Tribute to Hongkie

One of my platoon mates, Kelvin, is going to America to study tomorrow. He shouldn't be coming back in the near future. So tomorrow might be the last day I will see him. Hongkie, as we affectionately call him, is the cameraman of our platoon. Many of our videos were shot by him. Without his video camera, we would have lost many of our memories. Hongkie also goes by the nicknames of Cockroach( because of the way he walks) and Pharoah(because of the way he sleeps). He is the most tech-savvy guy in our platoon and always has the most advanced equipment. I will never forget how he took his own GPS into the jungle for our Topo exercise while the rest of us were using compasses and maps. I still remembered him saying 'I prefer Science' when he was questioned why he brought the GPS. In a way, that reflected the him that I knew. The someone who was always anti-establishment and willing to go his own way. He was one of the regulars at the medical centre, along with me and some others. He can always be counted upon as well to go for unofficial canteen breaks. There were times when we even sneaked out of camp to eat because we were too bored of the canteen food. He was also known as the Discovery Channel because he seemed to know everything. I was glad that he was my fellow Spec 2 internal as I could consult him on difficult questions. I had a great time working with him during our internal days as we found ways and means to slack. Hongkie will be sorely missed by all of us as he embarks on his own journey of self-fulfillment. He had always known what he wanted to do and I'm sure he would do well in America. Farewell to you, Hongkie, and always remember 8th platoon. Once a trooper, always a trooper. Against all adversity.