Wanni war heroes given military honours & their service appreciated

"The ability to evaluate the situation objectively has always been a sign of true leadership" - General Frido and Senger Etterlin.

round commanders and hundreds of troops in the Army who sweated day and night for victory over terrorism, mostly during the last leg of the Wanni battles were hailed and their national contribution appreciated during a mammoth saluting parade that got underway at Army Headquarters Thursday (28) morning.

The military ceremony saw Commander of the Army General Sarath Fonseka, appreciative of their roles, presented silver parchment scrolls to twelve War Heroes who were at the forefront of the battles against separatist terrorists.

Major General G. A. Chandrasiri, Major General M. C. Mendaka P Samarasinghe, Major General N. A. Jagath C. Dias, Major General Nandana Udawatta, Major General G. D. H. Kamal Gunarathna, Brigadier Prasanna P. De Silva, Brigadier Sathyapriya D. T. Liyanage, Brigadier L. H. Shavindra C. Silva, Brigadier C. P. Gallage, Brigadier P. M. Rohana Bandara, Colonel Nihantha D. Wanniarachchi, and Colonel G. V. Ravipriya were the recipients of those conferment, awarded by General Sarath Fonseka on the occasion.

Under the shade of fluttering regimental flags in the esplanade, more than one thousand and two hundred soldiers, belonging to infantry and other regiments serving Wanni in a colourful military parade, commanded by Major General Kamal Gunarathne saluted their chief, General Sarath Fonseka, as rhythmic melodies of "Peradiga muthu etayayi me" and "Hela jathika abhimane" resonated adding patriotic sentiments to the occasion.

General Sarath Fonseka, in a moving address to his troops commended them for their gallantry and valour. Here is the full text of the Commander's speech;

"In order to mark the victory over terrorism that spanned over thirty years, posing a threat to unitary nature and sovereignty of our motherland, and also to pay tribute to all War Heroes who relentlessly fought to eliminate the scourge of LTTE terrorism from the Sri Lankan soil, this mammoth Saluting Parade was organized.

Let me on this occasion of commemoration also recall cherished memories on our fallen War Heroes, those went missing, turned disable and those sustained injuries during this battle. That memory gives a deep sense of sorrow, but accomplishment of their mission offers solace to us.

This battle victory was largely dependent on leadership of the officers and soldiers who fought in the battle ground. His Excellency, President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Secretary Defence as well as those here and abroad offered leadership and guidance to this fight deserve our tribute and commendation. Fighting units, Task Forces, Service and Logistic units extended their maximum support to us and such cooperation is gratefully acknowledged. Those who provided protection to the ground while fighting was on elsewhere also receive our praise.

New recruits and soldiers who joined the Army en masse contributed largely to this victory. Had they failed to do so, we would not have been able to see an end to this battle. Parents and their family members who directed those heroic soldiers to join the Army also deserve our praise. The Army's strength rose to 200,000 from 116,000 as some 80,000 novices joined the Army in the past few months. Their entry helped us enormously to hold on to the territory thus captured and minimize soldier casualties.

Our ancestors facing similar threats in the past overcame such challenges at the risk of their lives. We have inherited a motherland through their sacrifices, gallantry and valour. The entire country, other than a handful of politicians and segments of people who betrayed the country, supported us whole-heartedly, like one people celebrating this victory.

Rescue of thousands of besieged Tamil people, affected by terrorism was to be launched through a humanitarian operation after Mavilaru episode, enabling them to live as they wished. It was one of our objectives. We brought the entire nation under one flag after eliminating terrorism once for all. It is a matter of pride for Sri Lanka. We fulfilled the mission and the entire Nation is indebted to the Army for that. We have added another 'Dutu Gemunu' reign to history once again.

Sri Lanka Army's sacrifice for successful completion of this fateful "Eelam war - 4" cannot be challenged or equated to a parallel by anyone. 190 officers and 5200 soldiers sacrificed their lives and 27,000 soldiers sustained injuries or turned disable during this battle. Of the total national dedication towards this battle, the Army has contributed more than 96 percent to it. The Army got rid of 22,000 terrorists and captured 9000 of them alive, destroying all their assets and resources. By granting relief of death to those LTTE cadres, the Army amply depicted its discipline and dignity. More than 70 percent of the enemy's maritime and aerial resources were demolished by troops of the Army. Therefore, service and commitment, rendered by Army officers and other ranks in this battle cannot be equated to that of any other individual. As Commander of the Army, I am proud to state so, on behalf of the entire Army.

By introducing changes to the Army, all necessary training were imparted to the troops, all required facilities and essential devices were provided and more importantly, competent military leaders were posted to right seats and appointment of junior leaders among soldiers was made as required. Though the war was to be completed in three years, our collective efforts made it possible to eliminate the enemy within two years and ten months. We are determined to bring peace to the country and we have created an environment, conducive to peace and security. We must still consolidate that basis to avoid any such threats in the future too.

In conclusion, let me thank President, Secretary Defence, the government and everybody for helping us achieve our target that led to the fall of 'Prabhakaran' and all the terrorists. Let me also thank my wife, children, all well-wishers and staff at Army Headquarters for their unstinted support given to me during the period of the battle. Let us resolve to rally round as one people in order to develop this country and lead it to be a prosperous one. Let peace prevail in Sri Lanka," the Commander concluded.