This year, Singapore commemorates 40 years of Total Defence, and to honour this milestone, the National Day Parade 2024 (NDP 2024) will debut the Total Defence 40 (TD40) Dynamic Defence Display (D3) at the Padang.

Going beyond the usual parade grounds, the TD40 D3 will also extend to the waters of Marina Bay, offering a remarkable display of both military and civil capabilities.

Featuring 40 state-of-the-art assets and over 400 participants and support staff from various defence and emergency agencies, the display will demonstrate Singapore's comprehensive approach to national security.

One of the assets on display will be the Singapore Army's Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV), an armoured fighting vehicle. And riding within it on Aug 9 will be full-time National Serviceman Lance Corporal (LCP) Muhammad Ilhan Ezra bin Mohamed Rayhan with his brothers-in-arms. 

They will be executing drills like dismounting from the Terrex ICV, and "stacking up" (when soldiers forming a single file or a tight group as they prepare to take on a threat).

The 21-year-old speaks to us about motivating his platoon as the second-in-command (2IC), his passion for photography, and his must-eat comfort food every Saturday morning after he books out.

How has your NS journey been? Tell us more!

I am a trooper from 5 SIR (Singapore Infantry Regiment), and 2IC of my platoon. As one of the infantry troopers, my role requires me to display urban operation movements like scanning danger areas, movement drills such as moving in high alert (where my weapon is up, to ensure I'm always ready), and section stack up, where my section will be grouping together tightly while ensuring all-round defence to protect ourselves.

What are some your responsibilities as 2IC?

The 2IC's role consists of helping my section commander in assisting my platoon to make sure that we are tight-knit, and well versed in what we are doing in operations. If my section commander has been downed, killed in action, I will take up his position and lead the platoon.

I am pretty much the guy that my platoon mates will have to look up to. When we found out that we would be taking part in NDP, we were pretty shocked.

During rehearsals, I kept morale up by reminding my platoon mates that it's just a weekend, we'd get some time back, and we'd have a bit of fun too. After all, it's quite rare for us to be able to get into a Terrex vehicle.

I think I've changed their view on it, and now we enjoy the NDP experience more than being in camp!

Compared to training in camp, how different is it rehearsing for NDP?

In preparation for TD40 D3, my platoon had to improvise and adapt our usual drills to fit the setting as it was a new setting compared to our actual operations.

So, the main difference is that we are actually implementing what we've learned in camp to an actual scenario, which is NDP. We'll be dismounting the Terrex and stacking up.

In camp, it's more about training, practising and polishing up our routines, our movements. Whereas this time, people are watching us at the Padang and on national television. We have to be at the top of our game.

It really shows how far we've come since we started this NS journey. And now we're here!

There's an interesting link between NDP and your love for photography. Tell us about it.

My interest in photography started in primary school, when I was invited to attend one of the NDP National Educations (NE) shows. My parents had bought me a film camera, and told me to take photos, so I took photos of the parade. But more importantly, I took photos of my friends having fun, and the fireworks.

Although I wasn't able to take part in or attend NDP on Aug 9 that year, I still went around Singapore taking pictures of people dressed in red and white. Over time, my interest in photography grew.

And it's thrilling to be part of NDP this year because this time, I'm in front of the camera, instead of behind it!

What or whom do you usually photograph?

Mostly people — random people, not people I know. Right now, I'm into digital photography. I'm glad that I've stuck with this hobby until now.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Apart from photography, I'm a designer. My interest in design started in secondary school, where I studied DNT (Design & Technology) and designed products. Then, I did graphic design in Poly. I didn't want to let my skills go to waste, so now I spend some time on weekends creating artworks.

One of the chapters in the Show segment of NDP 2024 is food-themed. What's your favourite thing to makan?

Ooh! Growing up, my favourite hawker dish was chicken rice. It is such a solid dish. I started with steamed, moved on to roasted, and I'm currently in my lemon chicken cutlet rice phase. It's so good! I can't get that in camp.

So [when I book out,] I try to wake up early to get it for breakfast at the hawker centre near my home. It's a must on a Saturday morning. It's a routine at this point. It's really the best. It's really my comfort food!

This article was first published in Wonderwall.sg.