KUALA LUMPUR: Actor Ashraf Muslim, 43, who joined the Territorial Army (Askar Wataniah), will be commissioned with the rank of Lieutenant in the Army Officer Rank Ceremony taking place this Friday.
Ashraf said he was grateful for the honour since he had been involved in the military since his university days when he joined the Officer Cadet Reserve Training Team (Palapes).
"I actually re-enlisted for the Territorial Army because I used to be active in Palapes when I was in university, however, I stopped for a while because I was busy with my acting career and filming activities.
"But now I'm back in the Territorial Army after realising my strong patriotic spirit to fight and sacrifice for my country.
"Before this, I was assigned the rank of Junior Lieutenant (Leftenan Muda) and now I have been promoted to another rank. But the important thing is that I'm in the Territorial Army to further empower the recruits.
"Perhaps with my presence I can attract many more people in the community, especially youngsters, to be involved in the military as reserve soldiers which is open to people from various careers," he said in a Harian Metro report yesterday.
Ashraf added that individuals from doctors to food delivery personnel can join the Territorial Army if they are interested in serving with the government.
"At least when we serve as reserve soldiers, we have the military basics and know what to do if there are any threats to the country.
"Even though I am a reservist, I can still be considered a soldier because all the training is still under the military. So, whatever knowledge and experience I have can be passed on," he said.
Ashraf hopes that his involvement in the Territorial Army will provide the opportunity to celebrities who are interested in the military field to gain basic knowledge of defense in the event of war.
The Army Officer Rank Ceremony will be held at the Zulkifeli Zin Hall at Wisma Perwira Tentera Darat, Camp Perdana Sungai Besi, here, by Army Chief, General Tan Sri Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan.