The group celebrated its Golden Jubilee on Oct 8, to mark the 50th year of signing up for the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) at the School of Aircraft Engineering in Kinrara, Kuala Lumpur.

According to their spokesperson V Muniandy, it was heartening to see the former air force personnel hugging each other without any inhibition when they met.

“It was indeed heartwarming to see our comrades, some of whom had not seen each other for more than 40 years, throwing their inhibitions aside and displaying the old camaraderie when inter-racial harmony was our hallmark,” the former warrant officer told FMT.

He said when a group of them got together to start organising the meet, they were wondering if these ex-servicemen would be keen on meeting each other as they feared the decades of divisive politicking might have had a negative effect on race relations among them.

“Of course, social media was a blessing as we started a group to keep in touch with each other, reconnecting. In the process, we also helped some of our comrades who were in need irrespective of race or religion.”

For Fudarizi Johari, who retired from the air force as a lieutenant colonel, the multi-racial bond cultivated in Kinrara was extremely special as the group never saw their differences when standing up for each other during their two-year aircraft engineering course.

“The fact that we can gather after 50 years and share the pranks that we played and recollect the sweat and tears we shed during our training brought us down to earth, throwing aside political differences in the process.

“Actually, we were already practising the Keluarga Malaysia concept 50 years ago. And the gathering helped relive the ‘Malaysian family’ moment again. It was a joy,” he said.

Moh Yew Mun, the best trainee then, said it was an emotional experience for him, seeing a different scene at the gathering compared to what politicians are doing by capitalising on the people’s differences to achieve their own ends.

“This gathering is meaningful to me as it shows that there is hope for a truly united Malaysia with a place for all under the sun. Some of us pledged to show photos taken here to our children and grandchildren so that they can start building multi-racial friendships,” he said.

Moh said although they had sacrificed the best part of their youth for the nation, it did not matter as it not only made them better human beings, but also nurtured the Malaysian spirit in them.