Pierre Andries Tendean (21 February 1939 – 1 October 1965) was an

Indonesian Army The Indonesian Army ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD), ) is the land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,000 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its ...

lieutenant. He was best known as a victim of the 30th September Movement (

G30S The Thirtieth of September Movement ( id, Gerakan 30 September, abbreviated as G30S, also known by the acronym Gestapu for ''Gerakan September Tiga Puluh'', Thirtieth of September Movement) was a self-proclaimed organization of Indonesian N ...

) and posthumously awarded as revolution hero, later Indonesian national hero.

Early life

Tendean was the a second child of three children of A.L. Tendean from

Minahasa The Minahasans (alternative spelling: Minahassa) are an ethnic group native to the North Sulawesi province of Indonesia, formerly known as North Celebes. The Minahasa people sometimes refer to themselves as Manado people. Although the Minahasan p ...

and Dutch-born French mother M.E. Cornet. He had an older sister, Mitzi, and younger sister, Rooswidiati. Tendean's father was a doctor and held posts in hospitals in

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

Tasikmalaya en, Neaty City , nickname = nl, Delhi Van Java en, Delhi of Java , image_skyline = , imagesize = , image_caption = Clockwise from the top: Great Mosque of Tasi ...

Cisarua Cisarua is a location and district in the Bogor Regency, located in the province of West Java, with a population of 127,096 in 2020. The district is known for its mild climate, tea fields, and extensive views, being located in a rather high alti ...

Magelang Magelang () is one of six cities in Central Java that are administratively independent of the regencies in which they lie geographically. Each of these cities is governed by a mayor rather than a ''bupati''. Magelang city covers an area of 18. ...

, and

Semarang Semarang ( jv, ꦏꦸꦛꦯꦼꦩꦫꦁ , Pegon: سماراڠ) is the capital and largest city of Central Java province in Indonesia. It was a major port during the Dutch colonial era, and is still an important regional center and port today. ...

. Tendean attended elementary school in Magelang and middle school and high school in Semarang. His desire after completing high school was to attend the National Military Academy ( id, Akademi Militer Nasional). However, his parents wanted him to become a doctor like his father or an engineer. The compromise was for Pierre to attend the Army's Engineering Academy ( id, Akademi Teknik Angkatan Darat (ATEKAD)) in

Bandung Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...

, where he started in 1958.

Military career

Tendean received battlefield experience while in the academy when he was sent to

West Sumatra West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5, ...

with his fellow cadets to participate in operation Sapta Marga against the

Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia The Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Pemerintah Revolusioner Republik Indonesia (PRRI)) was a revolutionary government set up in Sumatra to oppose the central government of Indonesia in 1958. Although frequently referr ...

(PRRI). At that time Tendean was a Corporal Cadet and was assigned to the Army's Corps of Engineers ( id, Zeni Tempur). In 1961, Tendean graduated from ATEKAD and was given the rank Second Lieutenant ( id, Letnan Dua (Letda) Czi). As a fresh Zeni officer, he then pursued a year-long course in military-civil engineering in the same academy and finished the course in December 1962. His first assignment after Academy was as Platoon Commander in the 2nd Battalion of the Corps of Engineers in the 2nd Regional Military Command (

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

: ''Komandan Peleton Batalyon Zeni Tempur 2 Komando Daerah Militer II (Danton Yon Zipur 2 / Dam II) '') in

Medan Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four main ...

. The following year, Tendean received

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can b ...

training in Army Intelligence Training Centre in

Bogor Bogor ( su, , nl, Buitenzorg) is a city in the West Java province, Indonesia. Located around south of the national capital of Jakarta, Bogor is the 6th largest city in the Jakarta metropolitan area and the 14th overall nationwide.Indonesia's confrontation with Malaysia, where he led a group of volunteers in several infiltrations into Malaysia performing intelligence gathering. On April 15, 1965, Tendean was promoted to First Lieutenant ( id, Letnan Satu (Lettu) Czi) and later, was assigned as a personal aide to General

Abdul Haris Nasution General of the Army Abdul Haris Nasution ( Old Spelling: Abdoel Haris Nasution; 3 December 1918 – 6 September 2000), was a high-ranking Indonesian general and politician. He served in the military during the Indonesian National Revolution an ...

30th September Movement

In the early morning hours of October 1, 1965, troops loyal to the

30 September Movement The Thirtieth of September Movement ( id, Gerakan 30 September, abbreviated as G30S, also known by the acronym Gestapu for ''Gerakan September Tiga Puluh'', Thirtieth of September Movement) was a self-proclaimed organization of Indonesian Na ...

(G30S) came to Nasution's house with the intention of kidnapping him. Shots were fired, awakening Tendean who was staying in the general's housing complex. He was apprehended by the troops and was mistaken for Nasution in the darkened villa. Nasution himself was able to escape in the confusion. Tendean was brought to ''

Lubang Buaya Lubang Buaya (literally "crocodile's pit") is the suburb on Cipayung, East Jakarta, Indonesia which is also the site of the murder of seven Indonesian army officers during the 1 October coup attempt of the 30 September Movement. It is located on t ...

'' along with six high-ranking officers of the army. He was shot to death, and his body thrown into an old well with those of the other captives. His body was among those recovered from the well just three days later. On 5 October 1965, President Sukarno named Pierre Tendean a

national hero The title of Hero is presented by various governments in recognition of acts of self-sacrifice to the state, and great achievements in combat or labor. It is originally a Soviet-type honor, and is continued by several nations including Belarus, Ru ...

for his dedication and sacrifice to the nation. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Captain and buried in the

Kalibata Heroes Cemetery The National Main Heroes Cemetery in Kalibata ( id, Taman Makam Pahlawan Nasional Utama, Kalibata, colloquially known as Kalibata Heroes Cemetery ( id, Taman Makam Pahlawan Kalibata, or ''TMP Kalibata'') is a military cemetery in Kalibata, South ...

. The second youngest of the 8 who were killed in Jakarta, he was only 26 years old at the time of his murder.

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tendean, Pierre 1939 births 1965 deaths Indonesian Christians People from Jakarta Indo people Minahasa people National Heroes of Indonesia Indonesian people of French descent