Larry Wijeratne

Infobox Military Person
name= Larry Wijeratne
lived= 1950 - 14 May 1998
placeofbirth=
placeofdeath= Jaffna, Sri Lanka


caption=
nickname=
allegiance= flagicon|Sri Lanka Sri Lanka
serviceyears= 29
rank=Major General
branch= Sri Lanka Army
branch
commands= Commanding Officer 51-4 Brigade
unit= Sri Lanka Artillery
battles=1971 Insurrection,
Insurrection 1987-89,
Sri Lankan Civil War
awards= Uttama Seva Padakkama,
Desha Putra Sammanaya
laterwork=
Major General Larry A.R. Wijeratne USP, SLA (1950 - 14 May 1998) was the former Commanding Officer of 51-4 Brigade based in Jaffna.

Early life and family

He completed his education at Nugawela Central College. At school, he excelled in both studies, sports alike and was a Queen's Scout.

He was married to Colonel Indira Wijeratne of the Sri Lanka Army Legal Branch and father of two sons Baghaya and Dulanjaya.

Career

After leaving school he joined the army as a officer cadet and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Sri Lanka Artillery. During his career he held many positions within the army including that of instructor at the Army Training Centre, Diyatalawa (now the Sri Lanka Military Academy). He had been awarded the Uttama Seva Padakkama, Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal, North and East Operations Medal, Purna Bhumi Padakkama, Operation Wadamarachchi Medal, Riviresa Campaign Services Medal, and 50th Independence Anniversary Commemoration Medal for his service during the course of his military career.

Brigadier Larry Wijeratne was appointed as commanding officer of 51-4 Brigade at Vadamarachchi in Jaffna in 1997. During this time he gained the respect of the people of Jaffna and was much loved by them.

Death

On the last day of his duty assignment he was killed by an LTTE suicide bomber [ [http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/sentinel/sent000904_6_n.shtml Jane's Sentinel examines the success of the LTTE in resisting the Sri Lankan forces] ] at Velvetiturai in Jaffna on 14th May 1998, when he attended a Jaffna traders' felicitation lunch just before leaving on transfer as deputy commandant of the Kotelawela Defence Academy. Brigadier Larry Wijeratne was posthumously promoted to the rank of Major General

External links

* [http://www.army.lk Official Website of Sri Lanka Army]
* [http://www.defence.lk Ministry of Defence, Sri Lanka]
* [http://www.army.lk/mic.php MIC-Military Intelligence Corps]

References

* [http://www.infolanka.com/org/srilanka/issues/ut18.html THE DRIFT IN JAFFNA: THE URGENCY OF A POLITICAL SETTLEMENT & THE IMPORTANCE OF LARRY WIJERATNE'S LEGACY., THE UNIVERSITY TEACHERS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, JAFFNA (UTHR(Jaffna)) Sri Lanka]
* [http://www.fas.org/irp/threat/terror_98/asia.htm Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1998 Asia Overview]
* [http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FG10Df03.html Tigers send a deadly message, By Sudha Ramachandran ]
* [http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fline/fl1703/17031060.htm The LTTE and suicide terrorism ]
* [http://www.spur.asn.au/larry.htm The Larry Wijeratne That I Knew]