Percy Fernando
Major General Percy Fernando, RWP, RSP, psc, CR (died 2000) was a Sri Lankan Army officer, who was the Deputy GOC, 54 Division based at Elephant Pass and prior to which he was the brigade commander of the independent Special Forces Brigade. Educated at Royal College, Colombo, where he represented the school and captained the rowing team and winning several races at the Royal Thomian Regatta. Fernando joined the army after leaving school and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Later he transferred to the Commando Regiment when it was formed in the 1980s. Brigadier Fernando was the Sri Lanka Military Academy commandant from 1998 to 2000. He served as the Deputy GOC, 54 Division based at Elephant Pass during the Second Battle of Elephant Pass in 2000. Following orders from the GOC 54 Division to evacuate the base and make a strategic withdrawal of troops from Elephant Pass, Brigadier Fernando organized and carried out an orderly withdrawal, commanding the rear guard ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Psc (British Army)
psc is a post-nominal for ''Post Staff College'' (formally ''Passed Staff College'') in the Commonwealth militaries of Bangladesh, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom. It indicates that an officer has undertaken the staff officer course at a staff college. United Kingdom The practice originated in the British Army where the initials ''psc'' appeared in the service lists denoting that the officer had attended the Staff College, Camberley. Royal Navy officers who attended the staff course at Royal Naval College, Greenwich and RAF officers who attended the RAF Staff College, Bracknell also used the qualification. Since the 1997 amalgamation of staff training officers now receive the letters psc(j) from the Joint Services Command and Staff College as Post Staff College (Joint)(United Kingdom) (psc(j)(UK)) after completing the Advanced Command and Staff Course. British officers also receive the letters psc(''nation'') or psc(j)(''nation'') from attendance ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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North And East Operations Medal
The North and East Operations Medal ( Sinhala: උතුරු නැගෙනහිර සංග්රාමික පදක්කම ''uthuru nægenahira sangrāmika padakkama'') was a decoration presented to servicepersons of the Military of Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka Police for service in the country's Northern and Eastern provinces during the course of the Sri Lankan Civil War between 23 July 1982 and 1 January 2010. Eligibility General requirements for eligibility, particularly applicable to members of the Sri Lanka Air Force and Sri Lanka Police, were 3 years of cumulative service in the two provinces between the 23 July 1982 and 1 January 2010. Army personnel are subject to a more specific set of rules, requiring 3 years of cumulative service in: *Districts of Jaffna, Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Ampara, * Divisional secretarial divisions of Nochchiyagama, Nuwaragampalatha (Central) and Wilachchiya of Anuradhapura District, * ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Purna Bhumi Padakkama
The Purna Bhumi Padakkama ( Sinhala: පූර්ණ භූමි පදක්කම ''pūrna bhūmi padakkama'') was a service medal awarded by the Military of Sri Lanka (regular and volunteer) and Sri Lanka Police to all ranks of its forces in recognition of service in various districts that were regarded as theaters of the Sri Lankan Civil War between 22 July 1977 to 1 January 2010. Eligibility All ranks of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Police who had served at least 180 days in the following districts were eligible for the award. * Jaffna District (since 22 July 1977), or * Vavuniya District, Kilinochchi District, Mullaitivu District, Mannar District, Batticaloa District, Trincomalee District or Ampara District Ampara District (; ) is one of the 25 Districts of Sri Lanka, districts of Sri Lanka, the second-level administrative divisions of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a Government Agent (Sri Lanka), Distric ... (since 16 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Riviresa Campaign Services Medal
The Riviresa Campaign Services Medal ( Sinhala: රිවිරැස මෙහෙයුම් පදක්කම ''riviræsa meheyum padakkama'') was a campaign medal presented to all ranks of the regular and volunteer forces of the Military of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Police, as well as civilians that were involved in planning or assisting Operation Riviresa (17 October 1995 - 5 December 1995), one of the most notable successes of the Sri Lankan forces during Eelam War III. This medal is one among few awarded to a serving senior political appointee, having been awarded to the Deputy Minister of Defence at the time, Col. (later Gen. Anuruddha Ratwatte. Award process The decoration was presented by the President, following recommendations from field- and service commanders. All actively serving military and police servicepersons, military- and civilian medical staff and civilians employed by the armed forces in any non-military capacity (involved in planning the Operation and p ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal
