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What ‘Welcome home’ meant to S’porean on RSAF evacuation flight

The Straits Times

|

March 12, 2026

“Welcome home.” These two words were spoken by a Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) serviceman as my family boarded an evacuation aircraft in Riyadh that would take us safely back to Singapore.

What ‘Welcome home’ meant to S’porean on RSAF evacuation flight

We had not even taken off yet, but passengers looked around quietly, some smiling. Others wiped away tears.

When the aircraft lifted off, applause broke out. Then someone began singing Majulah Singapura, and others joined in. The moment made me realise that home is not simply a place on a map but a shared identity, and the reassurance that when circumstances turn uncertain, your country will come for you.

My family and I had been living in Doha, where I worked. Just days earlier, we were sheltering at our home there during the missile attacks across the Gulf region. Living through those moments was deeply unsettling.

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