Asia 101: Singapore offers airmen a spicy, one stop, East-meets-West feast

Airman, Feb, 2002 by Louis A. Arana-Barradas

The large number of people who live in tiny Singapore used to make Tech. Sgt. Sean O'Heam a bit uneasy.

A country boy, he grew up on the vast plains of West Texas. Where meeting folks is a planned event. So the first time he emerged from a Singapore subway onto trendy Orchard Road, the sight took away his breath.

"The sidewalks were crammed with people -- and they were all different," he said. "It was wild."

A quick wit, O'Hearn -- who is a full head-and-a-half taller than most Singaporeans -- said, "at least I could see over them."

That was almost three years ago. Today, O'Hearn has adapted to life on the island nation. It has hypnotized him; gotten into his blood. Turned him into a shameless city boy.

He doesn't complain much any more. Why should he? He has a huge apartment, a girlfriend who knows all about the city, and he lives in one of the world's most modern and exciting cities.

"There's no other place on Earth like Singapore," he said. "This is heaven."

Most airmen who work with O'Hearn at the 497th Combat Training Squadron agree. The Air Force moved the unit to the isle in 1991. Besides providing a U.S. presence in the region, its 37 airmen run joint air-to-air training exercises with the Singaporean air force from Paya Lebar Air Base. They also support a small community of Americans. [See "Singapore's Sling," Page 2].

For that, they get to live and work in the heart of an island nation that welcomes them. And have a lifestyle that's a step above what most airmen find at other Air Force bases.

But the squadron may just as well be on Neptune for all most airmen know about the unit and its location.

When Christy Kerley and a friend learned their husbands had orders, they went to their base family support center to pick up information packages on their new assignments. Kerley's friend was going to Iceland, and her package was about an inch and a half thick.

"My package [on Singapore] was a one-paragraph letter," said Kerley, whose husband, Staff Sgt. Klark Kerley is in charge of the 497th's aviation ground operations. "But we took the assignment anyway. We're so glad we did."

Thanks to the Internet, the Kerleys soon learned more about their new home. It's where most of the unit's troops and their families find out about the island. And the unit's Web page helps. [Try these addresses: www.sing.af.mil, www.gov.sg or www.sg]

Once in Singapore, people know they made the right choice, said O'Hearn, who maintains the unit's ground radio and cable television systems.

"It begs you to explore what it has to offer. To get to know it," he said.

Most airmen and their families agree. After just a short time, they see that Singapore's not just a place a half world away from home. A speck on a map. They realize the engaging city offers them a home and a lifestyle like most of them have never experienced.

"There's no better duty anywhere -- that's a fact," said Senior Master Sgt. Lloyd Muranaka. The unit's chief of logistics, he tried for years to land a tour in Singapore before getting it. "If you like cultural diversity, this is the place to be."

Lion City

He might be right about that. Because Singapore -- from the Sanskrit term "Singapura," for Lion City -- is like no other city in Asia. It's a blend of East and West. As signs on city billboards and pamphlets proclaim, it's the essence of the new Asia.

A stone's throw from the Equator, it's tropical, yet exotic. Old-fashioned and cutting edge.

It shows. An economic powerhouse, Singapore's all about big business. Its electronics industry is a techno-geek's dream. Filled with cosmopolitan splendor, it boasts the chic of Paris and Rome. And packs the financial clout of New York and London.

Singapore has a thriving free-market economy that's progressive and prosperous, but also full of its rich Asian heritage. Traditional and colonial architecture stand in the shade of modern skyscrapers. It's crowded, of course. And 90 percent of its almost 4 million citizens live in row after row of well-kept apartment buildings.

All that in a city-state built on an isle only 25 miles long by 15 miles wide. Just a bridge away from the southern tip of Malaysia, it's about three times the size of Washington, D.C.

But for all its concrete jungle reputation, it retains its tropical roots. Singaporeans are proud of the rain forest within their city.

"This place is beyond neat," said Senior Master Sgt. Marc Johnson, the 497th's chief of communications, networking and telephones. "If you can't find what you want here, you're not looking in the right place."

Maybe. But what makes Singapore diverse is not its splendor, said Lela Waha, a Singaporean of Malay descent. She's O'Hearn's girlfriend and knows all the city's nooks and crannies.

"Singapore is what it is because of its people," she said. "They are what's most beautiful about this city. What makes it so alive."

Most are Chinese, Malay and Indian. Others are Thai, Filipino, Arab, Indonesian, Korean or European. And besides the U.S. airmen, there are some 20,000 Americans living in Singapore. And in many ways they all retain their cultures, customs, cuisine and ways of life.