Bandar Seri Begawan - It was a proud occasion at the Sovereign's Parade Ceremony for the 21 officer cadets from the 8th Intake of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) Officer Cadet School (OCS) yesterday, marking the end of -the 42-week gruelling military training.

Also sharing this momentous occasion were proud family members who have been pillars of support; morally and emotionally.

It was also a special day for four top officer cadets who outshined the rest of their peers during the training. His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the Minister of Defence and Supreme Commander of the RBAF handed over awards to four outstanding officer cadets who attained excellence in various aspects of military training.

The most prestigious award, the `Sword of Honour' which signifies the utmost brilliance was awarded to 199.66 Ocdt Haji Mohd Hisham bin Abdullah Pg Haji Mahrup, who is a Masters holder in Management and MEng Chemical Engineering from the University of Bath, UK.

Attaining apex achievements in basic military training, academic, physical, and all aspects in the second phase training is the prerequisite to attain such award. The officer cadet must also possess strong and exemplary characteristics as an officer in terms of steadfast leadership and demonstrate upbeat personality from the beginning until the end of the Officer Cadet Training at the OCS.

During an interview with the Bulletin, Haji Mohd Hisham shared his aspirations to be an exemplary leader who will always put first the welfare of his subordinates and share his engineering expertise in the RBAF.

Haji Mohd Hisham said his main motivation comes from his parents who have always pushed him with support during difficult times. "They were always there for me during my highs and lows and of course I always have 'tawakal' to Allah the Almighty. Our instructors, who are highly professional, have also helped me in my journey to success," he added.

His father, Pg Haji Mahrup, said he relentlessly renders encouragement and support for him to succeed in all fields. "We are all proud of his achievement and hope he will strive for more excellence in his job."

After being commissioned as an Army Officer, Haji Mohd Hisham will be assigned as Platoon 10 Leader, Company D, First Battalion at the Royal Brunei Land Force (RBLF).

Meanwhile, recipient for the 'Best Military Skill Award', 16472 Ocdt Muhd All Saddiqin bin Haji Murni, who holds a Bachelors Degree, BSc (Hops) in Information Technology from Lim Kok Wing University, Malaysia, said the training took him and the others through a challenging road with so many ups and downs but what kept him determined was the fighting spirit and adamant teamwork; all of them demonstrated in the training.

Muhd All Saddiqin, previously an Aircraft Engineer of five years at the Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF), completed Basic Military Training during the 122nd intake in 2003. The aspiring RBAirF pilot said during the 10-month stint in.

--Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin