Forging ahead in life: Infantry soldier celebrates his ORD by proposing in front of NS buddies

Oh, the sweet smell of freedom. 

The day a full-time national serviceman (NSF) becomes an Operationally Ready National Serviceman (NSman) is a life milestone in itself.

One NSF, Norirfaandy, took the opportunity to add an even bigger cause for celebration.

Love was in the air in Kranji Camp III last Saturday (Oct 29) when he asked for his partner's hand in marriage.

Decked in a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) No.1 Dress, the 21-year-old walked toward his partner, Nur'Shalinie, with a bouquet of flowers.

He knelt on the ground and the couple had a quick exchange.

Based on the crowd's raucous reaction, you can guess what her reply was.

The proposal was posted to TikTok last Sunday (Oct 30) and, at the time of writing, the 56-second clip has over 217,000 views.

Norirfaandy seemed to have done a decent job of keeping the proposal under wraps.

"I was very clueless [about the proposal]. He did not give me a heads-up," Nur'Shalinie told AsiaOne.

The student-care teacher added that she was shaking and "extremely nervous" when a big circle was formed for her to stand in.

This was definitely not your regular ORD parade.

As the speakers began to blast Perfect, a love ballad by Ed Sheeran, Norirfaandy popped up from the crowd.

It then dawned on her that he was on the verge of proposing to her.

Given the amount of effort and planning it took, Norirfaandy must've been a relieved man when she said "yes".

"I had to go through all my higher-ups to get clearance and I'm thankful that all of them are so supportive," he said.

In fact, it was a joint effort from his NS buddies as they practiced the proposal weeks before the ORD ceremony.

Congratulatory messages could be seen in the comments section as many netizens mentioned how sweet a proposal it was.

Norirfaandy also shared that he was keen for Nur'Shalinie to know that he sincerely loves her and called it a day he'll "remember forever". 

His plan after ORD is to find a job, save up and marry the love of his life.

As for others who had proposal plans locked in, it might be worth a relook after watching Norirfaandy's well-executed surprise.

ALSO READ: Man flies from Singapore to Orlando to propose to girlfriend while she's on holiday

amierul@asiaone.com

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