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

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

External links

Official Website of Sri Lanka ArmyMinistry of Defence, Sri LankaMIC-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