Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

Rohitha Neil Akmeemana RSP, USP was a senior

Sri Lanka Army The Sri Lanka Army (; ) is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. The army was officially established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, though the army traces its roots back in 1881 when Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers was created; ...

officer who served as

Brigade Commander A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

, 54-2 Brigade which was attached to the 54 Division during the Second Battle of Elephant Pass in April 2000. Having joined the Sri Lanka Army as an officer cadet in 1976, he received his training at the Sri Lanka Military Academy and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 1st Battalion,

Gemunu Watch The Gemunu Watch (GW) ("King Dutugemunu's Own") is a infantry regiment of the Sri Lanka Army, formed with troops from the Sri Lanka Light Infantry, Ceylon Light Infantry and the Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment, Ceylon Sinha Regiment in 1962. It has be ...

. There he was a part of the regimental

Cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

team which won the Army inter regimental Cricket tournament in 1979. During his military career spanning over 22 years, he held a number of battle commands in the 30-year-old ethnic conflict battling the LTTE. He was appointed as the first commanding officer of the 9th Battalion,

on 24 January 1994 and commanded the unit in the eastern theater of war until 1995. In 1995 he was appointed as the centre commandant at the

regimental headquarters in Kuruwita. He was killed in action during the Second Battle of Elephant Pass during the SLA's strategic withdrawal following a massive

LTTE The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; , ; also known as the Tamil Tigers) was a Tamil militant organization, that was based in the northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam ...

offensive in April 2000. During the withdrawal his brigade acted as a rear guard alongside the Independent

Special Forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

brigade commanded by Major General Percy Fernando. After the withdrawal he died of dehydration on 22 April at the Palali hospital. He was serving in the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

as a brigade commander and was posthumously promoted to the rank of

brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

. He was awarded the Rana Sura Padakkama and

Uttama Seva Padakkama The Uttama Seva Padakkama (USP, Meritorious Service Medal) ( Sinhala: උත්තම සේවා පදක්කම ''uṭṭama sēvā padakkama'') is presented to all ranks of the regular forces of the Sri Lankan military for: Award proc ...

among other medals for gallantry and service.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akmeemana, Rohitha Neil Year of birth missing 2000 deaths Gemunu Watch officers Sri Lankan brigadiers Sinhalese military personnel