Strictly No Smoking

There were GOCs who were as eccentric as could be. I suppose there were worst cases than one of my favourite GOC which I had served in 3 DIV. He was temperamental and a terror to boot. But a GOC is still the GOC. He commands the Infantry Division.

My GOC was a chain smoker.

It is not that I am a non smoker that I dislike smokers. I don't give a damn if you get cancer out of smoking. But I really detest smokers who smoke in confined rooms and are inconsiderate to others. My GOC also wouldn't give a damn for Allen Lai or for anybody for that matter. We all know him.

 Incorrigible.

I was CO1ARTY and had suffered his smoking in our ops rooms every time he came for a visit or inspection to the regiment. The ops room in 1 ARTY was a terrible small room built without windows nor ventilations. It was fully air conned. The GOC would puff like the Magic Dragon and I would be teary to the extent that I could not read my briefing script.

On one visit, I said no more smoking. GOC or not, I don't care.

I designed my opening presentation slide with the wordings :

DILARANG MEROKOK

PEAGWAI MEMERINTAH MUDAH TERBAKAR

TERIMA KASIH

I know I was asking for trouble. Everybody was sweating, particularly Div staff who had come ahead of the GOC.

 I had a table outside for hats, to which I also had placed an ash tray and a sign that read please leave your pack of cigarettes here. The GOC wasn't amused. He placed his peak cap on the table and walked into the ops room, a lighted cigarette in his hand.

My impolite signage hit him flat in his face. He did not say a word and turned around and went  outside. He then finished the cigarette, extinguished the stub, put his pack of cigarette on the table on cue and came in again. 

I was sweating despite a cool early morning and a recently serviced Aircon, set to cool the ops room to 16 degrees Celsius. 

The GOC never said a word to me nor to his staff throughout my 40 minutes briefing. He was not in the mood to ask questions during Q & A session. He just walked out of the ops room after the briefing, called for his car and left, taking the quarter guards at the guard room off guard. (pun intended).

He never called me to Div HQ. His staff later also told me that he did not want to see anybody as well for the rest of the day. GOCs were as eccentric as they came. 

I  was off the hook. The GOC spoke to me again during the next mess night.

Allen Lai

P.S. Note the cigarette packet at right bottom of picture.