Military funeral for NSF who died after heat stroke
The full-time national serviceman who died on Monday after being warded for heat stroke will be accorded a military funeral, said the Chief of Staff (General Staff) of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), stressing that anyone found responsible for training safety violations will be taken to task.
In a statement released yesterday evening, Brigadier-General Siew Kum Wong added that the dead soldier, Private Dave Lee Han Xuan, received posthumous recognition of the rank of corporal first class.
He also said Pte Lee, a Guardsman from the 1st Battalion Singapore Guards, will be awarded the Guards and Recon military tabs, as well as the Guards beret he had been training for.
In his statement, BG Siew reiterated that an independent Committee of Inquiry, chaired by a senior civil servant from outside the Ministry of Defence or the SAF, will investigate Pte Lee's death.
It has full powers and access to information and personnel to investigate what led to the death, find out the contributing factors and make recommendations to correct any lapses or inadequacies uncovered.
"Should there be training safety violations, the personnel responsible will be held accountable," said BG Siew.
Earlier yesterday, a Facebook user claiming to be from Pte Lee's battalion posted what he said was the sequence of events leading up to the march after which Pte Lee collapsed. He also wrote about what he claimed had happened after the march.
A woman who said she was Pte Lee's aunt shared the post and asked for clarity from SAF.
He died on Monday, almost two weeks after he was warded for heat stroke on April 18.
He was admitted to Changi General Hospital almost an hour after first showing signs of distress, where he was warded in the intensive care unit. He fell into a coma and his condition worsened.
He was pronounced dead at 5.32pm on Monday. His 19th birthday was 10 days before.
"The army will do our utmost to support his family in this time of grief," BG Siew said.
Pte Lee enlisted on Jan 5 and completed his Basic Military Training on March 11. He was the only son of property agent Dennis Lee and spa manager Jasmine Yeo. He completed his A levels at Jurong Junior College, and had attended Yuhua Secondary School and Rulang Primary School.
The incident triggered a safety time-out on Monday morning, and SAF servicemen were briefed on the incident and told to take precautions.
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