Seen the reports (http://ebx.sh/2eB9o9I) on how a group of men returning from a ceremonial procession helped administer CPR to an unconscious elderly man on Sunday?
Meet ME3 Silvakumar s/o Utharapathy! The 58-year old Signals specialist was on his way to the temple for a fire-walking ceremony when he came across the elderly man lying on the ground at a Shell station along Serangoon Road. Instinctively, he stepped forward and helped to resuscitate him before the SCDF ambulance arrived.
ME3 Silvakumar’s act of kindness embodies the Soldier Strong spirit, and we salute him for his selflessness! We caught up with him today to find out more.
ME3 Silvakumar shared that he had learned CPR in the Army back in 1982 and is a skill that he keeps refreshed constantly. However, he highlights that learning how to perform CPR was one thing, but deciding to act when the moment required it was a different thing altogether. He adds, “I hope people will learn to not be afraid of helping others in public, especially when a life is at stake, because sometimes it might be too late waiting for the authorities.” Ultimately, ME3 Silvakumar is humbled by the inadvertent publicity garnered, but hopes that through this incident, people will be inspired to step forward when they know that they can make a difference.
When asked to describe her father in a word, Ms Aishwaryaa Kumar (left), daughter of ME3 Silvakumar, said “selfless”. His tendency to go above and beyond self was not isolated to this incident, and she described various other occasions during which he demonstrated such courage. A significant incident occurred in 2009 when ME3 Silvakumar rushed into the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta shortly after it was bombed by terrorists. He was near the hotel when he heard an explosion and saw the smoke, and within minutes, he was on his bicycle racing over. He ran into the hotel and eventually brought out two injured victims and sent them to the hospital.
Of his selflessness, Ms Kumar adds, “He doesn’t ask for anything in return. He reminds us that it doesn’t matter if we are unappreciated; what matters most is that it doesn’t stop you from helping and making a difference to someone’s life.”
Well done, ME3 Silvakumar!
Photos by: REC Tan Jit Jenn (Army News)
Source: The Singapore Army
