PONTIAN: Cuddling a rifle 24 hours a day might sound crazy to some but for Sergeant Major (R) Damin Hadis who held a rifle to his chest like cuddling a pillow, it was his licence to remain alive throughout his ordeal while fighting communist guerrillas for more than four decades as a member of the Police Field Force (PPH).

"My hands always held on to the rifle, whether in the 'base' or on duty. I never put it down, even when I sleep, I hug the gun like a pillow," said the 77-year-old Damin, describing his awareness level during his days with the field force, now known as the General Operations Force (GOF).

According to Damin, he had witnessed many dark and tragic events and moments since he was assigned to the service in 1968 with 2 Platoon Battalion 8 at Simpang Renggam camp in Kluang, Johor, and 9 Platoon Battalion 1, Ulu Kinta, Perak, commonly known as the 'Tiger Platoon' and most feared 'enemies' of the communists.

Speaking to Bernama ahead of the Malaysia Day celebrations on Sept 16, the Pingat Jasa Pahlawan Negara (PJPN) (National Hero Service Award) recipient said he was also repeatedly deployed to Thailand to fight against communists, including their camps in villages or forests, due to the bilateral agreement between the two countries.

Recalling his harrowing experience, Damin said a nearly two-hour battle between his team and 50 communists at a rubber plantation in Ban Na Lee, a village in southern Thailand in 1975, will forever remain etched in his memory.

This is because his friend, who was also a spy, known as Yasin and the platoon leader, Inspector Yusof sacrificed themselves in the ensuing battle.

Damin said he and his team were ordered to clear the road to ensure that the convoy route was safe and free of enemies for the next day's mission comprising a patrol of 20 people using two armoured vehicles, known as 'pirates', and nine four-wheel drive Land Rovers.

"On the way there, it rained but the sun was also shining. I remembered ancestral advice that there would be death or bloody incidents if there were such downpours. When the team passed the village road at about 2.30 pm, "suddenly it was raining bullets" because the communists had set an ambush.

"Yasin was shot in the head and another colleague was almost hit before Inspector Yusof stepped forward to protect him while shouting 'No sir, No sir. But the communists from the hill fired many shots and killed the officer," Damin said when met him at his home in Pekan Nanas recently.

According to Damin, although he was not injured in the attack, seven PPH members were seriously injured while 10 communists were killed and 21 of them seriously injured.

In a sobbing tone, he added that the ordeal was not over yet because while his injured friends were being treated at a hospital in Bentong, Pahang, he received information that the communists were planning to attack the hospital and PPH personnel. Therefore, security was strengthened, but no attack took place.

Shortly after the attack, he asked to be transferred to another department since he was married to Zainab Mohamed (now 71) in 1974 but was separated due to the call of duty.

He moved to Pontian District Police Headquarters in 1976 to take over general duties and served with the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) for 35 years from 1965 in various departments, including as deputy chief of Permas Police Station and Special Branch, before retiring in 2000.

Damin, who was awarded the Ibrahim Sultan Third Class Medal in 1988, said he was also deployed for security patrol duty during the anti-Johnson riots and the currency crisis in 1966 and 1967 respectively.

Before ending the interview, he advised the young generation, especially those serving in uniform, to always be vigilant and never allow a communist ideology to grow in the country.

The experience of Damin - Upholding Sovereignty Anchored in Peace: Biography of SM (R) Hj Damin Bin Hadis - was written by his son, a senior lecturer at the Centre for General Studies and Co-Curriculum, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Dr Zahrul Akmal, and the book was published on Feb 20, 2020.

-- BERNAMA