"Ahmad Yani"

     Ahmad Yani was a national hero of Indonesia that died on October 1st 1965, but let's start at the beginning. Ahmad Yani was born on june 19th 1922 in  Jenar, Purwokerto, Central Java. But on 1927 Yani moved with his family to Jakarta that was formerly known as "Batavia" where his father worked for a dutch general.Yani worked his way through primary and secondary education. In 1940, Yani left high school to undergo compulsory military service in the Army of the Dutch East Indies colonial government. He initially trained to be a navy seaman. He studied military topography in Malang, East Java, but this education was interrupted by the arrival of the invading Japanese in 1942. At the same time, Yani and his family moved back to Central Java.

   After Independence Yani joined the army of the fledgling republic and fought against the Dutch. During the first months after the Declaration of Independence, Yani formed a battalion with himself as Commander and led it to victory against the British at Magelang. Yani then followed this up by successfully defending Magelang against the Dutch when it tried to take over the city, earning him the nickname of the "Savior of Magelang". Another notable highlight of Yani's career during this time period was the series of guerilla offensives he launched in early 1949 to distract the Dutch whilst Lieutenant Colonel Suharto prepared for 1 March General Offensive which was to be directed at Yogyakarta.

     After Indonesia's Independence was recognized by the Dutch, Yani was transferred to Tegal, Central Java. In 1952, he was called back into action to fight the Darul Islam, a group of rebels seeking to establish a theocracy in Indonesia.In December 1955, Yani left for the United States to study at the Command and General staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Returning in 1956, Yani was transferred to the Army Headquarters in Jakarta where he became a staff member for General Abdul Haris Nasution.

     As President Sukarno moved closer to the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) in the early 60s, Yani, who was strongly anti-communist, became very wary of the PKI. Sadly his his waryness of the PKI was granted because a couple of years later in the 30 September Movement he was killed on a atempted kidnaping. he was shot right infront of his own door. May he rest in peace.