HAIL! ARMY COMANDER SHAVENDRA SILVA – WAR ON COVID-19

G.A.D.Sirimal – BORALESGAMUWA

(courtesy of The Sunday Island)

All praise should go to our gallant Army Commander Lt.. General Shavendra Silva for his excellent strategy to combat the vicious coronavirus -Covid-19 -facing the country, with his dedicated men, following strictly medical advice and guidance to eradicate this menace facing the country. It will be interesting for readers to know the past history of this great son of Lanka during the Eelam war. Accidentally, ransacking some old paper clippings and rummaging old news magazines, I came across a very interesting article in a magazine BUSINESS TODAY – December 2008, , an interview with the then Army Commander and now Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka where mention has been made of Brigadier Shavendra Silva,- to quote.-

In fact, in general, I was against the traditional thinking. I appointed junior officers who had battlefield experience to key commanding positions. For example, it is the No.5 officer in terms of seniority who is posted to the Jaffna Security Forces HQ. In this case the person appointed was No.15 in seniority. There was naturally, a big hue and cry at the beginning, but as these officers began producing results, these complains died down.
Similarly, some of the Division Commanders in the front are way down the seniority list. Brigadier Shavendra Silva, for example, who spearheaded the capture of Pooneryn is the 45th in terms of seniority”

From the above excerpt, it is clear it was the then Commander of the army, the present Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka , in his wisdom and military acumen that the present Army Commander Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva blossomed to be an accomplished leader, else he would have ended as one poet wrote “ FULL MANY A FLOWER BORN TO BLUSH UNSEEN, AND WASTE ITS SWEETNESS IN THE DESERT AIR”.

Well, Sirs, the nation, irrespective, petty differences, political, race, religion, etc should salute you and your names should be etched in gold in the annals of Sri Lanka’s history as true sons of LANKA who saved the country in times of peril, prepared to make the supreme sacrifice -DEATH.

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