Interview With The Red Lions

The Red Lions have always been a well-loved staple of our National Day Parade. This year, Singapore will once again witness the prowess and accuracy of our parachuting Commandos at the Parade!

We had the rare opportunity to speak to 1WO Simon Kang, one of the Red Lions, just after his jump at one of our Combined Rehearsals.

Coming from the Para Wing at SOTSC, 1WO Kang has clocked over 4300 jumps within the 35 years of his Commando career. With over 30 years of experience, he tells us that jumping for NDP has become a “very special affair”.

Another reason why he enjoys National Day is because his birthday is only just a week earlier, making it a birthday celebration for both him and Singapore!

As a family man, 1WO Kang usually spends his Saturdays “playing with his nieces or nephews, or his god-daughter”. With regards to his family’s reaction towards the weekly rehearsals, he says, “Everybody has to find space – time and space – to balance it off; and once it’s well balanced, it works!”

When asked if he was afraid of heights, 1WO Kang did admit that his “first jump in 1975 was from 1000-feet, and was kind of scary”. However, because of his determination to become a Commando, he had to “find a way to overcome the fear and just jump out of the aircraft”.

"Sometimes, you’re actually more fearful of your students or your fellow jumpers rather than for yourself!”

With today’s level of training and equipment, he shares with us that the danger is not in jumping out of the aircraft, but in not being able to remain calm. Even if the Red Lions land in the Marina Bay, they have been equipped with a life jacket to ensure their safety. “Landing in the water is not a problem. In fact, it’s safer than landing on the road.” 1WO Kang tells our team.

Having jumped out of an aircraft for over 4300 times, it would seem though 1WO Kang makes jumps around the clock every day. However, the truth is that he only gets to parachute “around 200 times a year, for most instructors on a good year”. On a bad year though, he may clock as little as only 50 jumps.

This year’s National Day is particularly special for 1WO Kang, as it will be his last jump for NDP. At age 54, he will be retiring next year, leaving this to be his personal "so-called farewell to NDP”. Until then, he tells us he is “excited and having fun” at each week’s rehearsals and looks forward to jumping for the actual Parade on 9 August.

On a final note, he wishes that “Singapore will always be a garden city, peaceful, and that everybody will have better years ahead.”

With that, we hope you look forward to the Red Lions' spectacular performance at this year's National Day Parade!

This article and its photographs have been contributed by Joshua Khoo from the NDP 09 Show Committee.