SOF Pic of the Day: The Singapore Armed Forces Commando Who Graduated BUD/S and Later Became a Monk

Today’s SOFREP Pic of the Day features Singapore Armed Forces Commando Fred Cheong, the man who graduated from BUD/S and later became a Buddhist Monk.

 

Fred Cheong’s story is one of remarkable transformation, making the odd and unusual journey from a military commando to monk. His experiences bridge the physical extremes of warfare and the spiritual depths of Buddhist practice.

In 1991, Cheong was part of a commando team that took out four hijackers on Singapore Airlines Flight SQ117.

In 2017, he was ordained as a Buddhist monk and prefers to be called the Venerable Tenzin Drachom.

To quote Drachom:

“In the military, I destroyed the enemy outside. Now I destroy the enemy inside.”