Gamini Kularatne
Encyclopedia
Corporal Gamini Kularatne PWVParama Weera Vibhushanaya
Parama Weera Vibhushanaya , is the highest Sri Lankan military decoration equivalent to the British Victoria Cross , or the United States Medal of Honor, that's awarded as a reward for all ranks of the tri services individual acts of gallantry...
, SLSR
Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment
The Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment is the first rifle regiment in the Sri Lanka Army and the second oldest infantry regiment in the army. It is made up of seven regular battalions, five volunteer battalions and a headquarter battalion...
(S/34553) (In Sinhalese: ), called the Hasalaka Hero , (September 4, 1966 - July 14, 1991) was a Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n soldier. He was the first recipient of the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya
Parama Weera Vibhushanaya
Parama Weera Vibhushanaya , is the highest Sri Lankan military decoration equivalent to the British Victoria Cross , or the United States Medal of Honor, that's awarded as a reward for all ranks of the tri services individual acts of gallantry...
, the highest award for gallantry awarded by the Sri Lanka Army.
Early life
Gamini Kularatne was the second son of a family of four brothers and a sister. He obtained his primary education at Ranasinghe Premadasa Madhya Maha Vidyalaya at Hasalaka (farming hamlet in the salubrious Kandy DistrictKandy District
Kandy District is a district of the Central Province of Sri Lanka. Its area is 1906.3 km². The capital of the district is Kandy.- Demographics :...
of Sri Lanka). He was a survivor of the Aranthalawa Massacre
Aranthalawa Massacre
The Aranthalawa Massacre was the massacre of 33 Buddhist monks, most of them young novice monks, and four civilians by cadres of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam organization on June 2, 1987 close to the village of Aranthalawa, in the Amparadistrict of Eastern Sri Lanka.The massacre is...
on June 2, 1987 as Mahiyangane Dhammajothi Thero. After seeing the brutality of the Tiger terrorist
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
massacre he pleaded with the chief Thero and left robes to join the Sri Lanka Army on August 27, 1987 with the blessings of his father S.G Babanis and mother S.G Juliet.
Supreme Sacrifice
On the night of July 10, 1991 over 5000 LTTE cadres surrounded the 600 strong army garrison located at Elephant PassElephant Pass
Elephant Pass, Northern Province, Sri Lanka is an important military base and formerly the island's largest salt field, located in the gateway of Jaffna Peninsula. It has thus regularly been the site of battles during the civil war....
(අලිමංකඩ in Sinhala), in Sri Lanka. Elephant Pass
Elephant Pass
Elephant Pass, Northern Province, Sri Lanka is an important military base and formerly the island's largest salt field, located in the gateway of Jaffna Peninsula. It has thus regularly been the site of battles during the civil war....
was known as the gateway to the northern Jaffna Peninsula. Enlisted to the Sri Lankan Army Sinha Regiment Sixth Battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
as a Rifleman
Rifleman
Although ultimately originating with the 16th century handgunners and the 17th century musketeers and streltsy, the term rifleman originated from the 18th century. It would later become the term for the archetypal common soldier.-History:...
, Lance Corporal
Lance Corporal
Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organizations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer, usually equivalent to the NATO Rank Grade OR-3.- Etymology :The presumed...
Gamini Kularatne, along with the rest of his regiment, was tasked with watching for possible LTTE infiltrators.
As dusk fell the LTTE cadres launched several human wave attacks. Flanked by hundreds of their armed cadres, they surrounded the Army's fortifications. But the sight of a hitherto unknown armored bulldozer
Armored bulldozer
The armored bulldozer is a basic tool of combat engineering. These combat engineering vehicles combine the earth moving capabilities of the bulldozer with armor which protects the vehicle and its operator in or near combat. Most are civilian bulldozers modified by addition of vehicle armor/military...
looking like a huge tank sent shock waves among soldiers at all sentry points as the huge bulldozer tank was a mystery to all on guard.
Equipped with a machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
atop it and containing a haul of arms and ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
s inside it rumbled towards the southern entrance of the camp and Lance Corporal Kularatne in his pensive mood thought this new rolling weapon would definitely be able to swarm the garrison within seconds taking a heavy toll of his fellowmen. Above all the fall of Elephant Pass to the enemy would be catastrophic and counterproductive at national level, and there was hardly any time to waste, Kularatne pondered.
Although the LTTE began pounding the Army camp with heavy mortars
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
and weapons to the cries of injured and dying soldiers amidst deafening explosions, all eyes were still centered on the enemy's approaching mysterious bulldozer laden with sophisticated weapons.
Suddenly Lance Corporal Kularatne, holding two grenades in his hands, dashed out towards the oncoming bulldozer tank, clambered up the tank's ladder and tossed the two grenades inside it, disregarding the numerous injuries he himself had suffered by then from the bullets of LTTE. Within seconds, fiery bursts of fire accompanied by a series of explosions occurred. Lance Corporal Gamini Kularatne was flung to the ground lay motionless.
Thus the siege of Elephant Pass Army Camp was broken and one of the most ferocious battles in Sri Lanka's modern history ended. The camp was finally saved from the LTTE.
Lance Corporal Kularatne's supreme sacrifice, dedicated for the sake of Sri Lanka's territorial integrity and sovereignty was well received with admiration and honor by all segments of masses across the island.
In recognition of his act of gallantry Lance Corporal Gamini Kularatne was promoted to the rank of Corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
posthumously and honored with the award of "Parama Weera Vibhushanaya
Parama Weera Vibhushanaya
Parama Weera Vibhushanaya , is the highest Sri Lankan military decoration equivalent to the British Victoria Cross , or the United States Medal of Honor, that's awarded as a reward for all ranks of the tri services individual acts of gallantry...
" on October 10, 1991, the highest gallantry award in Sri Lanka for the first time in the history of Sri Lanka Army.
Later he came to be known as the "Hasalaka Weeraya"(Hasalaka Hero) (හසලක වීරයා)
Corporal Gamini Kularatne's valiant action marks a milestone in the annals of military gallantry. No doubt, the nation salutes this valiant soldier as long as they could breathe. He also leaves an indelible memory of patriotism and valor not only in the minds of his own countrymen but also among millions of Sri Lankans whose today is sacrificed for the sake of tomorrow's betterment.
Memorial
A memorial to Corporal Gamini was later set up in elephant pass with the remains of very bulldozer he destroyed, after the war was over.This can be seen on the A9 road on the way to Jaffna.
