Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
Larry A.R. Wijeratne
USP,
SLA (1950 – 14 May 1998) was the former
Brigade Commander
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division.
...
of 51-4 Brigade based in
Jaffna
Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th mo ...
.
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
A King's Scout is a Scout (Scouting), Scout who has attained the King's Scout Award. The King's Scout Award is the highest youth award achievable in the Scouting movement in the Commonwealth realms, including the United Kingdom, Canada (Queen's ...
. His wife was Brigadier Indira Wijeratne of the Sri Lanka Army Legal Branch and he was the father of two sons Bhagya and Dulanjaya.
Career
After leaving school he joined the army as an officer cadet and was commissioned as a
Second Lieutenant in the
Sri Lanka Artillery
The Sri Lanka Artillery (SLA) is the artillery arm of the Sri Lanka Army. It is made up of ten regular regiments and two volunteer regiments. The SLA is headquartered at Panagoda Cantonment, Panagoda.
The emblem of the SLA is modeled after that ...
. 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
The Uttama Seva Padakkama (USP, Eminent Service Medal) ( Sinhala: උත්තම සේවා පදක්කම ''uṭṭama sēvā padakkama'') is presented to all ranks of the regular forces of the Sri Lankan military for:
Award process
Th ...
,
Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal,
North and East Operations Medal,
Purna Bhumi Padakkama
The Purna Bhumi Padakkama ( Sinhala: පූර්ණ භූමි පදක්කම ''pūrna bhūmi padakkama'') was a service medal awarded by the Military of Sri Lanka (regular and volunteer) and Sri Lanka Police to all ranks of its forces in ...
,
Operation Wadamarachchi Medal,
Riviresa Campaign Services Medal
The Riviresa Campaign Services Medal ( Sinhala: රිවිරැස මෙහෙයුම් පදක්කම ''riviræsa meheyum padakkama'') was a campaign medal presented to all ranks of the regular and volunteer forces of the Military of ...
, 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.
Death
On the last day of his duty assignment he was killed by an
LTTE suicide bomber
A suicide attack is any violent attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have occurred throughout histor ...
Jane's Sentinel examines the success of the LTTE in resisting the Sri Lankan forces
at Velvetiturai in Jaffna
Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th mo ...
on 14 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
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
.
External links
Official Website of Sri Lanka Army
Ministry of Defence, Sri Lanka
MIC-Military Intelligence Corps
References
* ttp://www.fas.org/irp/threat/terror_98/asia.htm Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1998 Asia Overview* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20040712041427/http://atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FG10Df03.html Tigers send a deadly message, By Sudha Ramachandran*
The Larry Wijeratne That I Knew
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wijeratne, Larry
1950 births
1998 deaths
Sri Lankan major generals
Sinhalese military personnel
Assassinated military personnel
Assassinated Sri Lankan people
Terrorist incidents in Sri Lanka in 1998
Suicide bombings in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka Military Academy graduates
People killed during the Sri Lankan Civil War
Sri Lanka Artillery officers