Winston Choo Wee Leong (; born 18 July 1941) is a Singaporean diplomat and former
lieutenant-general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
who served as the first and longest-serving
Chief of Defence Force between 1974 and 1992.
Early life and education
Born in Singapore, Choo grew up in Makepeace Road in the
Newton
Newton most commonly refers to:
* Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist
* Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton
Newton may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film
* Newton ( ...
area. He was given the name "Winston" by his grandfather, who named him after
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
.
He attended Monk's Hill School between 1947 and 1952, and the
Anglo-Chinese School
Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) is a family of Methodist schools in Singapore and Indonesia. It was founded in 1886 by Bishop William Fitzjames Oldham as an extension of the Methodist Church. Anglo-Chinese School is usually abbreviated as "ACS", wit ...
between 1953 and 1957. During his time at the Anglo-Chinese School, Choo was the captain of his school's football team, played hockey, and won the Queen's Badge for his activities in
The Boys' Brigade
The Boys' Brigade (BB) is an international interdenominational Christian youth organisation, conceived by the Scottish businessman Sir William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun activities with Christian values. Following its inceptio ...
.
Military career
Choo enlisted in the Singapore Military Forces (renamed "
Singapore Armed Forces
The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) are the military services of the Republic of Singapore, responsible for protecting and defending the security interests and the sovereignty of the country. A military component of the Ministry of Defence (MINDE ...
(SAF)" in 1961) in December 1959 and was commissioned as a
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
in December 1961 after completing his officer cadet training in
Sungai Besi
Sungai Besi (formerly known as ''Sungei Besi'') (English: Steel River) is a town and suburb within the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. It was also a federal constituency in Kuala Lumpur from 1974 to 1995. Sungai Besi was a historical mining ...
, Malaysia. Following that, he served as a platoon commander in the 1st Battalion Singapore Infantry Regiment (1 SIR) and was involved in two major operations. The first was when he was deployed to
Sebatik Island
Sebatik Island (Indonesian/Malay: ''Pulau Sebatik'') is an island off the eastern coast of Borneo, partly within Indonesia and partly within Malaysia. It is one of the 92 officially listed outlying islands of Indonesia.
Sebatik has an area ...
,
Borneo
Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...
between 1963 and 1964 during the
Konfrontasi. The second was when he led his men in patrolling the streets during the
1964 race riots in Singapore
The 1964 race riots in Singapore involved a series of communal race-based civil disturbances between the Malays and Chinese in Singapore following its merger with Malaysia in 1963, and were considered to be the "worst and most prolonged ...
.
After Singapore became independent on 9 August 1965, Choo, then the battalion signals officer, was appointed as a military
aide-de-camp to
Yusof bin Ishak
Yusof bin Ishak (12 August 191023 November 1970) was a Singaporean politician and journalist who served as the first president of Singapore from 1965 until his death in 1970.
Prior to becoming head of state, Yusof was a well-known journalis ...
, Singapore's first
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
. He was recalled to the SAF in 1966 and served as the first Commanding Officer (CO) of the 1st Signal Battalion from 1967–1968. Between 1968 and 1969, Choo attended the Long Telecommunications Course at the School of Signals in the United Kingdom, returning to Singapore to serve as the Second-in-Command (2IC) of the 1st Signal Battalion. In 1970, he was appointed as the Chief of Communications and Electronics (now known as Chief Signals Officer).
In 1971, Choo served briefly as the CO of the 4th Battalion Singapore Infantry Regiment (4 SIR) before attending the
Command and Staff College at
Fort Canning
Fort Canning Hill, formerly Government Hill, Singapore Hill and Bukit Larangan (''Forbidden Hill'' in Malay), is a small hill, about high, in the southeast portion of the island city-state of Singapore, within the Central Area that forms Sin ...
. In the following year, he attended the
US Army Command and General Staff course at
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...
in Kansas, United States, and graduated with distinctions in all his subjects.
Upon his return to Singapore in September 1972, Choo assumed command of 1 SIR. In the same year, he was named an honorary aide-de-camp to
Benjamin Sheares
Benjamin Henry Sheares (12 August 1907 – 12 May 1981) was a Singaporean politician, physician and academic who served as the second president of Singapore from 1971 until his death in 1981.
