SHAH ALAM: Highest ranking decorated soldier in service. The new Fifth Division commander, Maj Gen Mohd Halim Khalid is now the highest ranking decorated serviceman. Mohd Halim, 58 earned his PGB while serving with the UN in Somalia in 1993 with the 19th RMR (Mek).
Mohd Halim was appointed as the third Fifth Division commander based in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah on Jan. 7 this year. He was previously the 6th Brigade commander. The confirmation of his identity as the PGB holder was made by the Fifth Division official Facebook page on Jan. 9.
Major General Dato Abdul Halim Khalid. Note the PGB diagonal stripes of white, blue, yellow and red ribbon.
The posting had mistakenly stated that Mohd Halim was involved in the Bakara market incident but it was quickly rectified when several commenters pointed out that it was wrong. The incident was infact occuured at the the Benadir Supreme court in 1993.
The Fifth Division FB post
MEJ JEN DATO’ HJ MOHD HALIM BIN KHALID, PANGLIMA 5 DIVISYEN KE 3 – WIRA MOGADISHU PENERIMA PINGAT PGB
Mej Jen Dato’ Hj Mohd Halim bin Khalid telah mengambil alih tugas sebagai Panglima 5 Divisyen Ke-3 berkuatkuasa pada 7 Jan 2021.
Beliau dilahirkan pada 5 Jan 1963 dan berasal dari Simpang Pulai, Ipoh, Perak. Beliau ditauliahkan ke Rejimen Askar Melayu Diraja pada tahun 1982. Memulakan kerjaya di dalam perkhidmatan di Batalion Ke-3 RAMD dan di beberapa pasukan antaranya di Batalion Ke-19 RAMD(Mek). Beliau telah dikurniakan pingat Panglima Gagah Berani pada 4 Jun 1994. Pingat Panglima Gagah Berani (PGB) diwartakan pada 11 Ogos 1960 merupakan pingat keberanian kedua tertinggi dalam senarai pingat keberanian persekutuan.
Beliau adalah antara 90 pegawai dan anggota dari Batalion Ke-19 RAMD(Mek) yang terlibat dalam misi pengaman PBB (MALBATT 1 UNOSOM II) di Mogadishu, Somalia. Peristiwa bersejarah yang melibatkan Platun 4 Kompeni B 19 RAMD(Mek) pada 27 Sep 1993 yang diketuai oleh beliau di kawasan Benadir Supreme Court ketika bertugas mengawal keselamatan mahkamah yang melibatkan beberapa pegawai tinggi kehakiman UNOSOM daripada menjadi korban puak militia. Tragedi pertempuran hebat ini memperlihatkan semangat keberanian yang luar biasa tanpa menghiraukan keselamatan diri, beliau bersama juga anggota-anggotanya melepaskan tembakan balas dan bertempur dengan puak militia demi menyelamatkan nyawa pegawai kehakiman UNOSOM. Kisah juang ini pernah dibukukan secara eksklusif berjudul Belang Harimau Besi.
Beliau juga pernah memegang beberapa jawatan sebagai pegawai staf di Markas Tentera Darat dan Markas Angkatan Tentera Malaysia. Di peringkat antarabangasa beliau pernah ditugaskan sebagai Tim Pemantau Antarabangsa Mindano dan Penasihat Pertahanan di Abu Dhabi. Sebelum ini beliau memegang jawatan sebagai Panglima 6 Briged.
Mohd Halim’s promotion to a two-star meant that he is the highest ranking PGB holder still in service, surpassing First Admiral Anuar Alias who is the current Lumut naval base commander.
As Malaysian Defence previously reported there are two other PGB holders in service with the Army, both of them are currently colonels.
The highest decorated serviceman still on the books is VAT 69 commander Senior Assistant Commissioner Abdul Razak Yusof who was awarded the SP for his exploits in the Al Maunah incident. The rank he holds is equivalent to the rank of one star in the military.
— Malaysian Defence
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They should make a movie about his exploits in Mogadishu; just like the movie Paskal did for Ops Fajar.
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I think they will make a moview about the Bakara market incident but not the court one where he got his PGB
Congrats Sir
Need a good director, one who doesn’t take short-cuts and stickler to the details. We have plenty of good military stories but getting a film director who’s willing to go into the nitty-gritty is really hard here.
