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Rana Sura Padakkama
Rana Sura Padakkama (RSP, Combat Excellence Medal) ( Sinhala: රණ ශූර පදක්කම ''rana śūra padakkama'') is awarded to servicepersons of all ranks of the regular and volunteer forces of the Military of Sri Lanka for individual acts of bravery and otherwise distinguished conduct in the face of the enemy during active deployment. Bars could be awarded for further acts of gallantry meriting the award for a second and third time, denoted by a star in the ribbon bar for each additional award. Award process The decoration is awarded at the National Day parade by the President after a recommendation and review process initiated by service commanders. Recipients can use the post-nominal letters " RSP". Notable decorated personnel *Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka *Major-General Wasantha Perera *Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe *Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda *Admiral Jayanath Colombage *Lieutenant General Denzil Kobbekaduwa *Lieutenant General Parami Kulatunga *Air Vice Ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harsha Abeywickrama
Air Chief Marshal Harsha Abeywickrema, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, rcds, psc, qfi (born 28 November 1960) is a senior Sri Lankan air force officer and fighter pilot, who served as the Commander of the Sri Lankan Air Force from 2012 to 2014 and later went on to serve as the Chairman of the Bank of Ceylon. Early life and education Abeywickrema was born on 28 November 1960. He was educated at Royal College Colombo. He later gained a MA degree in International Studies from King's College London, and a MSc degree in Management from the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University. SLAF career Abeywickrema joined the Sri Lanka Air Force as an Officer Cadet in the General Duties Pilot Branch in 1980. After successful completion of Flying Training he was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in 1982. In the early 1980's the Sri Lanka Air Force had only two air squadrons, a fixed wing squadron and a rotary wing squadron, its fighter aircraft had been retired. With the escalation of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, and southeast of the Arabian Sea; it is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. Sri Lanka shares a maritime border with India and Maldives. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is its legislative capital, and Colombo is its largest city and financial centre. Sri Lanka has a population of around 22 million (2020) and is a multinational state, home to diverse cultures, languages, and ethnicities. The Sinhalese are the majority of the nation's population. The Tamils, who are a large minority group, have also played an influential role in the island's history. Other long established groups include the Moors, the Burghers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thisara Samarasinghe
Admiral Thisara Sugeeshwara Gunasekara Samarasinghe RSP, VSV, USP, ndc, psc, DISS, MNI, SLN (born: 16 July 1955) was the Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy from 15 July 2008 to 15 January 2011. He had a distinguished 36-year career in the Sri Lankan Navy. His career included a wide range of key appointments at sea and ashore, including training in the United Kingdom, India and the United States. Samarasinghe is currently serving as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Australia, a position he has held since 28 July 2011. Personal life and education Born to Francis Samarasinghe a civil servant and Umawathie Samarasinghe a teacher, Samarasinghe was educated at the Royal College, Colombo. He won Royal College Colours in Athletics as a sprinter. In 1970, at Cadetting, he had the distinction of being lance corporal in Royal Platoon 1 that won the prestigious Herman Loos Trophy. He achieved the highest position of regimental sergeant major (RSM) of the National Cadet Corps (Sri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Major-general (Sri Lanka)
Major General (abbreviated as Maj Gen) is a senior rank in the Sri Lanka Army, and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of major general. It is the second-highest active rank of the Sri Lanka Army while the Lieutenant General is the highest (the lieutenant general is the professional head of the army), and is considered to be equivalent to a two-star rank. A major general commands a division or the equivalent or performs staff duties in army headquarters. The Director of the National Cadet Corps holds the rank of major general. From 1958 to 1974, the Commander of the Army held the rank of Major General. Major general is a higher rank than brigadier, but lower than lieutenant general. The rank has a NATO rank code of OF-7, equivalent to a Rear admiral in the Sri Lanka Navy or an air vice-marshal in the Sri Lanka Air Force or the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. History The first Sri Lankan officer to be promoted to the rank of Major gener ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Janaka Perera
Major General Janaka Perera, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, VSP, rcds, psc, CR (1 February 1946 – 6 October 2008) was a Sri Lankan General and politician. He served as the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army and is considered one of the most distinguished generals in Sri Lankan history. After retiring from the army he served as a Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Australia and Ambassador to Indonesia. He was the opposition leader of the North Central Provincial Council until he and his wife were killed on 6 October 2008 by a suicide bomber. The LTTE have been blamed for the bombing by Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa. Education General Perera was educated at St. John's College, Panadura and after St. Joseph's College, Colombo.He was accepted to University of Ceylon to study geology at the Peradeniya campus before quitting to join the Sri Lanka Army in 1966 as an Officer Cadet. He received his training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England. After completing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sarath Munasinghe