Sheares retired in 1960 and was in private pract ...
, Singapore's second President, and took up command of the 2nd Singapore Infantry Brigade (2 SIB). He was also promoted to the rank of
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
. He was later posted to the
Defence Ministry
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a g ...
(MINDEF)'s headquarters, where he was appointed the Head of Training and Head of Organisation and Plans in 1973. In 1974, he succeeded Kirpa Ram Vij as the Director of General Staff (renamed to "Chief of General Staff" in 1976). Choo was promoted to
Brigadier
Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...
(now replaced by
Brigadier-General
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
) in 1976 and to
Major-General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
two years later.
Between 1978 and 1981, Choo attended a preparatory course in military history at the Department of History of the
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in the c ...
. In 1981, he went to the United States to study for a master's degree in military history at
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...
and returned to Singapore in 1982 to resume his post as the Chief of General Staff.
Choo was promoted to
Lieutenant-General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
in 1988 and became the first
Chief of Defence Force (CDF) in May 1990 after "Chief of General Staff" was renamed. He retired from the SAF on 30 June 1992, after which he went to
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...
and attended the six-week Advanced Management Program.
Diplomatic career
After retiring from military service, Choo joined the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
(MFA) and served as Singapore's High Commissioner to Australia and Singapore's High Commissioner to Fiji concurrently between 1994 and 1997.
He had also served as Singapore's Non-Resident High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea between 2000 and 2006 and Singapore's High Commissioner to South Africa between 2001 and 2005.
Choo was appointed Singapore's Non-Resident Ambassador to Israel in 2005, and has since been succeeded by
Lim Chuan Poh who was appointed in 2021.
Other work
Apart from his military and diplomatic careers, Choo took on non-executive roles in various governmental and non-governmental organisations, including:
* Deputy Chairman,
Central Provident Fund
The Central Provident Fund Board (CPFB), commonly known as the CPF Board or simply the Central Provident Fund (CPF), is a compulsory comprehensive savings and pension plan for working Singaporeans and permanent residents primarily to fund their ...
(1992–1994)
* Chairman,
Chartered Industries
ST Engineering Land Systems Ltd (STELS), doing business as ST Kinetics, is a strategic business area of ST Engineering and handles land systems and specialty vehicles.
In 2000, ST Engineering acquired the Chartered Industries of Singapore (CIS ...
(1992–1994)
* Board Member, Singapore Technologies (1984–1992)
* Board Member, Keppel-Tat Lee Bank (1992–2001)
* Chairman, Metro Holdings (2007–present)
* Chairman,
Singapore Red Cross Society
The Singapore Red Cross (SRC), formally the Singapore Red Cross Society, is a humanitarian aid and community services charity in Singapore. The SRC is a national member of the Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and Internati ...
(1996–2008)
* Member,
Singapore Sports Council
Sport Singapore (SportSG) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth of the Government of Singapore. It is the lead agency tasked with developing a holistic sports culture for the nation.
History
Sport Singapore was ...
(late 1970s)
* Member, National Youth Achievement Award Council
* Honorary President,
Boys' Brigade
The Boys' Brigade (BB) is an international interdenominational Christian youth organisation, conceived by the Scottish businessman Sir William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun activities with Christian values. Following its inception ...
(2011–present)
Choo has also contributed to several publications, including his recollections of
Goh Keng Swee
Goh Keng Swee (; 6 October 1918 – 14 May 2010), born Robert Goh Keng Swee, was a Singaporean politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore between 1973 and 1985. Goh is widely recognised as one of the founding fathers of Singa ...
and his time in the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
(MFA). He also supported the Dads for Life movement in Singapore by contributing to the book ''Letters from Grandpa and Grandma'' published in 2008.
Personal life
Choo married to Katherine Seow on 3 December 1966 and had two children together, Warren Choo and Karina Choo.
Awards
Throughout his career, Choo won many accolades, some of the medals were displayed at a
National Library Board
The National Library Board (NLB) is a statutory board under the purview of the Ministry of Communications and Information of the government of Singapore. The board manages the public libraries throughout the country.
