Widjojo Soejono (9 May 1928 – 11 May 2022) was a four-star rank general in the Indonesian Army and the former Commander of Puspasus (now

Kopassus The Kopassus (, Special Forces Command) is an Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) special forces group that conducts special operations missions for the Indonesian government, such as Direct action (military), direct action, unconventional warfare, sabot ...

) from 1967 to 1970.

Profile

Early life

Widjojo Soejono was born in

Tulungagung Tulungagung Regency (pronounced ) is a regency ''(kabupaten)'' of East Java Province, Indonesia. It covers an area of 1,144.53 km2 and had a population of 990,159 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 1,089,775 at the ...

East Java East Java (, , ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost third of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean border its northern ...

on 9 May 1928, as the youngest son of 15 brothers with his father Martodidjojo whose ancestors came from

Surakarta Surakarta (Javanese script, Javanese: , Pegon script, Pegon: ), known colloquially as Solo (Javanese script, Javanese: ; ), is a major List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in Central Java, Indonesia. The city adjoins Karanganyar Reg ...

and Roesmirah whose ancestors came from

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by Hamengkubuwono, a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an importan ...

. He went to a

Hollandsch-Inlandsche School Hollandsch-Inlandsche School (HIS) (Dutch school for natives) was a school during the Dutch East Indies, Dutch colonial era in Indonesia. The school, was first established in 1914, following with the enactment of the Dutch Ethical Policy. The scho ...

continuing to the Technical School. He was in the same class as Soewoto Sukendar who later became

Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force The Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force (, abbreviated KSAU or KASAU) is the highest position in the Indonesian Air Force. The position is held by the four-star Marshal, appointed by and reporting directly to the Commander of the Indonesia ...

and Widodo Budidarmo who later became the

Chief of the Indonesian National Police The chief of the Indonesian National Police (), commonly known as the national police chief (), is the official who heads the Indonesian National Police. Since it was first formed, this position has experienced several changes in hierarchy and p ...

Military career

Widjojo Soejono left school at the age of 17 to take part in the training of Defender of the Homeland Voluntary Army Officers (PETA) in

Bogor Bogor City (), or Bogor (, ), is a landlocked city in the West Java, Indonesia. Located around south of the national capital of Jakarta, Bogor is the 6th largest city in the Jakarta metropolitan area and the 14th overall nationwide.

in early 1945. After graduating he was placed in Battalion 4, based in

Malang Malang (; , ), historically known as Tumapel, is an inland List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of East Java. It has a history dating back to the age of the Singhasari, Singhasari K ...

. After the disbandment of PETA two days after the

Proclamation of Indonesian Independence The Proclamation of Indonesian Independence (, or simply ''Proklamasi'') was read at 10:00 Tokyo Standard Time on Friday 17 August 1945 in Jakarta. The declaration marked the start of the diplomatic and armed resistance of the Indonesian Nati ...

, he joined his senior Soehardjo to form the

People's Security Agency The People's Security Army () or commonly abbreviated as TKR is the name of the first military force formed by the Indonesian Government, after the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence. TKR was formed on October 5, 1945, based on an announcemen ...

(BKR) at

Hogere Burgerschool The ''Hogere Burgerschool'' (''HBS'') (Dutch: Higher Civic School) was a secondary school type that existed between 1863 and 1974 in the Netherlands and the Dutch Empire. These schools, with a five- or sometimes six-year program, continued in 1 ...

Straat which, now Jalan Wijaya Kusuma,

Surabaya Surabaya is the capital city of East Java Provinces of Indonesia, province and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern corner of Java island, on the Madura Strai ...

, units which later became TNI Regiment 33, Division VI/Narotama. After the war he served as Commander of

from 1967 to 1970, Commander of

Kodam XIII/Merdeka (XIII ''Regional Military Command/Merdeka'') is a Defense Regional Military Command which is responsible for the defense of the provinces of North Sulawesi, Gorontalo and Central Sulawesi. History For many years since independence and the merge ...

from 1970 to 1971, Commander of Kodam V/Brawijaya from 1971 to 1975. He took part in operational command during Operation Seroja and became Chief of Staff of Kopkamtib from 1980 to 1982.

Personal life

He married Siti Mastoechajah and had five children: Enny Lukitaning Diah, Wedhia Purwaningsih, Ariyati Sihwarini, Hardini Surjaningsih, and Budhi Soejono. Widjojo Soejono, died on 11 May 2022, aged 94, at

Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital Gatot Soebroto Central Army Hospital (, abbreviated as RSPAD Gatot Soebroto) is a military hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia. The name of the hospital is derived from Gatot Soebroto, a National Hero of Indonesia. Established in 1819, the hospital is ...

due to an unspecified cause and Soejono was buried with military honours at

Kalibata Heroes' Cemetery The National Main Heroes' Cemetery in Kalibata (), colloquially known as Kalibata Heroes' Cemetery ( or ''TMP Kalibata''), is a military cemetery in Kalibata, South Jakarta, Indonesia. It was built in 1953 and opened on 10 November 1954. Bachar ...

South Jakarta South Jakarta (; ), abbreviated as Jaksel, is one of the five administrative cities which form the Special Capital Region of Jakarta, Indonesia. South Jakarta is not self-governed and does not have a city council, hence it is not classified as a ...

on May 11, 2022, at 13.30 WIB.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soejono, Widjojo 1928 births 2022 deaths Members of Pembela Tanah Air People from Tulungagung Regency