Major General Sarath Munasinghe, RWP, RSP, USP was a Sri Lankan senior army officer and a politician. He had served in the Sri Lanka Army, becoming Commander Security Forces Headquarters Jaffna and went on to become the Deputy Speaker and Member of Parliament. Early life and education Born in Polgahawela in Kurunegala, he was educated at Maliyadeva College, Kurunegala. Military career Munasinghe joined the Sri Lankan Army as a cadet officer on 5 February 1970 and following his basic officer training at the Army Training Centre, Diyatalawa in its 3rd intake, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 4th Artillery Regiment, Sri Lanka Artillery on 1 June 1971, soon after the 1971 JVP insurrection. Munasinghe served as an artillery officer and attended the artillery young officer's course at the Indian Army School of Artillery in Deolali in 1975. In 1977, having reached the rank of captain, he was sent to the intelligence staff officer's course at the Military Intell ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vijaya Wimalaratne
Major General Vanigamuni Indrajith Vijeyakumar Mendis Wimalaratne, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, psc, GR ( si, විජය විමලරත්න; 25 August 1940 – 8 August 1992) was a senior Sri Lanka Army officer. One of the most distinguished field commanders in Sri Lanka, Wimalaratne raised the Gajaba Regiment, he commanded the 1st Brigade during the Vadamarachchi Operation, he commanded the Amphibious Task Force Commander during Operation Balavegaya and was the Commander Security Forces – Jaffna at the time of his death in a land mine explosion at Point Arali in the Kayts Island while making preparations to re-capture Jaffna. Early life and education Born on 25 August 1940, second of a family of eight boys, Wimalaratne was educated at Royal College, Colombo. Military career Early career Wimalaratne joined the Ceylon Army as an Officer Cadet in August 1962 and underwent training at the Indian Military Academy, in Dehradun as part of the first batch of four Ceylone ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lucky Wijayaratne
Major General Chulabhaya Lakshman 'Lucky' Wijayaratne RWP, RSP, M.Sc, LI was a Sri Lankan army officer, who was one of the most distinguished Generals in the Sri Lanka army. Major General Wijayaratne died on 18 December 1990 at the 10th milepost along Trincomalee-Anuradhapura road due to a landmine explosion. He was the commander of 22 brigade based in Trincomalee at the time of his death and played a pivotal role in the government’s counter terrorism offensive in the district. Major General Wijayaratne was the senior most Sri Lankan military officer to die from a LTTE attack up to that time. Early life and career Lucky Wijayaratne was born on 30 October 1944 to a well respected family in Galle and his father was a reputed ayurvedic physician in the area. He was educated at Mahinda College, Galle, where he was a member of the school Cadet Corps. After finishing the school education he opted for the military service on 26 March 1964, after joining the Sri Lanka Army as a Cade ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ananda Hamangoda
Major General Ananda Sri Sisira Kumara Hamangoda, RWP, RSP, USP (1 November 1950 – 4 July 1996) was a senior Sri Lanka Army officer, who was the former brigade commander of the 51-2 Brigade based in Jaffna, when he was killed by a LTTE female suicide bomber. Early life and education Born on 1 November 1950, Kalutara north. His father was a police officer and he had three brothers and a sister. He was educated at Maliyadeva College, Kurunagala, where he excelled in academic and sports. He was judged as the best orator and best overall student in the year 1971, served as deputy head prefect, house captain and was a sergeant of the college cadet platoon. Only the Good Die Young www.dailymirror.lk In 1969 he was the leader of school western music band. His talents in sports showed gr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Air Vice Marshal
Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. Air vice-marshal is a two-star rank and has a NATO ranking code of OF-7. It is equivalent to a rear-admiral in the Royal Navy or a major-general in the British Army or the Royal Marines. In other NATO forces, such as the United States Armed Forces and the Canadian Armed Forces, the equivalent two-star rank is major general. The rank of air vice-marshal is immediately senior to the rank air commodore and immediately subordinate to the rank of air marshal. Since before the Second World War it has been common for air officers commanding RAF groups to hold the rank of air vice-marshal. In small air forces such as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parami Kulatunga
Lieutenant General Parami Sugandika Bandara Kulatunga, RSP, VSV, USP ( Sinhala:පාරමී කුලතුංග) (9 October 1951 in Kandy – 26 June 2006) was a senior Sri Lanka Army officer. He was serving as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army and its third highest-ranking officer at the time of his assassination. On the morning of 26 June, he was killed by a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber who drove an explosives laden motorbike into his staff car as it was driving to a military base at Pannipitiya near Colombo. Early life and education Born in Lewella, Kandy, to Lionel and Leela Kulatunga. He was the youngest of four siblings, Lumbini, Samantha and Indu. Kulatunga was educated at Trinity College, Kandy, where he played rugby and became the Senior Regimental Sergeant Major of the Senior Cadet Platoon. Military career Early career Having joined the Ceylon Army on July 20, 1971, with intake 5A at the height of the 1971 JVP insurrection, receiving his basic trai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Denzil Kobbekaduwa
Lieutenant General Denzil Lakshman Kobbekaduwa, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP ( si, ඩෙන්සිල් ලක්ෂ්මණ් කොබ්බෑකඩුව; 27 July 1940 – 8 August 1992) was a senior Sri Lankan Army officer who served in the 1971 Insurrection and the Sri Lankan Civil War. Having trained with the British Army, Kobbekaduwa started his military career as an armoured corps officer. He was suspended following an alleged Ceylonese coup d'état attempt in 1966 and was reinstated in 1970 attached to internal security prior to and during the 1971 Insurrection. Following a brief stint as an officer instructor, he served as a staff officer attached several commands before commanding the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment, Sri Lanka Armoured Corps. In the mid 1980s he served as district military coordinating officer before joining the general staff of the Joint Operations Command. At Joint Operations Command, he led the planned of the Vadamarachchi Operation, during which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