The national librari ...
exhibition in 2006. The following is a partial list of his medals:
National honours
*
**
Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang
The Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang ( en, Distinguished Service Order) is a Singaporean national honour instituted in 1968. It was created to replace the ''Pingat Bakti Chemerlang'' ( en, Distinguished Service Medal) and is awarded to any person w ...
(Distinguished Service Order), in 2015.
**
Bintang Bakti Masyarakat
The Bintang Bakti Masyarakat (English: Public Service Star) is a Singaporean decoration instituted in 1963, is awarded to any person who has rendered valuable public service to the people of Singapore, or who has distinguished themselves in the ...
(Public Service Star), in 2009, for his work with the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
.
**
Pingat Bakti Masyarakat
The Pingat Bakti Masyarakat (English: Public Service Medal) is a Singaporean national honour. It was instituted in 1973. The medal may be awarded to any person who has rendered commendable public service in Singapore
Singapore (), offic ...
(Public Service Medal), in 2005, for his work with the Singapore Red Cross Society in tsunami relief operations.
**
Pingat Pentadbiran Awam, Emas (Public Administration Medal, Gold), in 1978.
**
Meritorious Service Medal (Military), in 1990, for exceptional distinguished service in military command or staff work.
**
Public Administration Medal (Gold) (Military), in 1981.
**
Pingat Bakti Setia
The Pingat Bakti Setia (English: Long Service Award) is a Singaporean decoration instituted in 1962. The medal may be awarded to any person who has completed 25 years continuous service in the service of:
* the Government.
* any statutory authori ...
(Long Service Medal)
**
**
with 15 year clasp
**
Singapore Armed Forces Good Service Medal
The Singapore Armed Forces Good Service Medal is awarded to a regular career soldier of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) who has satisfactorily completed 5 years of dedicated service.
The medal may be awarded to NSmen who have served 2 years of ...
**
![Pingat Pertahanan (The Defence Medal)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Pingat_Pertahanan_%28The_Defence_Medal%29.png)
Pingat Pertahanan (The Defence Medal)
Foreign honours
*
**
![Pingat Perkhidmatan Anggota Beruniform Malaysia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Pingat_Perkhidmatan_Anggota_Beruniform_Malaysia.png)
Pingat Perkhidmatan Anggota Beruniform Malaysia (The Uniformed Service Malaysia Medal)
** Darjah Panglima Gagah Angkatan Tentera (Honorary Malaysian Armed Forces Order for Valour (First Degree)), in 1987.
*
**
![US Legion of Merit Commander ribbon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/US_Legion_of_Merit_Commander_ribbon.png)
US
Legion Of Merit
The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...
(Commander), in 1978.
*
**
![Yudha Dharma Utama Rib](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Yudha_Dharma_Utama_Rib.png)
Bintang Yudha Dharma Utama (1st Class), in 1986.
*
**
![The Most Exalted Order of Paduka Keberanian Laila Terbilang (1st Class)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/The_Most_Exalted_Order_of_Paduka_Keberanian_Laila_Terbilang_%281st_Class%29.png)
The Most Exalted Order of Paduka Keberanian Laila Terbilang (1st Class)
*
**
![Order of the Crown of Thailand - 1st Class (Thailand) ribbon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Order_of_the_Crown_of_Thailand_-_1st_Class_%28Thailand%29_ribbon.svg)
Order of the Crown of Thailand (1st Class), Thailand
*
**
Order of National Security Merit
The Order of National Security Merit (Hangul: 보국훈장) is one of South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land b ...
, Tongil Medal (통일장), South Korea
References
External links
Winston Choo articleon Infopedia, National Library Board Singapore
{{DEFAULTSORT:Choo, Winston
Chiefs of Defence Force (Singapore)
Singaporean diplomats
Singaporean people of Hokkien descent
Singaporean people of Chinese descent
Ambassadors of Singapore to Israel
High Commissioners of Singapore to Australia
High Commissioners of Singapore to Fiji
High Commissioners of Singapore to Papua New Guinea
Anglo-Chinese School alumni
Duke University alumni
1941 births
Living people
Recipients of the Pingat Pentadbiran Awam
Recipients of the Long Service Medal (Military) (Singapore)
Recipients of the Pingat Bakti Setia