New series: Beyond the call of duty

The unsung heroes

By Chamintha Thilakarathna.

Two Dvora fast attack craft, 458 and 451 along with a gun boat raced from Kankesanthurai to Trincomalee on an assignment to escort civil and cargo ships on March 30, 1996 unaware of what awaited ahead.

The sea was calm and the sun beat down on them. Twenty-one-year-old naval trainee Ranjan Pradeep Jayathilaka was in the Ranavijaya on routine sea training. Ranjan who had joined the force as a clerk could see smoke spiralling skywards in the sea off Vettilekerni. In a moment the calm seas and skies vanished. The other Dvora accompanying the ships was destroyed by a suicide LTTE boat killing all members on board.

"Just behind the smoke appeared what seemed like five water jet crafts belonging to the enemy attacking us unexpectedly," Ranjan related.

"They were 150 metres ahead of us and we were 600 metres from land. The LTTE was trying to trap us by blocking the land path but we were quick. We blocked their way to the land ahead. We turned the craft and started to fire back," he said

Leading Marine Engineer Palitha was at the machine gun 3 on the bridge with leading radio electronic mechanic Mohotti and Able Seaman Karunaratna at the .5 gun on the other end of the craft while Leading Seaman Rohana took control of the 20mm machine gun.

But before long Ranjan felt someone fall on him. One by one he saw his mates being shot down, including the officer-in-charge. The worst was yet to come. Suddenly the guns jammed and stopped working. Then the motor was hit and was also jammed. On one hand the casualties and on the other, the enemy fighters closing in fast. Options- there were none. Only a light machine gun was in working condition. The only consolation was that four of the five water jets of the enemy were also destroyed in the cross fire.

It was too far to swim to land and the enemy too close to flee. "We made up our minds. The decision was unanimous to ram down the remaining water jet. We knew the chances of our survival were slim. But if that was what was needed that was what we would do," Ranjan said.

They looked directly ahead at the enemy craft. Charging in with the little speed they had they went straight ahead ramming the water jet while Able seaman Priyadarshan fired away at the two LTTE cadres in the water.

But there was more to follow. Their Dvora was sinking. The collision had created a hole in it. When they finally managed to SOS for help they were exhausted by the high sea drama, but with no option but to save themselves by throwing water out of the craft with the use of buckets.

Last week Ranjan and his mates were awarded gallantry medals for their bravery. Eighty other service men too were honoured with gallantry awards at the BMICH.

In another act of bravery, Corporal Wanasinghe Mudiyanselage Karunaratna (27) risked his life to save 10 civilians stuck in their office on the top floor of the Ceylinco building in the Central Bank bomb blast.

"I saw people waving frantically for help from the top floor. I knew something had to be done and fast. The Fire Brigade ladder got stuck, restricting firemen trying to reach the top of the building,"Karunaratna said.

" I couldn't bear to watch anymore. I climbed as far as I could on the ladder and got inside the building. The ceiling was falling apart. I saw a couple of bodies lying around. The place was full of smoke and fire. I tried to climb to the top. The last thing I thought was of my life. I didn't care what happened to me. Suddenly I came across a crippled lady in a wheel chair screaming for help, unable to move," he said.

He tore a curtain and wrapped it around the lady and tied it onto himself. Step by step he slowly lowered the lady to the ladder on which firemen were waiting to take over the victims.

"My hair on one side of my head caught fire. But I knew I had to go on to help the people trapped inside. Someone screamed from down below that the top floor might explode for there were flammable gases. But I kept on going," Karunaratna said.

He rescued all ten people at the top floor with the help of another AirForce officer who joined him.

Similarly, Sergeant P.J.Jayalal saved the lives of at least 4,000 soldiers in October 1992 in an unexpected attack in Elephant Pass. "It was 1 a.m. We were at the first defensive line. We saw about 500 terrorists approaching us from the jungles from the Kilali lagoon on the Paranthan side. I was in charge of the section. We were attacked for four and a half hours. Had we been killed, the entire Elephant Pass camp would have been destroyed.

The few soldiers who were there came up with a strategy to overcome the 500 terrorists," Jayalal said. The lives of about 4000 men were at stake. The LTTE's RPGs and mortars were countered with hand grenades and machine guns.

Lieutenant Commander Sajith Lasantha Gamage and Seaman K.K.Suraweera almost died in a battle trying to save some soldiers. Suraweera was so badly injured that he had to be hospitalised for months. He fought to save his ship from two terrorist fighter craft alone at sea.

Most of these men were not of high rank nor had great ambitions. They were either trainees, drivers, clerks or even those who happened to be there by chance.

"There are times when we need to risk our lives although every man's wish is to live. The loss of our lives will bring sorrow only to a few, but the loss of thousands would be felt by everyone," they reasoned.

"We didn't do these things to win a medal. In fact, we didn't even expect to live to receive a medal when we got involved in such situations," they said.

'Rana Suras' and 'Rana Weeras' they may be now, but in an era where a cricket match or a long jump would win a house or a piece of land, these brave Sri Lankans seem to deserve more than a medal that neither they nor anyone else has any regard for. Of course, they are happy and proud to have received them.

"All we hope is that these medals will encourage others to be brave. We hope it will be a morale booster. And, we feel appreciated," they said. The medals that they wear are some of the highest honours that could be presented to military men.

These are the people whom we seldom welcome with garlands, and treat as heroes simply because they don't expect it -they are the real heroes of this war- torn country.

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