Sudirman

Who was Sudirman?

General of the Army Raden Soedirman was a high-ranking Indonesian military officer during the Indonesian National Revolution. The first commander-in-chief of the Indonesian Armed Forces, he continues to be widely respected in Indonesia. Born in Purbalingga, Dutch East Indies, to a commoner and his wife, Sudirman was adopted by his uncle, a noble. After the family moved to Cilacap in 1916, Sudirman was raised to be a diligent student; he was also highly active in extra-curricular activities, including a scouting programme run by the Islamic organisation Muhammadiyah. While still in middle school, Sudirman showed leadership and organisational skills and became respected within the community for his devotion to Islam. After dropping out of teacher's college, in 1936 he began working as a teacher, and later headmaster, at a Muhammadiyah-run elementary school; he was also active with several other Muhammadiyah programs, becoming the leader of the Muhmmadiyah Youth Group in 1937. After the Japanese occupied the Indies in 1942, Sudirman continued to teach. In 1944, he joined the Japanese-sponsored Defenders of the Homeland as a battalion commander in Banyumas. In this position he put down a rebellion by his fellow soldiers, but was later interned in Bogor.