The Soldier from Banyumas
He was a boy scout with the Hizbul Wathan movement and a teacher at a Muhammadiyah school. But during the Japanese occupation, Sudirman enlisted in the military, where at the age of 29 he was elected commander of the People's Defense Army.
Remembered as a simple general who was close to his troops, Sudirman set the foundations of the Indonesian Military or TNIan institution which has been both revered and reviled.
November 13, 2012
He is unquestionably an icon. Boulevards and universities bear his name. His sculpted, uniformed figure stands guard on a major avenue in the capital city of Jakarta, while his image once graced a denomination of our paper money.
Yet Sudirman is little remembered, perhaps only in school textbooks and national history encyclopedia. In fact, he was Indonesia's first military commander, an implacable man who led a grueling guerrilla campaign despit
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