The message is clear: Aloysius Pang had breached safety rules while performing maintenance duty. His death was preventable had he, a regular technician and his gun commander followed safety rules rigorously.
That was the Committee of Inquiry’s investigation conclusion.
Apart from Aloysius, according to the COI’s findings, the gun commander (and the regular technician) did a few things in breach.
First, the gun commander “did not ensure the gun barrel was locked before starting maintenance work of replacing the interface card found in the cabin.”
He also continued to lower the gun while Aloysius was standing near the gun barrel’s end - albeit he did ask Aloysius to stand clear.
And “when the barrel began to make contact with CFC Pang, the gun commander and regular technician panicked and responded “irrationally” instead of pressing the emergency stop button.””
At this point, the regular technician tried to “stop the barrel with his hands, while the gun commander tried to do so using the main control screen, but their actions did not stop CFC Pang from being wedged between the barrel and the cabin’s interior.”
That about clinically sums up the cause of death of our national serviceman, the 4th casualty since September 2017.
What’s next then for the gun commander and the regular technician?
Well, they are currently reassigned to administrative duties and, “if found to have been culpable, will be charged and punished accordingly,” said Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen.
I guess that’s all in a day’s work for our Army. The bottom line is, as Minister Ng said, it is preventable.
In Parliament yesterday, some good soul-searching questions were asked by the MPs. They asked whether there were any contributing factors, on top of the above breaches by the men.
Was there time pressure? Was there any language barrier in understanding instructions when the barrel was lowered? Or, as Vikram Nair asked, if there was “anything to do as a system” to deal with the risk of human error?
Minister Ng replied in the negative to the first two questions - no, COI found no evidence that time pressure contributed to the fatal accident. And no, no finding to indicate that Aloysius “took a longer time to understand that the gun barrel was moving towards him.”
In fact, on time pressure, Minister Ng was asked by NMP Walter Theseira “whether there might be any reasons why standard operating procedure for moving the gun barrel was not followed?” and Minister Ng replied that “the reason given was that they wanted to “get on with it”. They couldn’t wait for those few seconds.”
Lesson? One or two?
I recall when I was in the Army, I was often told that we are grown men now and Army boys don’t cry. Just do your part and time will pass by more quickly than you think.
Alas, we offer our precious sons for National Service to defend the land, in anticipation of a time when they will have to make the choice of sacrificing their lives to protect those they love and those they don’t know. And we wish more than anything that they will return to us in one piece, more mature and polished, more disciplined and wiser.
National service is a rite of passage for all Singaporean sons and it is something - when you have gone through with chin strap up and scars to show - you will grow to be proud of to have played your part with fond memories of buddies you befriended along the way.
And I believe the Army, Navy and the other Defence Forces are self-correcting, and self-reflective. Every life is precious to them, and they will do their utmost to keep our children safe. And in an ideal world, there will indeed be zero fatalities.
Having said that, one death (or four within a short period) is heartbreaking to the deceased’s love ones and those who know them.
Although the COI has done their part and it is time to move on, I also note that the reflective and self-correcting part of our Army is not content to let dead “safety-hazard” dogs lie.
Minister Ng in fact implemented further safety measures to fortify the system to make it even more accident-proof.
Now, “all crews of the Singapore Self-Propelled Howitzer (“SSPH”)...have to practise emergency stop button drills before operating the platform.”
I believe this is to counter the “panic” the gun commander and the regular technician experienced in their response to the barrel making contact with Aloysius. As the COI findings put it, they responded “irrationally”. Mind you, in panic, you’d recall the regular technician tried to use his bare hands to stop the barrel from crushing Aloysius.
Second, “bold markings to indicate areas that are safe and potentially hazardous have also been put up in the SSPH.”
I guess (in retrospect) this would in all likelihood have alerted servicemen like Aloysius and his crew to the danger of standing in harm’s way.
And thirdly, “army technicians now have to go through a nine-step drill before their maintenance training and tasks so that any potential risks are reviewed, dry runs are conducted, and roles and responsibilities are clarified.”
The rationale for this is that since maintenance is not high risk (or hazard) activities unlike when servicemen are undergoing field or on-site training, there is always a risk they could let their guard down during such times.
Maybe, that’s the reason why servicemen like Aloysius and his buddies wanted to (as Minister Ng puts it) “get on with it” and ”they couldn’t wait for those few seconds” to complete the task.
Alas, this brings me back to what MP Vikram Nair asked earlier; “if there was anything to do as a system to deal with the risk of human error?”
Human error exists everywhere and anywhere. And if to err is only human, then to anticipate and prevent it can really save lives, especially lives of our Army boys who shouldn’t cry because they are grown men.
Let me end with this. How much does the tear of a father for his son worth?
Well, he may not talk much with his son. He may even see his son less and less as he grows up. And they grow up fast.
But, a father’s heart and love is universal; it is in fact irreplaceable. And the tears he shed for his son is heart wrenching, and most times, inconsolable.
You can be friend to another for a season, however long, but you are always a father to your son for all seasons, forever.
I cannot imagine the pain Aloysius’ father went through when he buried him. But as a father, I can’t say I don’t feel an intimate part of it. I have no doubt our ministers felt it too.
My point here is not to milk emotions, for grown men don’t cry. But I however lament over deaths that are preventable, and preventable in so many ways.
I admit that as a father, I have seen my son done silly and dumb things in his youth. And as an adult, I am also guilty of committing the same.
But, for my son, in his growing up years, I endeavour to be always there for him, to build his confidence, to give him hope, and to rejoice with him in his little milestones.
Truly, it is the same wish all fathers have for their sons when they offer them up to the commandeering fathers of our nation for National Service or see them off for Reservist training. We also hope that our sons will be taken care of, protected and sheltered - because we can’t be physically there for them.
At such times, we pray that they would not do anything silly. But at the same time, we also pray that the system, the wise stewards of it, would be there too like a father will be for his own son to guard against such silliness and even recklessness.
If human errors abound, then surely the system’s carefulness ought to abound even more.
And as we move forward in this sad chapter, it is hope that the tears shed by a father for his son would mean that such death will in the future be truly preventable.
Because while grown men don’t cry, fathers often do, and their tears for their sons are priceless.
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