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It’s so pleasure to post this blog that I awakened my memories about my buddy soldier who sacrificed his life for the country in the war field year 2009. Though I was able to spend more time at your cemetery last year, I will be unable to do the same this year as I’m not in the country for attending your seventh commemoration. So that, I post this for you with my salute!  

My memory goes to the Jaffna camp where I completed my basic military course year 2004. I met Andrew while I was training there. His discipline, self-respect, pride in his unit and his country, high sense of duty and obligation to comrades and his superiors are the qualities, he showed all over the training. “More sweat on the training field, less blood on the battlefield" was the best that we kept in the mind while we were training. He became my role model and not merely the best friend and my buddy in the defense. 

After the Basic training, we were deployed in the Alpha base where the most powerful point of the Army that had been tried to attack several times by the enemies. In January 2009, the largest battle of the war took place at that night, when huge Enemies cadres surrounded the army's Alpha base, which controlled access to the Capital. All those times so long ago, I still remember what happened at that night

Andrew and I were on duty in the second bunker of Alpha base. We were alerting on terrorist snapping at the camp. A mysterious vehicle entered the field at once that it was with a great weight fulfilled explosives.  Though the enemies began pounding our camp with heavy mortars and weapons to the cries of injured and dying soldiers amidst deafening explosion, all eyes were still centered on that armed vehicle. “What a hell is that!” I yelled and looked back at Andrew but, he was not there. The last thing I saw, holding two grenades in his hand, dashed out toward the oncoming armed vehicle and clambered up to the peak of it and tossed the two grenades inside it. Disregarding numerous injuries he himself had suffered from enemies bullets. The grenades disabled the armed vehicle that advanced with a view to blast the defense line of Alpha base, amidst bursts of the fire accompanied by serious of the explosion. Oh my God! Andrew was flung to the ground and laid motionless.

The camp had been saved from being overrun by the enemies in part by his bravery. It has been seven years since it happened. Your service for the country cannot admire by only an offering a medal. And we will remember you at the going down of the sun and the morning.

We are feeling very happy here in Sri Lanka at present, with the Ethnic War ending in 2009.