1WO Margaret Leon, 61. (Image by Kenneth Lim / PIONEER, MINDEF)

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) PIONEER magazine ran a feature on the longest-serving woman in the Signal formation, 1st Warrant Officer Margaret Leon who has now joined the Basic Military Training Centre to train recruits.
The 61-year old, who is also a grandmother, is the Platoon Commander in BMTC’s School 1, Charlie Company. She’s also just as tough as you’d expect, leading route marches with a 20kg field pack on her shoulders and always ready to get down in the dirt to demonstrate skills like trench digging or camping out in the jungle to teach her recruits about field camp.
1WO Leon had joined the military in 1976, working as a clerk for 10 years before becoming a combat trainer and then a combatant. In her long and storied career, 1W0 Leon has served as an Officer Cadet School Instruction, Signal Specialist and Company Sergeant Major in the 8th Singapore Armoured Brigade. She was also deployed to East Timor for three months with 1st Signal Battalion on a humanitarian mission before spending a majority of her career as an instructor in Signal Institute.
Just as she was about to retire in 2013 at the age of 55, 1WO Leon’s commanding officer, then-Major Willam Ong asked her to extend her service. And so she did, first for two years and then another three.
Now retired as a Lieutenant Colonel (NS), he said: “She never gets tired of teaching and always has a passion to impart her knowledge to the guys – that’s what I admire about her.”
In 2018, 1WO Leon ended her 30-year service in Signal when she volunteered to be an instructor at BMTC.

1WO Leon still takes parts in runs and route marches with her recruits. (Image by Kenneth Lim / PIONEER, MINDEF)
“I’ve trained officers, specialists and operators. Now I have a chance to take on recruits. When I leave the Army, I would have completed the full experience,” she said in the article.
Cheekily, the article quotes 1WO Leon saying, “I’m doing the same exercises as my boys, so if they can’t do it, I’ll say, ‘Ancient lady can do, young boys cannot do?’”
“So my weakest boys always compete with me, that’s what pushes them.”
Speaking about how she manages to stay fit, 1WO Leon said it’s all about pure hard work. She earns a gold award for her Individual Physical Proficiency Test every year. On weekdays, She trains in the early mornings before joining her recruits on their morning runs. She also trains with her husband – who she met in the Army in 1986 – on weekends.

Tough and compassionate

However, apart from being a tough-as-nails instructor, 1WO Leon is also described as the “mother goose” to the recruits as one Lieutenant Colonel (NS) Ong affirmed.
The article recounts a soldier coming to her with a personal problem involving his single-parent mother who he was having trouble communicating with. She advised him to take her out for brunch and talk to her.
“He wrote back: ‘Thank you, Ma’am. I am now having this weekly conversation with my mum.’ I was so happy (to see that); I do that for all my boys in our journaling,” she said.
Another soldier, platoon chief trainer 3rd Sergeant Muhd Haziq Mofe said, “If I have family or work issues, I can openly discuss it with Ma’am and she’ll help me out. From working with her, I’ve become more patient and reasonable with the recruits. It’s a totally different approach (from scolding).”

1WO Leon when she was an instructor at Signal Institute. (Image by Signal Formation / PIONEER, MINDEF)
TOC Editor Terry Xu also has memories of 1WO from when he was first assigned to his regular service. She was his Ops Warrant in the Unit.
Says Terry, “It is not a stretch to say that she is a motherly figure to all servicemen, regardless of race language or religion.”
Recounting his experience with her, Terry says she would try her best to address a servicemen’s problems instead of picking on those who flout the rules or are facing personal issues. She listens to their needs and defends them when they get in trouble, even if they are not directly under her command.
Terry added, “When commanders make seemingly unreasonable commands or ill-advised decisions, Warrant Margaret will always be the few who would voice out against them. And because of her experience and ability, commanders would always take her words into consideration and at many occasions, saving servicemen from unnecessary labour.”
He continued, “I am glad that I got to meet Warrant Margaret at the first stage of my regular career to imprint the idea of what it means to be a professional soldier in the armed forces.”
1WO Leon with her husband holding their grandchild, her son and daughter-in-law. (Image from 1WO Leon / PIONEER, MINDEF)
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
You May Also Like

