Feature: Total Defence - Death Before Dishonour

"Biar putih tulang, jangan putih mata" - Better to go down with a fight than to go on with tears of regret.

Warm sunshine penetrated through the gaps of the palm tree leaves as they covered the small village with a blissful atmosphere that suggested peaceful days of happiness. Life was simple but great in the eyes of the villagers who lived in the Malayan kampong, with a loose focus on daily life sustainment and domestic family ties. Adnan looked up towards the clear sky as he welcomed the rays with a light grin and took in a deep breath of fresh air, closing his eyes at the same time. It pleased him in doing so as it never failed to instill a sense of calm and relief in him every single time. A swaying brown leaf danced gracefully in mid air as it completed its final performance before landing softly upon the left of Adnan's broad muscular shoulders. He felt it and immediately jolted his eyes open and stared hard at the tiny intruder of his afternoon peace before relaxing his tense posture after discovering what it was.

A military career had replaced Adnan's previous job under pressurising national calls of duty, which he took with a good heart and mind even though a teaching role in the village was preferred before the unwanted chaos invaded everybody's lives. During anguish moments as such, sovereign obligation prioritised personal desire. Adnan was just like any other who loved his village and his family, passively noting in his mind that nothing could ever replace and disrupt this gift of life. He was no more special than any of his adjacent neighbours.

Peeking out of the hut, looking at every direction in search of her husband before her eyes rested upon Adnan's masculine physique finally and it produced a genuine smile and delighted brows on Sophia's mesmerising facial assets. She walked out and placed her petite hand on top of his right shoulder as he turned around to greet his visitor. With one firm hand on Adnan's shoulder, the other offered a cup of fluid for his thirst.

"It's a hot sunny afternoon, drink up before you die of thirst.", Sophia positioned the cup closer towards him.
"Why yes, I will.", he took the cup and looked deeply into her eyes with unsaid gratitude.

As he took an initial sip of cool water and allowed the fluid to roll down towards the back of his tongue as slowly as possible, a loud sharp sound shrieked past his right ear.

***

With a startle from his brief mental flashback, he looked towards his right and spotted a circular wood-wreck on the trunk of the tree half a metre behind him. Adnan thrusted his head back to face the hostile source of the projectile as a sense of dread and danger flowed rapidly within his bloodstream as adrenaline kicked in once again for the thousandth time.

"Sir! 56th is finally upon us at the foot of Chandu!", his Sergeant-Major informed him with a tone of distress.

A little over a day had passed as 'C' Company of the 1st Malay Brigade had retreated to Bukit Chandu at 1430 hours due to suppressive artillery superiority by the Japanese.

It all began when they were tasked to defend The Gap against the invading Japanese troops from the North-west. First hostile contact occurred at about 1400 hours on February 13, 1942. 'B' Company had suffered a massive defeat as they defended the frontline against the heavily supported Japanese 18th Division. Several perished while many others became POWs.
Few had made it back.

'C' Company fought along the other Companies and held their line until the situation appeared bleak and were ordered to retreat back to Bukit Chandu for a strategic defence advantage at 1430 hours, February 14. It was also meant to be a key stronghold of a historic last stand.

With declining supplies and ammunition, Second Lieutenant Adnan performed a swift mental calculation of odds and opportunities before realising the imminent fate that was staring blatantly at his men. The 7th Platoon of 'C' Company remained in high spirits and morale even though hard battles had been fought. A source of peak morale boost came from their earlier mini victory over the Japanese trickery deployed - The see though and subsequent gun-down of the Japanese troops disguised in Punjabi uniform. This infuriated the Japanese command, in line with the frustration induced from the difficulties imposed by the Malay Regiment.

Adnan recapped his earlier illusion and inspired a decision for his men. With a quick swipe of his rough tongue across his arid lips in futile aim of ignoring his thirst, he gathered his thoughts before beginning.

"Comrades of the Malay Regiment, brethren of the 7th Platoon. Hear my words under such heinous times. We have endeavoured and performed highly above our country's expectation of us. We have persuasively irritated our enemy against their aggression and in doing so we've instilled one more day of peace to our people, our family, our loved ones, who desperately depend on us for it.", a unified roar of agreement rose through the dense forested region.

"It is through our fight for our sovereignty where our nation stays free of invaders with malicious intentions, and it is through the nation's sound sovereignty where our family and loved ones stay safe and sound. Peace is the common precious condition that we all want for our people and chaos is the common ultimate gift we all wish for our enemy.", he paused for a random survey of his men's looks on their faces to see if they had sustained his point.

"Death may come to our family and loved ones should we decide to give up at this moment just because we're at the end of our supplies and ammunition, and death is in essence the most optimistic fate that they can receive from our aggressors. Ruthless torture of our people, outrageous stripping of our people's dignity, predominant enslavement of our people's freedom. They will beat our parents, humiliate our brothers and sisters, rape our spouses and starve our children, and at the long run of it, they will not allow them a quick death that they will so desperately desire for in aim of an escape for a better fate in a better world elsewhere. That is beyond the worst that we will ever want for them should we allow the enemy to succeed.", bitter facial expressions filled the men around him. Adnan paused yet again for his words to be digested for inspiration.

"We have learned the art of Silat and let us now honour the skills bestowed upon us by our forefathers and use our fists in close quarters combat againt our enemy down below. We will use our bayonets together with the spirit of our Kris in our hearts to deter and cast the devils out of our land. Let us strike fear in the enemy, fight to the very last man in resilience and never look back. We shall die trying and not live crying.", several determined faces now surrounded Adnan. Adnan knew in his heart that it was time to end it, with his platoon's motto.

"Biar putih tulang, jangan putih mata!", he roared in uplifting conviction as others rose and echoed his final words in boisterous succession.

Adnan spun around in his Lewis machine-gun post and after a ten second halt for him to regather thoughts of his life thus far, he lifted his eyelids in tenacious determination and squeezed off the first round of his final few left in his magazine to declare the glorious last stand of the 7th Platoon atop Bukit Chandu.

***

In remembrance of Lt. Adnan Saidi and all the brave men of valour who gave their lives for the sovereignty of Singapore.

Total Defence Day 2010, Singapore.

(The above short story is fiction inspired by the WW2 Hero Lt Adnan Saidi whose actions provided a firm foundation for all descendants of Singapore to learn of the importance of total defence with qualities that he had shown in exemplification to others. It is in no attempt of any way to put down any party of today's context that illustrates differently, thus all are strongly advised to disregard any similarities and trends between the imperial Japan of WW2 and modern Japan of today. Kindly note that the above is based on certain events depicted during the 'Battle of Bukit Chandu' and is loosely accurate for literature purpose. Any fault or inaccuracy is deemed to be intentional by the author and does not reflect similar upon the actual facts and accounts provided by factual historic records.)