She’s In Advertising, And Leading The Volunteer Contingent In NDP 2024

By day, Jasmine Tan runs an advertising firm, and does integrated advertising and media buying for clients. But when duty calls, she becomes SAF Volunteer Corps (SAFVC) Volunteer 2 (SV2) Jasmine Tan, a certified safety coxswain who supports all boat and Mobility 3rd Generation (M3G) raft trainings.

She is one of many individuals in Singapore who are not obligated to undergo national service (such as women, first-generation Permanent Residents, and new citizens) but have stepped forward to do their part for national defence.

The Volunteer Contingent comprises the SAF Volunteer Corps and Home Team Volunteer Network. | IMAGE: NICK CHEE

For this year’s National Day Parade (NDP), SV2 Jasmine Tan is taking on the role of Contingent Commander for the Volunteer Contingent as they return to NDP for the first time since 2019.

The 61-member Volunteer Contingent will be one of 35 marching contingents involved in the Parade and Ceremony segment. Comprising the SAFVC and Home Team Volunteer Network, the Volunteer Contingent is making its comeback to celebrate 40 years of Total Defence.

The Parade and Ceremony segment of NDP 2024 will feature more than 2,100 participants. | IMAGE: NICK CHEE

We speak to the group’s bubbly 39-year-old leader – who is also an active cat rescuer and a certified yoga teacher – about her five-year journey with the SAFVC, and the immense pride she feels being part of NDP 2024.

Is there any link between your day job in advertising and your SAFVC role? Has one helped the other?

I think SAFVC has helped me in my day job more than the other way around. When it comes to the military, there's a lot more forward planning involved, and a lot of the time, it's really mind over matter, how you manage and work with different parties. And I’ve taken this kind of planning and this kind of attitude back to my very fast-paced advertising life. It’s helped me see things in a different and broader perspective.

What's been the highlight of your SAFVC journey so far?

Definitely being the Contingent Commander for the SAFVC and Home Team Volunteer Network! In 2022, I also supported NDP; I was supporting the M3G as part of the Presidential Gun Salute. But I think this year is a lot more meaningful cuz I get to come together with different volunteers from Civil Defence, the Police to make the Volunteer Contingent happen.

SV2 Jasmine Tan is the Contingent Commander of the Volunteer Contingent at NDP 2024. | IMAGE: NICK CHEE

What motivated you to join the SAFVC?

Right after Poly, a handful of my female friends signed up with different uniformed groups, but I really wanted to pursue what I studied, which was marketing. They often shared with me their stories about what they did at work, and it was all very interesting and intriguing to me.

I think the final push came when my nieces started to get hooked on local productions about military life, and they kept on talking about it, because they were very curious about it, and inspired by it.

So I signed up to be an SAFVC volunteer, and now I had stories for them! My nieces have been very supportive. When I enlisted and took part in the Passing Out Parade, they came in camo-print T-shirts to support me. Throughout this year’s NDP, they will tell me if they are coming with their schools to watch the NE (National Education) shows.

The 61-member Volunteer Contingent is one of 35 marching contingents in NDP 2024. | IMAGE: NICK CHEE

It'll be the first time that the Volunteer Contingent will be returning to NDP since 2019. You must be overjoyed!

Yes, I am immensely honoured! I feel so proud and excited because I represent not just the SAFVC but also volunteers as a whole, and we can show that volunteers are just everyday people like you and me, yet we can come together to fulfil different roles, be it with the Police, Civil Defence. Within the SAFVC, there are so many vocations.

What’s been your biggest challenge during training for NDP 2024?

The first challenge was, really, to understand and memorise all the commands. As a Contingent Commander, there's nobody else in front of you to take a cue from. So you really need to know what’s going on. But that has been manageable.

I think the key challenge – which is an ongoing challenge even now – is to really keep my focus, and not sneak looks at what the Guard of Honour (GOH) contingents and the Colours Party are doing, because I really enjoy their formation and their marching in!

The SAF Colours Party and the Guard of Honour contingents are something SV2 Jasmine Tan looks forward to every NDP. | IMAGE NICK CHEE

SV2 Jasmine Tan is also looking forward to being part of the Onward March, which will see supporting contingents make their way through the spectator stands at the Padang. | IMAGE: SIM DING EN

If you're in the Blue sector, you'll be able to catch SV2 Jasmine Tan and members of the Volunteer Contingent. | IMAGE: SIM DING EN

What’s the highlight of NDP every year for you?

I look forward to the Colours Party, and the GOH. This year, especially, I look forward to the Onward March because it’s been quite some time since we’ve been in such close proximity with the audience, and have the chance to really let them know that as volunteers or as uniformed groups, we are no different from them.

[During the NE shows,] there’ve been really interactive audience members who reach out to shake our hands and give us a thumbs up. It's very encouraging and really very heartening to see all the happy faces – they’re very satisfied with the show that we put on!

What message do you have for those who might be interested in stepping forward to serve in the SAFVC?

The uniformed groups are really the reason we can sleep so soundly at night. One key thing I took away from my BT (basic training) was that the only reason we can do many of the things we do, which we take for granted (like spending time with loved ones on weekends or public holidays) is because somebody else is on duty. So, I feel that it is an honour to serve, and there’s no better time to do so than the present.

Interested in joining the SAF Volunteer Corps?

IMAGES (FROM LEFT): SCREENSHOT FROM YOUTUBE/@THEKRAZYKOALA, SIM DING EN, FACEBOOK/@FITNESSMANTRASINGAPORE, INSTAGRAM/@KELLYLATIMER AND @BRENDAENGGGGG, FACEBOOK/@OURSINGAPOREARMY AND INSTAGRAM/@EILEEEEN_LEONG

👉 Read this on Wonderwall.sg: Unity In Uniform: Answering The Call To Serve In The SAF Volunteer Corps

Find out more about the SAFVC, and those who’ve stepped forward to do their part for the defence of Singapore.

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