SEREMBAN: A retired member of the Police Field Force (PFF) is still haunted by the memory of his platoon sergeant being killed by communist terrorists in the 1970s.
"I feel tearful and sad every time I remember my platoon leader being shot in the head during an ambush by communist terrorists," said Mohammad Noh Mansor, 73.
The PFF is now known as the General Operations Force (GOF).
Recalling that anxious moment, Noh, who was 19 at the time, was shocked to see his platoon leader, known only as 'Sergeant Lee', who was not far from him, shot dead while the platoon was resting during a patrol in Sibu in the early 1970s.
"It is an incident that I have never forgotten, while on patrol, the platoon leader was shot by a communist right in the head and collapsed in front of my eyes.
"At that time the sergeant wanted the platoon to rest for a while in a safe area but did not expect to be attacked, the incident was really heartbreaking," he told reporters.
He shared this memory when met after the Negri Sembilan 216th Police Day Parade, which was attended by about 400 personnel.
It was officiated by state deputy police chief, Senior Assistant Commissioner Abd Khalid Othman.
At the ceremony, Noh received a certificate of appreciation for his 36 years as a policeman.
Every time Hari Raya Aidilfitri is around the corner, the father of two also reminisces about a communist ambush a day before the celebration in Jakar, Sarikei in 1972.
In that incident, he and 29 members of his platoon had just completed their Rajang Area Security Command (Rascom) task for two months guarding a security force base in a forest area there.
"It was the last evening of Ramadan, we were ambushed while on the way back from a patrol. Fortunately no platoon members were killed in this second incident, we responded to the ambush as an emergency," said Noh, who retired in 2005.
Even though he is now 73, Noh is active as an executive committee member of the Welfare Association of Former Members of Police Squad 69 to help police veterans in need.
He said the association looks after the welfare of about 4,000 police retirees including members in Sabah and Sarawak who need help such as for health matters and other issues. – Bernama
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