港721游行抗议者涂鸦中联办 元朗白衣人袭击市民近45人受伤

香港反送中运动持续中,尽管香港特首林郑月娥已宣布《逃犯条例》寿终正寝,但示威者却认为并未以“撤回”,且林郑月娥亦未回应其他四大需求,民阵于昨日(21日)发起撤回《逃犯条例》,以及设立独立委员会调查警民冲突。 尽管昨日游行并不如616 盛大,但仍聚集约43万人上街游行。 据港媒报道,他们身穿黑衣戴着口罩以保护自身安全,而游行由维多利亚港集合出发,原定终点是湾仔卢押道,但示威者越过终点继续前进,占据金钟政府总部附近的主要道路,以及湾仔警察总部外的马路。示威者于中央人民政府驻香港特别行政区联络办公室外的招牌扔鸡蛋,以及其摄像头喷漆,要求主任王志民出来。 晚间10点,警方与示威者在上环爆发冲突,警方多次以催泪弹清场,据现场记者说明,警方疑似听到枪声,但未能确定是橡胶子弹还是布袋弹。凌晨时分,示威者逐步散去。 白衣人袭击市民记者孕妇被殴倒地 与此同时,香港新界元朗亦爆发冲突,晚间11点,元朗西铁站聚集了大批“白衣人士”,声称在附近巡视,若见身着黑衣便会认定是从港岛参加游行回来,对他们进行围殴。据悉,白衣人士以“保卫元朗”为名,部分人手持长伞及竹条,追打身穿黑衣的人,多名示威者与记者受伤。 据《立场新闻》与《端传媒》报道,白衣人士堵截闸口袭击市民与记者,一度隔著閘口與市民對峙互罵。《立场新闻》记者直播期间遇袭,双手,右肩受伤流血,背部有大面积伤痕,后脑肿起,感晕眩,需停止采访工作。 其后,更多白衣人士涌入闸内,手持棍棒等武器,肆意向途人施袭。 民主党立法会议员林卓廷当时也在现场,同被白衣人打伤,手部受创,嘴角流血,前TVB记者柳俊江亦被打得血流披面,也有孕妇受袭倒地。 11点30分左右,警方抵达现场,多名市民向警方质问为何姗姗来迟,情绪激动。 虽然双方在警方的介入一度撤走,但凌晨1点白衣人士仍出现在西铁站空地,防暴警察其后到场开始在村口设置防线。…

Writ of Election issued for Reserved Presidential Election 2017

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has issued the Writ of Election for the…

许渊臣针对《防假消息法》表达看法 通讯新闻部发文澄清

上周五,《网络公民》总编许渊臣在个人脸书,针对《防止网络假信息和防止网络操纵法案》(POFMA)发表个人观点,提出该法上诉时间程序,在选举期间可能被滥用,限制公民发表言论的忧虑。 《防假消息法》刚在本月2日起生效。自提呈国会以来,就已饱受争议,不仅政界人士,包括国内外学术界、媒体、公民组织等都已对该法提出质疑,例如担忧法案“定义笼统”、部长/执法机关权力过于广泛、以及可能产生寒蝉效应等,反而不利于公民间对公共政策的良性讨论。 依据该法,如部长/指定人士发出更正/撤除内容/文章的指示,如当事者不满可提出上诉,对上诉的审核期限为两日。 不过,如果上诉也被部长驳回怎么办?可以上诉到高等法院。根据《防假消息法》的附属条例,法庭常务官(Duty Registrar)安排审理当事者上诉个案的聆讯日,通常会是第六个工作日后。 对此,许渊臣认为,仅仅是对部长提出上诉、被驳回再申请法庭聆讯,整个申诉过程就至少要耗掉八天(工作日)的时间,而且还未算上当事人收到指示、以及寻求法律咨询、准备申诉辩词所需的时间。 再者,也没有任何指南显示在聆讯后何时必须作出判决。 反观,新加坡选举从提名日到投票,通常仅需时九日。故此许渊臣打个比方,假设有者要在2015年大选前,想针对集体感染C型肝炎事故进行爆料,执政政府会否发出撤文/跟更正指示,要求证实有关消息是确凿的?那么一般选民就没有机会去听一听,到底爆料消息想表达什么。 而且爆料当事人恐怕要走繁冗的上诉程序,要在工作日抽空提交法律文件到法庭。尽管针对部长撤文指示的上诉聆讯首三日免费,但是第四个聆讯日起,就要6000新元的收费。 有鉴于鲜有政府败诉的先例,这些不利因素,可能让一般民众望而却步,似乎足以堵住悠悠众口。 许渊臣对此讽喻,可能将来新加坡的牛津词典会出现一个新词,形同行动党政府“泼马”(pofma’d)了前方障碍,透过限制公民揭发有关部长和政策的负面消息,在选举中取得空前胜利。 《网络公民》英语站也分享了总编的贴文。…

圣诞前夕赠生活必需品 乔立盟访波东巴西低收入家户

人民党主席乔立盟在圣诞前夕,拜访波东巴西选区的低收入家庭,并赠送生活必需品,并加强该党与基层群众的互动。 据了解他和该党志工于本月22日(周日)拜访该选区低收入居民,当天也适逢他的生日,同时也是人民党前秘书长詹时中,在选举成功赢得波动巴西议席35周年纪念。 乔立盟在脸书贴文表示,这是该党第二年在圣诞前夕拜访低收入家庭的活动,也指出当中有不少是独居年长者,大部分时间都在家,为此类似活动能增强邻里活动,多和这些家户接触。 他也表示透过这样的拜访活动,能让这些邻里了解还有社会大众关心他们,“我们必须在社区中扮演我们的角色,确保当弱势群体有需求时能及时伸出援手。” 善心人赠低收入者礼券 另一方面,乔立盟也分享收到一名善心人士赞助礼券,并要求把这些礼券分发给那些低收入居民。他认为这是众人对人民党在该区基层工作的认可。 47岁的乔立盟,刚在上月5日的人民党中卫会议上,被推举为该党主席,前任主席罗文丽则保留中委身份。前非选区议员谢镜丰,当选该党秘书长。 乔立盟立志传承詹时中的精神,“就像过去当我们最需要的时候,詹时中出现在我们身边,过去两年我也把时间投入在协助波东巴西居民,为他们点燃希望和尽我所能提供帮助。”