Medal of LawPlay: Airborne

The inaugural SMU Law Play just took place recently. It was a really good experience being involved in it as one of the Stage Crew. Unfortunately, it is an experience I would not like to repeat without good reason.

Throughout the duration of the preparation and the Play itself, I couldn't help but to make references and draw similarities to the D-Day in World War 2!!! Haha. As Gordon said, "You play too much Medal of Honour: Airborne izzit?". Nah, I only downloaded the demo version on my xbox360 but what made me make references to D-Day was the TV Series Band of Brothers about the story of the 101st Airborne.

This post is very long and is a hard read. But stuff which are long and hard often turn out to be really good...

...just like long and hard to read law judgments.

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Medal of LawPLay: Airborne


In October 2008, General Lim (NathanaelLim) started recruiting cadets to hold positions in the airborne infantry. He needed one Sergeant (stage manager) who will organise more troops (stage crew) to parachute into Nazi Germany (LawpPlay). General Lim approached me, in which apparently I took up the proposition. Thereafter, I was to liaise with General Tay with regards to procuring the special weapons (props) to take down the enemy (for LawPlay).

I met up with General Tay (JoTay) one day in December during one of the Commando Basic Military Training (cast rehearsal). General Tay made it clear to me that she would want the Commandos to be provided with special weapons (nice props), and it was our duty as paratroopers to support the offensive push into Nazi Germany (support the cast in bringing out the props during LawPlay).

In the following weeks, I recruited more soldiers to serve in the airborne infantry. I faced a tough challenge in broadcasting propaganda (persuading friends to join the crew) while at the same time, produce the special weapons for the Commandos.

The airborne and the commandos had combined trainings to practice the concerted offensive into Nazi Germany (Full Runs). However, to our dismay, the Full Run before the D-Day (30 Jan), the joint forces performed horribily. I felt that the 101st Airborne was not trained well enough to support the commando's offensive (crew did not perform our task up to expectations). The joint training failed miserably.

General Tay was very upset with our performance, being only a day away from D-Day (we were just a day before the Opening Night but we scrwed up big time). The special weapons were ineffective, while the 101st Airborne's tactics were badly planned (props were not done up properly, and our movement plans were not concrete). We left the training camp feeling a great sense of disappointment (left Jubilee Hall really sad.......). We were afraid that our jump into Nazi Germany the next day will just end up in a complete massacre of the 101st Airborne and the Commando unit, and of course the berating of the Generals for concocting a bad invasion plan (if we screwed up, the cast, crew, producers, and directors will DIE).

So, on the morning of D-Day (morning of Fri 30 Jan), I called for an emergency training (all crew to skip lessons to train the movement). We recalibrated the special weapons (touched up on the props) and practiced our battle formations (kept going through the movement plans). In a mock-invasion scenario (Dry Run), we managed to impress the Generals and gave them faith in the 101st Airborne (restored the faith in the Directors). But of course, what is more important is the actual invasion itself, not the mock scenarios.

The time for us to make the jump into Nazi Germany (it was time for the play to start) came at last.


The 101st Airborne was put in position at an undisclosed airstip in England (Crew were stationed at the wings). We were waiting in anticipation on the airstrip.



General Eisenhower came to see his troops off (Ex-CJ Mr YongPungHow gave his opening speech to the audience). This boosted the courage and morale of the 101st Airborne and the Commando unit.



Next, it was time for the 101st Airborne to board the aeroplanes (the stage door was closed. It looked like a blast door, btw). The planes started taxiing on the airfield, and took off (the hall lights turned off). The ground control and the hundreds of airplanes kept communicating via radio to ensure all troops and equipment are at the ready (crews at the left and right wing communicated via walkie-talkies to ensures that all the cast and crew are where they should be).


After a seemingly long wait, the cabin doors of the plane opened (curtains opened). Flak and tracer fire lit up the sky (applause was heard).

After the longest wait ever, the first Commando who sneaked into Nazi Germany the day before started attacking in force (lights turned on and the 'Margaret' started her lines).


The 101st Airborne was waiting for their time to jump (waiting for the first scene change to change props). Then, without warning, the Green Light turned on, indicating that the 101st Airborne is to jump out (stage lights went out, time for stage crew to move props).

The first paratrooper jumped out safely (the first scene change went smothly). So did all the other jumps (so did all the other scene changes).

Flak and anti-air fire littered the sky and anyone could get hit at any moment (it was all dark during the scene changes and anyone could screw up). Forunately, every single perosn from the 101st Airborne made it to the ground safely.

However, making it to the ground was not the end. There was still the impending ambush by Nazi forces waiting on the ground (critics...).


Nonetheless, the night ended well as the Commandos eliminated the Nazi soldiers swiftly and precisely (the cast performed well, silencing the critics).


However, the war was to go on for a few more months (well... er... LawPlay was only over 2 days). After jumping into Nazi Germany, the Allied Forces in the European Theatre of War was to commence Operation Market Garden, i.e. to move into Nazi-occupied Poland (there was still the 2nd night of LawPlay). The 101st Airborne was given a brief rest in England before returning back to the European mainland for more battle (rest one night before returning to Jubilee Hall for the play again).

In the ensuing weeks (in the next few hours of LawPlay), the temperature fell to freezing degrees (the second night is always 'colder'). The 101st Airborne was prepared for battle, but certainly not for battle in such a cold climate (so sian already....).

Finally, after months of battle (erm, hours of LawPlay), the battle ended in Europe when the Russians succesfully invaded Berlin (when uhm... the play ended lor...).


The war came to and end, and the 101st Airborne could finally go back to their old lives. They had a celebratory ball with the Joint Chief of Staff (Cast, Crew, Directors, Producers), all glad that the war is over.

After the war, when the 101st Airborne returned home to America, it was time to deliver the glorious dead to their families (I had to return the furniture and props borrowed to the respective sources).


The 101st Airborne are now awaiting compensation for the war (reimbursement for expenditure on props), but since the American economy has yet to recover from the war, the compensation will take about a month to arrive (the reimbursement process will take about a month).


In all this, the men of 101st Airborne will forever remember the horrors of war (the crew will forever remember the task they had to do for LawPlay). They hoped that their beloved nation will never call upon them again to fight in a war (crew hopes never to be called upon again to serve as crew). It is not that the men of 101st Airborne do not want to serve their nation, but the cost of war is too great for them to bear (it is not that we do not want to contribute to LawSoc, but we should not be called upon again as it has taken a toll on our studies and personal time).

Future wars should not be fought by men of old (upcoming LawPlays should be supported by the future batches of SMULawStudents).

We are forever indebted and thankful to the veterans of the 101st Airborne for their service in World War 2 (the crew must be appreciated for all their work in the SMULawPlay2009).