You've done more good in this world than any of us have or ever will,
never given up hope on any of us,
encouraging and pushing us when we needed most.
You dedicated your life more to work than towards even your own family as and whenever needed.
You came to our camp and literally brought me my salvation, away from the prejudice and close-minded people who sought to bully and cajole me into letting them walk all over my head.
The 2 months before you arrived were the most depressing and frustrating months of my NS life most of all, and without hesitation, you took in all the details the moment you arrived and took me under your wing.
The role of a detail clerk was never easy, but knowing that I had your support all the while made the burden very much lighter. Under your tutelage, drivers were given the opportunity to speak up, to straighten up, smarten up, to show to the rest of the camp and division that we were better than what they thought/prejudiced against us. You gave the best and in return, expected the best as well. We were proud when you were proud, and frustrated at ourselves when we let you down.
You shout and scream at us whenever we make mistakes, but we know that you do so in order to help us avoid worse fates at the hands of superior commanders. Spare the rod, spoil the child. And we always accept your punishments graciously because they are dealt fairly.
You stay far away from camp, yet you diligently arrive before 6 every morning to ensure we get up for our morning runs to keep fit, and stay back in office till after 8 almost every day to ensure everything ends well at the end of every working day, to ensure all drivers get back safely.
There is no love like tough love from you Encik Nathan, but love nonetheless. You've gone beyond the call to ensure that we live out our army days to the fullest. You even made sure I managed to get my seven thousand km mileage record from scratch even after the old records were shredded ages ago when I left the 1st time.
The fact that you backed me up whenever I had to make hard decisions doing the planning and staffing, and that you never gave up on me, encouraging me at the end of every day since I got back this year, the talks in your office about your retirement plans to spend time in Australia with your family once they finalize plans to migrate for your son's studies; all these made my NS experience more real than any other time spent there.
You were always more of a father to us than merely the job. Perhaps, in some ways, a greater father figure than my own.
I wished that we had met up again for one last time, at the pub 10 minutes from my home, where we said our first goodbyes before I left for my University studies.
Goodbye WO Nathan,
Rest In Peace.
I miss you.