Kanang's career starts when he entered military service with the British Army, as an Iban Tracker, attending Jungle Warfare School in Ulu Tiram in early 1962. He join Sarawak Rangers as an Iban tracker in 21 April 1962. Sarawak Rangers was then part of the British Army. Kanang was attached to the 42 commando serving during the Brunei Revolt and during the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation. He later served with the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment. He was later absorbed into the Malaysian Army’s Royal Ranger Regiment upon the formation of Malaysia in 16th September 1963 between the then Federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sabah (then North Borneo) and Sarawak.
After that there was a confrontation between Malaysia and Indonesia, in an operation in the Korbu Forest Reserve at Fort Legap on the 1st June 1979 whilst on a mission tracking the enemy, Sergeant Kanang's group came across a temporary enemy resting camp. Sergeant Kanang ak Langkau from the 8th Battalion Royal Rangers immediately launched an attack on that enemy camp, an enemy that far outnumbered the Kanang's group. In this fierce contact with the enemy, two of the Rangers went down, mortally wounded. Five of the enemy were killed, enemy equipment too were captured. He was conferred the highest gallantry award, the "Pingat Gagah Berani" by his Majesty the King.
In an incident in Tanah Hitam, Perak on February 8, 1980 a soldier was killed. Kanang leading a platoon was sent to track the enemy down and destroy them. For eleven days they tracked the enemy until they stumbled upon a much larger enemy force at Ladang Kinding, Sungei Siput, Perak. The tracking skills of Kanang and his courage led him successfully to follow up on the enemy. The enemy was cunning and skillful in the use of the ground to their advantage. The enemy was very adept at concealment, with the years piled on fighting the British and the Malayans before that. Due to the courage of Kanang and his tracking skills, the Rangers managed to keep up with the enemy. Even as some of his men were disheartened, he kept their morale up by encouraging them.
Since the death of the soldier 11 days he managed to doggedly track and identify the enemy's exact route of escape. On the evening of 19th February 1980 at around 1500 hours in the afternoon, after conducting a reconnaissance with great caution and care, his platoon managed to estimate the location of the enemy, which was located not very far from their location.
At that moment, Sergeant Kanang was approximately 8 meters from the enemy sentry's location. Realizing that, he launched the assault towards the right by firing towards the right of the enemy along with his platoon. After lauching the attack to the right, it suddenly struck everyone that the enemy's main force was on the left, below the slope of the hill. Without losing his senses, he switched the direction of fire to the left, at the same time changing the direction of the assault to the left.
They ploughed into the enemy but a large force of the enemy managed to escape. The platoon and Kanang managed to bag five Communist Terrorists on that day. Even with that success, they were saddened by the loss of one of their group who was killed and one more seriously wounded. Whilst trying to rescue his wounded friends, Sergeant Kanang himself was repeatedly shot, he took three rounds from the enemy into his body. The will to live and fight another day was strong, he was in comma for two months in hospital but recuperated and was back on active duty. His fellow Ibans say Kanang died but came alive again.
Kanang showing his wound after the battle.
