It was sometime in late-December 1970. The sky was pitch-black when the men from the army's 2nd Reconnaissance Regiment finished loading food rations onto their two assault boats at a small jetty in Pekan, Pahang.

The watch on the left wrist of 2nd Lieutenant Kung Boon Chin showed the time was just 10 minutes shy of 8pm. The rain that was pouring since morning showed no sign of stopping.

The Pahang river, which they were about to travel along, had overflowed and inundated several villages in the royal town.

The soldiers, clad in their 'celoreng' uniform, knew it was risky for them to travel by boat in the darkness, especially when many pieces of wood and uprooted trees were being carried along by the flood.

But they had a responsibility to fulfil - sending rations to flood victims who have been seeking refuge at several...