On January 5, 2019, Aloysius Pang posted this farewell of sorts on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

Off to serve our country. Back at the end of the month! May not be able to post much when I'm there so 等我回来 yeah =)

A post shared by 冯伟衷 Aloysius Pang (@aloypang) on Jan 5, 2019 at 2:41am PST

A gentle reminder that he would be away on reservist training for three weeks.

"Off to serve our country. Back at the end of the month! May not be able to post much when I'm there so 等我回来 yeah =)"

The Chinese portion translates to "wait for my return".

Jan. 19: A serious injury

On January 19, 2019, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) released a statement bearing some unfortunate news.

An Operationally Ready NSman sustained a serious injury at around 2:05pm (Singapore time) while carrying out repair works on a Singapore Self-Propelled Howitzer over at New Zealand.

It was Pang.

The statement revealed that Pang went into an initial emergency surgery at around 4:00pm, and was only wheeled out of the operating theatre after more than seven hours, at around 11:40pm.

From here, we saw updates from people close to Pang, including his agency, NoonTalk Media.

The tone, in the absence of too many updates, was understandably cautious.

Many offered words of support and prayer, and things appeared to be getting slightly better.

Jan. 21: Condition stable

On January 21, MINDEF released an update on Pang's condition.

"A follow-up relook surgery which was planned for was successfully completed at 1100hrs (SG time) today (January 21). A medical team from Singapore is working with the New Zealand team to provide the best possible care for CFC (NS) Pang."

Which served as somewhat of a breather, and gave a slightly clearer picture as to what Pang was going through.

Two other updates gave further insight into the incident.

First, Pang's brother himself gave an interview with Channel 8.

In it he mentioned that he and his mother were feeling anxious and uneasy, but his mother was flying over to visit Pang that day.

Pang though, was according to him conscious, and managed to talk to his mother over the phone.

The second update came from doctor Teo Li Tserng, Chief of Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s Trauma and Acute Care Surgery.

He gave an interview to Today, where he talked about Pang's condition.

“The primary surgeon taking care of him in Waikato Hospital based in Hamilton is Dr Christey Grant. I know him personally. As in the trauma fraternity, we have worked together.

He updated me on his (Pang’s) condition. And I concur with the way things have been done so far and I think they have done a good job in stabilising Aloysius.

Currently, Aloysius is stable, in a stable condition. His vitals are stable and he’s awake, alert, and he is breathing on his own, not requiring any mechanical ventilation.”

He continued with some plans they had for Pang's medical care in the future.

"And the SAF also has a doctor on the ground. Overall, I think moving forward we will be planning to stabilise Aloysius and things are getting better and before we plan for a safe and stable repatriation for Aloysius."

Overall, the tone seemed cautiously optimistic about Pang's condition — that even though it might take a while, Pang might make it after all.

Jan. 23: Things take a turn for the worse

On January 23, 2019, MINDEF released another statement.

Pang's condition had deteriorated.

"The medical team at Waikato Hospital has updated that Corporal First Class (National Service) [CFC (NS)] Pang Wei Chong, Aloysius' condition had worsened and required additional surgery. The surgery was completed on 22 January 2019 at 2354hrs (SG time). His condition is critical and he is being managed in the intensive care unit."

Pang was initially warded in the hospital's high dependency unit.

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen then gave another grim update on Pang's condition.

He had talked to Teo, who had flown to New Zealand to assist in the care.

Teo informed Ng that Pang's condition was very serious and he needed artificial life support for his lungs, kidneys and heart.

Today had also reported that part of his intestines had been removed.

Later on Jan. 23: Pang's passing

On January 23, 2019 at 8.45pm, Pang passed away at Waikato Hospital.

His family and girlfriend were there with him for his final moments.

What followed next was a nationwide outpouring of grief.

View this post on Instagram

On behalf of our family Throughout the past few days in the hospital, it has been a difficult time for us. Every news that were brought upon us since his last op was devastating with little signs of hope on his recovery. We all broke down when the medical team spoke to us that his condition is worsening and we should be prepared for the worst. We're going to lose a brother. And my parents are going to lose their precious son whom is only 28. Thus I seek everybody's kind understanding that we are unable to comment further during these precarious time.

A post shared by 冯伟衷 Aloysius Pang (@aloypang) on Jan 23, 2019 at 7:35am PST

It was at this time that a press conference was called for the next day to address, and clarify, certain facts of the situation.

You can read more about the conference at the end of this article.

Jan. 24: Press conference outlining details of incident & why his health deteriorated so quickly

The main takeaway was the details of the incident that would eventually cost him his life.

Here is the infographic provided by MINDEF.

And here is what the inside of the Howitzer looks like.

[video width="480" height="848" mp4="https://static.mothership.sg/1/2019/01/ssph.mp4"][/video]

What happened was that Pang was unable to get out of the way as the gun barrel was lowered. He was caught between the end of the gun barrel and the interior of the Howitzer, and suffered “crush injuries” as a result.

The topic of the surgeries were also touched on during the press conference.

Apparently, two of the three surgeries were planned.

And the doctors had expected complications to set in after the second surgery.

The Chief of Army apologised twice as well.

In response to this incident, the army has called for a safety timeout.

This refers to all high-risk activities, such as field training and live firing.

There will also be a reduction of the training tempo to review safety procedures.

Questions left unanswered

There are still some questions the public might have.

Like if there are clear SOPs and Pang was trained and refreshed ahead of Thunder Warrior, what happened that he should be crushed by the gun barrel?

Hopefully these questions will be answered by the independent Committee of Inquiry (COI) that will be convened to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident that led to Pang’s death.

Some have also questioned what Pang was doing during the incident. While details of this might be elaborated on during the COI, the core answer should remain the same.

Pang himself stated the reason in his Jan. 5 Instagram post.

"Off to serve our country."

Top photos via Aloysius Pang's Instagram account