61YO Lady Is Oldest Female Commander In S’pore Army; Still Gets Gold For IPPT Every Year

You know that rush of adrenaline you get when you run 5 kilometres and then proceed to do 100 sit-ups and push-ups and then climb a wall like a monkey on steroids after?

Yeah, me neither. I think the closest thing to ‘exercise’ I’ve ever engaged in was during those torturous PE lessons in school.

But hey, I’m working on it.

But this 61-year-old lady, however, has been working out for decades and is probably fitter than 70% of us.

P.S. She. Does. Not. Look. 61.

61YO Lady Is Oldest Female Commander In S’pore Army Still Gets Gold For IPPT Every Year

Leon Margaret was about to return her uniform in 2013, at the age of 55 years old. That was before she decided to extend her service.

She is now 61-years-old and a 1st Warrant Officer (1WO). She is also the oldest female commander in Singapore’s Basic Military Training Centre (BMTC).

And if you think that she just sits in her office all day eating a bag of chips (an accurate description of my life at Goody Feed) you can’t be more wrong.

She revealed in an interview with Pioneer magazine details about her duties as Platoon Commander in BMTC’s School 1, Charlie Company.

Gets Gold For IPPT Every Year

Firstly, she gets a gold award for her Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) every year.

Secondly, she leads route marches with a 20KG field pack on her back, alongside digging trenches and sleeping in the jungle during field camp.

At 61-years-old, this is certainly an accomplishment.

Keeping Fit With Regular Workouts

She works out in the mornings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. And no, weekends aren’t an exception either.

She spends the weekend exercising with her husband as well. Besides that, she also participates in morning runs with her recruits.

So her secret formula? Hard work and discipline.

And her hilarious way of motivating her recruits is the famed line, “Ancient lady can do, young boys cannot do?”

On top of all of that, she also doesn’t shy away from giving advice to her recruits by writing back to them during their weekly reflections.

Her Journey In The Army

Her journey began as a clerk in the military way back in 1976. 10 years later, she seized the chance to become a combat trainer. She later became a combatant.

Soon, she served as an Officer Cadet School Instructor, Signal specialist and Company Sergeant Major in the 8th Singapore Armoured Brigade.

Just before joining BMTC, Leon was the longest-serving woman in the Signal formation.