Phichit Kullavanich (; born 6 July 1932) is a Thai retired army officer and a former Privy councilor. He served as an assistant deputy commander-in-chief in 1986 and subsequently deputy commander-in-chief in 1990 He is an uncle of current Governor of Bangkok

Chadchart Sittipunt Chadchart Sittipunt (, , ; born 24 May 1966) is a Thai politician, engineer, and professor who is the incumbent Governor of Bangkok. He previously was Minister of Transport from 2012 to 2014. Early life and education Chadchart is the third s ...

Early life

Phichit was born the oldest of 6 sibling on 6 July 2475 in Chachoengsao province to Chuan Kullavanich, a brother of Thailand former minister of Agriculture Pichai Kullavanich. Once finished a local primary education at Bangkok Christian College he attended and graduate from

Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy (CRMA) (; ) is the service academy of Royal Thai Army (RTA). Established in 1887 it has graduated the majority of Thailand's military leaders, many of whom have become Prime Ministers of Thailand, Thai prime m ...

as the second batch of the academy. During his 2nd year at Military academy he was selected to further his education at United States Military Academy, USA in From 1958 to 1962. He also finished Non-commissioned officer, ranger and airborne training at

Fort Moore Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family me ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

(Formerly known as Fort Benning)

Military career

Upon completing his education, he returned to Thailand and initially served as an airborne operations instructor at the Infantry Training Center in

Lopburi Lopburi (, , ) is the capital city of Lopburi Province in Thailand. It is about northeast of Bangkok. It has a population of 58,000. The town ('' thesaban mueang'') covers the whole ''tambon'' Tha Hin and parts of Thale Chup Son of Muea ...

. During his tenure, he earned a reputation for his remarkable enthusiasm, encouraging trainees under his tutelage to shout like tigers during attacks, hence earning him the enduring nickname "Big Tiger" throughout and beyond his entire career. He was later promoted to chief operations and training staff officer of 1st airborne battalion (Now 31st Infantry Regiment) which is the first airborne unit from Lopburi province. From 1965 to 1966, he was selected to undergo training as the Chief of the Army General Staff. Upon completion, he returned to

and assumed the position of Chief of Staff at the

Royal Thai Army Special Warfare Command The Royal Thai Army Special Warfare Command () also known as Pa Wai Airborne () is the special forces of the Royal Thai Army. Its headquarters are King Narai Camp in Lopburi. History The Royal Thai Army recognizes the importance and necessi ...

. During the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, Phichit, along with other notable officers such as

Chavalit Yongchaiyudh Chavalit Yongchaiyudh (, , ; born 15 May 1932), also known as "Big Jiew" (, , ), is a Thai politician and retired army officer, he served as the prime minister of Thailand from 1996 to 1997. From 1986 to 1990, he was the Commander-in-chief of ...

, served as a prominent commander of the

Royal Thai Volunteer Regiment The Royal Thai Volunteer Regiment (), or the Queen's Cobras (จงอางศึก) was a combined force unit of the Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF) which served in the Vietnam War. The unit of some 2,000 troops served alongside the American 9 ...

He would also fought in

Laotian Civil War The Laotian Civil War was waged between the Communist Pathet Lao and the Royal Lao Government from 23 May 1959 to 2 December 1975. The Kingdom of Laos was a covert Theatre (warfare), theater during the Vietnam War with both sides receiving heavy ...

and oversee an operations combating the Communist insurgency. later he would be appointed as a deputy of

Thai Directorate of Operations Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia. ** Thai people, Siamese people, Central/Southern Thai people or Thai noi people, an ethnic group from Central and Southern Thailand. ** , Thai minority in southern Myan ...

During a coup attempt on 9 September 1985, Phichit organize a plane ride for Major general

Manoonkrit Roopkachorn Major General Manoonkrit Roopkachorn (, RTGS: ''Manunkrit Rupkhachon''; born Manoon Roopkachorn, 15 December 1935 in Ayutthaya Province) is a former Thai military officer, senator and President of the Senate of Thailand. A leader of the "Youn ...

, leader of the coup to leave Thailand after a negotiation. Phichit retired from the military in 1993 and he would be appointed and serve as a Privy Councillor duty until 2016.

Honors and decorations

* : ** 1998 – Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Chula Chom Klao The Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao (; ) was established on 16 November 1873 by King Rama V of The Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand) to commemorate the 90th Jubilee of the Chakri Dynasty and bears his name (จุลจอมเกล� ...

** 1988 – Knight Grand Cordon of the

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (; ) is an order (decoration), order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Mongkut, Rama IV of the Thailand, Kingdom of Siam. Along with the Order of the Crown of Thailand, it is r ...

** 1985 – Knight Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Crown of Thailand The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand (; ) is a Thai order, established in 1869 by King Rama V of The Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand) for Thais, the royal family, governmental employees, and foreign dignitaries for their outstanding serv ...

** 1977 –

Companion of the

Order of Rama __NOTOC__ The Honourable Order of Rama (; ) was established on 22 July 1918 (B.E. 2461) by King Rama VI of the Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand), to be bestowed onto those who have rendered special military services either in peace or in wartime. ...

** 1967 – Victory Medal -

, with flames ** 1985 – Freemen Safeguarding Medal, 1st Class ** 1969 – Border Service Medal ** 1973 – Chakra Mala Medal ** 1987 – Boy Scout Citation Medal of Vajira, First Class ** 1991 – King Rama IX Royal Cypher Medal ** 1950 – King Rama IX Coronation Medal * : ** 1968 –

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...

w/ Combat "V" ** 1968 –

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It was awarded to every member of the U.S. Armed Forces who served during any one of four s ...

** 1969 –

Army

Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or ...

* : ** 1968 – Gallantry Cross with palm ** 1968 –

Vietnam Campaign Medal The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, also known as the Vietnam Campaign Medal (), is a South Vietnamese military campaign medal which was created in 1949 and awarded during the First Indochina War. During the Vietnam War (Second Indochina War ...

*: ** 1986 – Gukseon Medal (2nd Grade)

Order of National Security Merit The Order of National Security Merit (Hangul: 보국훈장) is one of South Korea's orders of merit. It is awarded by the President of South Korea for "outstanding meritorious services in the interest of national security." Grades The order ...

ราชกิจจานุเบกษา
ประกาศสำนักนายกรัฐมนตรี เรื่อง พระราชทานพระบรมราชานุญาตประดับเหรียญตราต่างประเทศ
เล่ม 103 ตอนที่ 100 ฉบับพิเศษ หน้า 8, 11 มิถุนายน 2529

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kullavanich, Phichit 1932 births

Phichit Kullavanich Phichit Kullavanich (; born 6 July 1932) is a Thai retired army officer and a former Privy Council of Thailand, Privy councilor. He served as an assistant deputy commander-in-chief in 1986 and subsequently deputy commander-in-chief in 1990 He is ...

Living people

United States Military Academy alumni

Recipients of the Gallantry Cross (Vietnam) Military personnel of the Vietnam War