ALOR SETAR: Drenched in blood after a bomb blast, L/Kpl Mohd Daud Mat Din remembers not panicking or feeling any severe pain.

       Blood oozed from the bomb shrapnel which hit right above his left eye.

       Decades down the road, the retired soldier still suffers nightmares from his brush with death while fighting the communist insurgency in Kelantan.

       At just 25, Mohd Daud took on the task of being a bomb disposal specialist in the army.

       Besides looking for bombs out in the open, he and his team had to deal with booby traps and mine fields.

       “I led a unit of five soldiers. Our mission was to clear a path for the topography surveillance team at Bukit Tebu in Kelantan near the Thai border in 1983,” he said.

       With help from police rangers and an army unit from Thailand, his team found a booby trap on the way.

       As unit leader, Mohd Daud ordered everyone to stand back as he edged forward to inspect it.

       The guerillas installed a hidden trigger and when Mohd Daud knelt to the check the trap, the bomb went off and he was thrown several metres away.

       His world fell apart and he spent 20 days in the Penang Hospital.

       “I missed my mother, wife and baby son so much while I was in hospital,” recalled the 65-year-old grandfather of four in an interview.

       After having miraculously survived the bomb blast, he was back on active duty after a month’s medical leave.

       His service of 21 years earned him Pingat Perkhimatan Setia, a medal awarded by the King to members of uniformed bodies for long and distinguished service.

       Mohd Daud advised all to remember the sacrifices of the Armed Forces in helping to preserve peace and harmony in the country and to be grateful for it.

       “You can play a part by joining the uniformed service. This is a great way to show your patriotism and love for the country,” he added.

       Mohd Daud reported for active duty on Jan 27, 1977 at the age of 19.

       After six months of recruitment training in Kluang, Johor, he was sent to Taiping and assigned to the 4th Squadron of the Royal Engineers Regiment where he was eventually trained in explosive ordnance disposal.

       He took part in many active operations deep in the jungle, at times having to stay put for up to three months there.

       Mohd Daud’s last attachment was with the 24th Squadron of Army’s Royal Engineers Regiment before retiring in 1998. He now lives in Hutan Kampung, Alor Setar, with his wife and daughter.