Lina Ng affixes rank on son at OCS commissioning ceremony: 'My heart swells with pride for you'

Last December, local actress Lina Ng's eldest son Jeriel asked her what she wished to have for Christmas.

"To affix the rank on you on your Officer Cadet School (OCS) commissioning day," she said, and the 20-year-old promised to make it happen.

On March 9, Lina got what she wished for.

In an Instagram post yesterday (March 10), the 49-year-old posted a reel of her attending the OCS Commissioning Ceremony with her husband Mike Lam and their two other sons Joel and Samuel.

In the video clip, Lina and Jeriel embrace as she tells him: "Yay, today I got my Christmas present!"

Jeriel, who enlisted in January 2023, also turns to hug his father and his brothers as he sniffles in tears of joy.

"Can I put my rank on you first?" Lina asked in a shaky voice, as if she was also holding back tears.

She proceeded to remove the epaulette on Jeriel's left shoulder, affixed a Second Lieutenant epaulette on it and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

Lam also placed Jeriel's rank on his right shoulder, adding: "Well done, sir! You did it."

Lina wrote in the caption of her post: "Jeriel's unwavering determination and tireless effort have carried him through every obstacle. My heart swells with pride for you, my son."

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In a separate interview with Lianhe Zaobao published yesterday, Lina shared that she saw the hard work that Jeriel had put into his training.

"As a mother, of course my heart ached for him… Once, his body couldn't bear the rigorous training. He fell ill and had to be put on a drip. We were worried about him and that is inevitable," she said.

Despite that, she encouraged him to continue to persevere and overcome these challenges like a man as she saw his potential.

Lina added: "I have never been a soldier, so I cannot understand how hard it could be, but I know his abilities… and gave him a 'merciless' push at the right time to let him thrive."

As she felt that she had been forcing Jeriel to grow, Lina said she also apologised to him at the ceremony and was thankful and touched for his understanding and trust.

Lina also revealed that Jeriel had become more responsible since entering the army. Besides washing his own laundry and having meals with his family, he also manages his finances well, which surprised her.

She shared: "He used his salary from National Service to pay for his driving lessons and got his licence without asking us for any money."

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yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com

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