Ep 92: Life of a 4 Star General Who Founded the Malaysian Special Forces | General Tan Sri (Dr) Borhan bin Ahmad (former Chief of Defence Forces, Malaysia)
How do you get a Deputy Prime Minister* to give you RM 500 million (USD 105M)? By having the guts & conviction of a Tiger General. 👇🏻 Several months ago, I interviewed General Tan Sri (Dr)’ Borhan bin Ahmad (Retired): a retired 4 star General & former Chief of Defence Forces in Malaysia - the highest military rank that one can attain. ⚔️ This was the 82-year-old man who had: Established Malaysia’s special forces in the mid-1960s; Fought in the Congos, the Vietnam War (escaping days before the fall of Saigon) & Malaysia’s Undeclared War; Swam from Singapore to Johor because the British said that Malaysians could never become Commandos. And we’re just getting started. I don’t want to spoil his epic story, so you’ll just have to listen to it yourself! Highlights: 1:43 Growing up under Japanese occupation 3:54 Pretending he had died 5:29 Running away to military school 6:27 Military life 7:41 Swimming through shark-infested waters from Pangkor Laut to Pulau Pangkor 8:56 Swimming from Singapore to Johor to prove that the Malaysians could be Commandos too (to the British) 9:51 Almost studying medicine 11:59 Being transformed into a professional soldier 12:49 Military strategies he learned 15:40 What’s it like to kill someone? 16:12 Was the General ever afraid of death? 17:40 Be cruel in order to be kind 18:28 What makes a good officer? 19:51 Fighting in the Congos 23:18 Fighting in Malaysia’s Undeclared War 27:08 Founding the Malaysian Special Forces 26:43 What makes a Commando? 27:52 The General’s toughest operation 30:49 A father + 3 sons 32:36 Fighting in the Vietnam War 38:43 Giving up the Green Beret 41:05 What is your leadership style? 41:58 The greatest leader he ever met 44:44 Just join the system? 45:56 His greatest achievement as the Chief of Defence Forces 47:00 Finding a treasure trove of oysters + getting Anuar to give him RM 500 million! 49:02 Being threatened with court-martial 50:26 What he thinks of the Malaysian special forces today 54:29 The General’s greatest regret 55:35 Advice for those who want to be Commandos Special thanks to Lt Col Assoc Prof Dr. Ananthan (Retired), National Defence University of Malaysia, for making this interview possible. P/S: The General has his own book out. DM me if you’d like to get a copy! 📍Show notes: www.sothisismywhy.com/92 🙊 Like STIMY? Buy us a ☕️?: https://beacons.ai/sothisismywhy 💌 Subscribe to STIMY’s weekly newsletter for exclusive STIMY updates & other interesting people/things I’ve come across during the week: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/ebf231f605