__NOTOC__ The Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal ( Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකා සන්නද්ධ සේවා දීර්ඝ සේවා පදක්කම ''Śrī Laṃkā ārakśaka sēvā dhīrgha sēvā padakkama'') is a service award presented to all ranks of the tri-forces of Sri Lanka. Service personnel are eligible for the award on the completion of 12 years' continuous (desertion or absence without leave act as disqualifiers) service with perfect character and discipline. Criteria General officers commanding/area commanders/commanding officers forward recommendations to service commanders. Reserve- or volunteer forces may qualify for this award provided that their service periods add up to 12 years. This award replaced the Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal in 1979 when Sri Lanka became a republic. Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Clasp (1979) A clasp is awarded to service personnel on completing 20 years' continuous service with ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sniper
A sniper is a military or paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with telescopic sights. Modern snipers use high-precision rifles and high-magnification optics. They often also serve as scouts/ observers feeding tactical information back to their units or command headquarters. In addition to long-range and high-grade marksmanship, military snipers are trained in a variety of special operation techniques: detection, stalking, target range estimation methods, camouflage, tracking, bushcraft, field craft, infiltration, special reconnaissance and observation, surveillance and target acquisition. Snipers need to have complete control of their bodies and senses in order to be effective. They also need to have the skill set to use data from their scope and monitors to adjust their aim to hit targets that are extremely f ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rear Guard
A rearguard or rear security is a part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or withdrawal. The term can also be used to describe forces protecting lines, such as communication lines, behind an army. Even more generally, a rearguard action may refer idiomatically to an attempt at preventing something though it is likely too late to be prevented; this idiomatic meaning may apply in either a military or non-military context. Origins The term rearguard (also ''rereward'', ''rearward'') comes from the Old French ''reregarde'', i.e. "the guard which is behind", originating with the medieval custom of dividing an army into three '' Van, Main (or Middle) and Rear. The Rear Ward usually followed the other wards on the march and during a battle usually formed the rearmost of the three if deployed in column or the left-hand ward if deployed in Line (formation)">line. Original usage The commonly accepted definition of a rearguard in mil ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Second Battle Of Elephant Pass
The Second Battle of Elephant Pass (code-named Operation Unceasing Waves III (ஓயாத அலைகள் மூன்று) by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), was fought from December 1999 to April 2000 for the control of the Sri Lankan military base in Elephant Pass, Jaffna. Background Elephant Pass links the Jaffna Peninsula to the rest of the mainland by a narrow strip of land and is known as the ''Gateway to Jaffna''. The Jaffna-Kandy road, the A-9 Highway and the railway line to Jaffna run through Elephant Pass, making the narrow strip of land in a sense the gateway to Jaffna. Elephant Pass has been home to a strategic military base since 1760, when the Portuguese built a fort there, which was later rebuilt and garrisoned by the Dutch in 1776 and later by the British. Since the start of the Sri Lankan Civil War, the Sri Lanka Army maintained a detachment at Elephant Pass, having established a permanent base. In 1991 the LTTE made their first attempt to ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sri Lanka Military Academy
The Sri Lanka Military Academy () (SLMA or SLMA Diyatalawa), commonly known simply as Diyatalawa, is the oldest military academy in Sri Lanka, and trains commissioned officers for the Sri Lanka Army. It is located in the garrison town of Diyatalawa in the central highlands of Sri Lanka. It has capacity to train more than 300 cadets. History Army Training Centre Diyatalawa had been the traditional training grounds for the Ceylon Defence Force. When the Ceylon Army was raised in 1949, the need arose to recruit and train officers and soldiers of the newly formed regular army. The first batch of ten Officer Cadets were enlisted to the Army on the 10 October 1949 and were dispatched to Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. The Army Recruit Training Depot (ARTD) was formed in Diyatalawa on 6 February 1950 for the purpose of training recruits. The first batch of 114 recruits passed out from the ARTD on 2 June 1950. The ARTD was later named as the Army Training Centre (ATC). The Ceylon Army ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Royal Thomian Regatta
The Royal Thomian Regatta is the annual rowing encounter between traditional school rivals Royal College, Colombo and S. Thomas' College, Mt Lavinia. Begun in 1962 as the Royal Thomian Boat Race it later evolved into a regatta in 1966 and now consists of eight events. It is among the oldest and most prestigious Royal-Thomian sporting encounters. The races are rowed over a distance of 1000 yards and take place on the Beira Lake in Colombo. The regatta takes place in the month of October and is usually held on the last Saturday of the month at the Colombo Rowing Club. The Royal Thomian Regatta is the oldest inter-school rowing regatta in Sri Lanka, with Royal being the first school to take up school rowing in the country and S.Thomas' following suit a few years later. The Boat Race is still regarded as the most prestigious race of the regatta and is rowed for the Royal Thomian Boat Race Trophy (also known in the rowing fraternity as the 'Crossed Oars'). The overall winner of ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |