave me the strength to see through the most trying times. It also reaffirmed my decision to want to be a part of this institution that emphasises teamwork.

As early as during my first shipboard appointment as the Navigating Officer of Landing Ship Tank (LST) RSS Persistence, I was sent to Meulaboh, Indonesia - my first humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mission - to provide aid after the devastating Boxing Day tsunami in 2004. The sight of the devastation then is forever imprinted in my mind, but what I will never forget, too, is the resilience of the local people we met and the hope that things will get better.

I was also given the opportunity to study at the United States Naval War College in the scenic state of Rhode Island. My husband and son accompanied me on this six-month Command and Staff Course, during which we had the chance to experience the American way of life. The friendships and bonds made during this course have come a long way since I graduated in June 2011, and I know that I can call a friend any time, no matter which part of the world I am in.

More recently, I was deployed for counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, in 2010, on board LST RSS Endurance and in 2011, on board LST RSS Endeavour. The highlight of my deployments happened during the latter when we prevented pirate attacks on two merchant ships and apprehended a skiff full of Somalian pirates.

Currently, I serve as the CO of RSS Dauntless, a Fearless-Class Patrol Vessel, and it has been the most fulfilling tour of my career thus far. Not only am I given the responsibility of running a multi-million dollar naval vessel, but I also make a direct impact on the professional development and personal growth of the people under my charge. If I had to choose my career again, I would most certainly still pick the Navy.