00:01When I left school, I was advised to be a teacher, to apply to be a teacher.
00:10They said no problem at that time.
00:13But I always heard my school teacher say,
00:18I have been teaching here for the last 26 years.
00:23So to me, to be in one place for 26 years as a teacher,
00:29that is not my life.
00:32Lieutenant General Abdullah Samsuddin served his country faithfully for 33 years.
00:41His career began with the dream of a life beyond the classroom,
00:45one that would take him through jungles and across continents.
00:52It would also etch his name in history as part of the first group of potential officers
00:58in General Gerald Templer's Federation Regiment.
01:03While he was with the Malay Regiment and stationed in Port Dixon,
01:07Abdullah learned of Templer's bold vision to form a multiracial regiment.
01:12Intrigued, he spoke with his superior officer.
01:16And I told him, I asked for this interview because I'm interested to join the Federation Regiment
01:27because it is a multiracial battalion and I come from a multiracial school.
01:35Indeed, Abdullah has fond memories of mixing with schoolmates of different races,
01:41especially during sports activities.
01:44Abdullah later became one of the 12 men selected as potential officers for the Federation Regiment.
01:54The press gave them the moniker, Templer's Twelve Superb Men.
01:59Chinese Sikhs, Married Three, and the three others, one Eurasian, one Punjabi, one Indian.
02:11He says the friendships he built with his schoolmates helped him to bond with his multiracial comrades.
02:18Abdullah later left for England to be trained at Eaton Hall and the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
02:31He came back to lead jungle operations in Kudda, Pera, Johor and Negeri Sambilan
02:37and even served during the Congo Crisis in the 1960s.
02:49After a decorated career, he retired in 1985.
02:54I did my best all the time.
02:58As he reflects on his years of studying and serving alongside people of all backgrounds,
03:13Abdullah believes Malaysia's multiracial bonds can grow even stronger in the future.
03:19I can see all the young people now, the way they mix, they dress, they like to be together.
03:34When we have open houses, we can see the whole group of militians going, you know.
03:40This is some indication that the feeling to be together is there.
03:50Selamat Hari Madaleka Malaysia.
03:54Tivia Raghu and Sheila Vijayan, FMT
