A. M. B. H. G. Abeyrathnebanda (also spelled Abeyrathne Banda in some sources, si, A. M. B. H. G. අබේරත්නබණ්ඩා, died 29 January 2009) was a soldier in the

Sri Lanka Army ta, இலங்கை இராணுவம் , image = File:Sri Lanka Army Logo.png , image_size = 180px , caption = Emblem of the Sri Lanka Army , start_date ...

. He was killed in action during a battle against the

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; ta, தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள், translit=Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ, si, දෙමළ ඊළාම් විමුක්ති කොටි, t ...

during the final stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War. He was posthumously awarded the

Parama Weera Vibhushanaya __NOTOC__ The Parama Weera Vibhushanaya (PWV) (Sinhala language, Sinhala: පරම වීර වීභූෂණය ''parama vīra vibhūṣaṇaya''; Tamil language, Tamil: பரம வீர விபுஷனைய) is Sri Lanka's highest Mil ...

, the country's highest military award for gallantry, and is the youngest recipient of the medal.

Military career

After finishing basic military training, Abeyrathnebanda was assigned to the 21st battalion of the

Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment The Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment (SLSR) ( Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකා සිංහ රෙජිමේන්තුව ''Śrī Laṃkā Sinha Rejimēnthuva'') is an infantry regiment of the Sri Lanka Army; it is the second oldest infantry ...

. The 21st Sinha Regiment was part of the 584 Brigade of the 58 Division. He joined the unit on 1 January 2009. His citation and army records identify him as a

recruit __NOTOC__ Recruit can refer to: Military * Military recruitment * Recruit training, in the military * '' Rekrut'' (English: Recruit), a military recruit or low rank in German-speaking countries * Seaman recruit Books *''Le Réquisitionnaire'' (E ...

Action on 29 January 2009

Mullaitivu Mullaitivu ( ta, முல்லைத்தீவு, translit=Mullaittīvu; si, මූලදූව, translit=Mūladūva) is the main town of Mullaitivu District, situated on the north-eastern coast of Northern Province, Sri Lanka. A largely ...

, the main military and administrative base of the Tamil Tigers, fell to the army on 25 January 2009. The Tamil Tigers were then surrounded in the Puthukkudiyiruppu and Visuamadu areas. The 58 Division was advancing towards Visuamadu along the A35 highway, and the task of attacking Visuamadu from the west was given to the 21st Sinha Regiment. The army launched their attack on the dawn of 29 January. A

skirmish Skirmishers are light infantry or light cavalry soldiers deployed as a vanguard, flank guard or rearguard to screen a tactical position or a larger body of friendly troops from enemy advances. They are usually deployed in a skirmish line, an i ...

party was sent to capture a section of the Tamil Tiger defensive line in order to allow the rest of the regiment to launch the main offensive. Abeyrathnebanda was part of an eight-man team in this group. They reached the defensive line undetected under the cover of darkness, and assaulted a heavily fortified

bunker A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. T ...

, which was their assigned target. The resistance was heavy, and although they managed to capture the bunker, Abeyrathnebanda was injured in the process. However, they soon came under attack from positions in the Tamil Tigers' secondary defensive lines. As his team were pinned down and taking casualties, Abeyrathnebanda realised that their position would soon be overrun. He jumped out of the captured bunker and ran to the adjacent bunker along the connecting

trench A trench is a type of excavation or in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide (as opposed to a wider gully, or ditch), and narrow compared with its length (as opposed to a simple hole or pit). In geology, trenches result from ero ...

. Rushing amongst the attacking Tamil Tigers, he detonated a hand grenade, killing them and himself. This caused the Tamil Tigers' attack to be delayed long enough for the main force of the 21st Sinha Regiment to arrive and reinforce the skirmish party. The battle ended in victory for the army. They captured the town of Visuamadu, as well as a number of military hardware from the Tamil Tigers.

Recognition

Abeyrathnebanda was posthumously promoted to the rank of

Lance Corporal Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer (NCO), usually equi ...

. Three years later, he was approved to receive the

, Sri Lanka's highest military award for gallantry. President Mahinda Rajapaksa awarded Abeyrathnebanda's medal to his next-of-kin on 19 May 2012, which was the third anniversary of the end of the war. The citation for his medal commends him for fighting with "courage and valour... disregarding risk to his own life and security" despite sustaining injuries, and for sacrificing his life for the sake of his comrades and country. He was 19 years old at the time of his death, and is the youngest recipient of the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abeyrathnebanda, A. M. B. H. G. Recipients of the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya Sinha Regiment soldiers Year of birth missing 2009 deaths Sri Lankan military personnel killed in action