Gun crew positions within the SSPH. (GRAPHIC: Mindef)
Corporal First Class (National Service) Aloysius Pang, 28, died last Wednesday (23 January) after sustaining “crush injuries” in a Singapore Self-Propelled Howitzer (SSPH) during a training exercise in New Zealand.
“In the last 15 years of SSPH operations (since its commission in 2003), there has not been any reported injury of servicemen due to the gun lowering for maintenance or operating in or firing of the SSPH,” said the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) in a media statement on Wednesday (31 January).
In the same period, more than 1,000 servicemen, National Service (NS)men, and regulars have been trained to operate the SSPH, with around 12,500 rounds fired, it added. Mindef also shared more details on how the SSSH is operated and the safety precautions taken during emergency situations.
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A reader's letter
KENG LUN: The Aloysius Pang training mishap has raised a bigger issue which I’m sure all of us national servicemen are wondering about, which is whether reservist NSmen should be made to do tasks which require specialised skills such as machine repairs. While I have no doubt reservist will always do their best when necessary, there is a limit to the depth of their abilities when it comes to war machines.
We are called “Operationally-Ready”, but the fact is for those who don’t use these skills in our daily lives, those skills become rusty and forgotten. We are talking about specialised machines which are complex to operate, not simple tools like bicycles or semi-automatic rifles. Would you trust the repair of a multi-million-dollar F-35 jet plane to a NSman whose day job is selling insurance, or whatever else occupation that doesn’t involve fixing planes.
A once-a-year brief refresher course is not going to make anyone an expert. As it is stands, some reservist even need time to figure out how to use a SAR-21. Skills to operate or repair complex machines should naturally involve experts who can be relied on to intuitively devise solutions when things go wrong, and fix things taking with thorough understanding of how the machines work.
When machines fail and people fail, mishaps that bring injury or death often follow. MINDEF must rethink its strategies for troop deployment, and let reservists perform more general tasks which can be easily relearned every year during ICT.
In war, friendly-fire is estimated to account for up to 20 percent of battlefield casualties. Let’s not add “friendly-error” to the mix.In
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CFC Aloysius Pan's family cannot sue MINDEF even if they want to
After the unfortunate death of CFC Aloysius Pang during his reservist training in New Zealand, many netizens commented that perhaps his family should sue MINDEF for the death of their son.
Unfortunately, Section 14 of the Government Proceeding Acts grants immunity to MINDEF or any of the SAF commanders or officers who may be involved with any deaths or injuries of NSmen of NSFs against any civil suits.
Case of Private Dominique Sarron Lee - In 2012, Private Dominique Sarron Lee, an NSF, collapsed with breathing difficulties during an exercise where excessive smoke grenades were used. He later died from an acute allergic reaction from inhaling zinc chloride fumes.
His family sued his then-platoon-commander Captain and chief safety officer of the exercise after both were summarily tried and found guilty in military court for negligent performance of lawful order or duty.
In 2016, the High Court dismissed the civil suit. Judicial Commissioner Kannan Ramesh ruled that the two officers qualified for immunity from being sued under Section 14 of the Government Proceedings Act (GPA). The statute states that as long as any deaths or injuries occurred during service, the Government or any SAF officer involved are not liable to be sued.
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Fellow artists pay tribute to actor Aloysius Pang
MINDEF statement says he was injured when gun barrel of howitzer was lowered
Corporal First Class (NS) Pang, an armament technician from the 268th Battalion Singapore Artillery, was 28. Even before the Ministry of Defence issued a statement last night confirming his death, celebrities on social media had changed their profile pictures to black and white.
Later, when his death was confirmed, fellow actor Shane Pow wrote on Instagram: "It wasn't enough being brothers with you this life. Let's be brothers again next life. I love you my big brother."
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