Before PASKAL there was a film called Malay Regiment I think; wasn’t much of a success compared to the other film the fact that we hardly heard of it
ASM,
We can have the best director – willing to get into the “nitty-gritty” – there is but his/her ability to create a sound movie is wholly dependent on the allocated budget and the quality of the script.
Another problem is that the film has to be adapted to attract the mass public. It has to be accurate and realistic but it still has to appeal to the average viewer.
@Azlan,
Well yes, but I believe the director works with the screen writers on the script and he/she decides on the story flow and how it’s to be told. Budget is important, I fully concur with that, a good director knows how to tell a good story within the allocated budget.
In terms of accuracy and realism, compromises could be made so long as they are not glaring i.e. having M4s and digital camo during the insurgency era, for example.
@ASM
All it needs is first class CGI. Look at all those Marvel superheroes movies churned out every year/season. Superb story or great acts are secondary.
ASM – ”the director works with the screen writers on the script and he/she decides on the story flow and how it’s to be told”
The producer has the final say. Certain liberties have to be taken to make the film more appealing to the mass public; after all the objective is to make money and in our market that means appealing to the general public.
ASM – ”a good director knows how to tell a good story within the allocated budget.”
He/she has to plan/work accordingly and know where to cut corners. We don’t have big budgets to begin with and a small local market. On top of that stuns, CGI, props and pyrotechnics aren’t cheap – the film has the be profitable.
ASM – ”i.e. having M4s and digital camo during the insurgency era, for example.”
Troops using Jungle Carbines and smoking filtered cigs in Lt. Adnan; which they shouldn’t have been ….
Somehow the thread changed from discussing defence matters to movies…which is great. Haha
@joe
the stories are OK-ish..nothing groundbreaking, but not unwatchable. But I disagree on the CGI bit; you can have unbelievable CGI but lousy story and cast will cause the film to flop
@Azlan
I’ll take your word for that, since I don’t know much about this field. Although ( hehe), IMHO it’s still the director that decides on the overall quality of the story. Speaking on personal experience from watching local movies so far (not extensive I must add), the lousiest ones are the ones directed by one Prof Dr something ( can’t remember his name)
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You watched local movies? I tried watching Paskal movie on Netflix, I stopped after only five minutes.
@ASM
The point is, war story movies have been done to death, nothing is original anymore. The ones that becomes blockbuster successes are those with good cinematography and high levels of production inc realistic CGIs, not by making it historically accurate. People come to see movies to be entertained, not to be given a history lesson or watching a historically accurate documentary.
Movie producers will take artistic liberties to meet cinema-goers expectations (ie Black Hawk Down would be a bomb in USA if it were historically accurate portraited how the US forces needed a Muslim country to rescue them). OTOH 1917 is pure fiction based on real life in WW1 and it won many acclaims.
Remember, movies are fiction not history books.
“You watched local movies? I tried watching Paskal movie on Netflix, I stopped after only five minutes.”
I did. Mostly P Ramlee and some of those shown during Raya.
I thought PASKAL was good though….well at least from the reviews that is
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P Ramlee movies are good
Can’t beat storytelling of the Battles of Uhud and Badr mates…if you have the best ustazs (not from the TV3 reality shows, hear?😁) telling you in the Maghrib kuliahs. No movie CGIs, no sound effects.
@Taib
Depends on the storyteller, as you mentioned. Ust Badlishah is one example of good storyteller that he relate things in our time with those of that era..
“Nabi ada SB. SB dia Jibril”
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The ustaz is an idiot, if he did say that
ASM – ”MHO it’s still the director that decides on the overall quality of the story”
He decides on the ”directing”. The ‘quality’ part depends wholly on the allocated budget he can work with. Also; how well the movie turns out depends on the script. One can have a very sound director but a mediocre script,
Want to watch a good war movie? Watch ”Dark Blue World”. Its about Czech pilots who flew with the RAF. Brilliant acting, CGI and script. Another good [fictional] movie is ‘Eagle Has Landed’ – great cast and script.
“The ustaz is an idiot, if he did say that”
That’s quite a strong word, really. Care to elaborate?
I don’t think he meant anything bad by it
He did mention that but it was in the context of one of the Companions leaking top secret information to his relatives in Mekah. Nobody knew about it until Jibril told the Prophet about the leak, hence “SB”.
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Jibril is a Malaikat which carries the firman from Allah.