Military skills help her look after her four sons
Military Expert 3 Irene Ng has served in the air force for more than 18 years
Military Expert 3 (ME3) Irene Ng said her time in the military helps her manage her children.
The medical flight lead in 707 Squadron, part of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), plays a supervisory role in operating the Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB) medical centre.
ME3 Ng, 41, conducts training for all medical personnel posted to PLAB, which is mainly staffed by full-time national servicemen.
She said: "The work ethic I picked up in the military helps me manage my children. I am organised, and I plan my children's schedules meticulously."
ME3 Ng, who is married to an assistant technician trainer, has four sons: Zechariah, 12; Ethan, 10; Noah, eight; and Nathan, four. Thankfully, she has her mother and domestic helper to help her.
ME3 Ng was a first-year nursing student at Nanyang Polytechnic when her friend told her about his combat medic vocation. She called the Central Manpower Base to find out more.
She then decided to join the military under the joint polytechnic scheme.
Over the 18 years she has served in the air force, ME3 Ng has been deployed for a few overseas missions.
In 2001, she was part of the team of Singaporeans who went to Timor-Leste to support the United Nations peacekeeping operations.
She was also deployed to Meulaboh, Indonesia, for a month to help in disaster relief efforts after the Boxing Day tsunami.
On her three-month stint in Timor-Leste as a senior medic where she helped rebuild an orphanage, ME3 Ng said: "There were young orphans carrying heavy bags of cement to rebuild the orphanage.
"The children desired a good outcome after tremendous hardships, and I just had to help them build their new home."
ME3 Ng will be at the medical static station for the upcoming RSAF50@Heartlands to share her experiences and medical skills with the public.
Her advice to women: "Keep an open mind and be willing to learn. That will get you far."
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