1 SF 34th Anniversary Salutes Their Fallen Comrades

The 34th Anniversary commemoration of the 1 Regiment of Special Forces (SF) giving pride of place to the memory of fallen SF war heroes took place at the Headquarters of 1 Regiment Special Forces at Naula on Saturday (10).

The floral wreath-laying, organized by the SF veterans was attended by the founding father of the Special Forces, Major General Gamini Hettiarachchi (Retd) as the Chief Guest, together with the Colonel of the Regiment SF and Commandant, Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force, Major General Sujeewa Senarath Yapa and several senior officers. The brief ceremony concluded with the conduct of religious observances and alms-giving to members of the Maha Sanga in remembrance of fallen war heroes.

The newly-graduated officers and soldiers in the SF basic course also had the rare opportunity of interacting with the founding father and receive further inputs for progression of their career.

In the early 1980s, when the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity came under threat from LTTE terrorists, an elite group of two officers and thirty-eight soldiers under the leadership of then Major Gamini Hettiarachchi was raised as the ‘Combat Tracker Team’ for the first time in the Army.

Later this highly skilled exceptional group of soldiers became known as the ‘Rapid Deployment Force’ and formed the Special Forces. The first Commanding Officer of 1 SF then Major Gamini Hettiarachchi gave the leadership and consolidated the founding of the 1st Regiment with the motto, ‘Determined Dared and Done’ on 10th December 1988.

The Colonel of the Regiment Special Forces, General Officer Commanding 57,58,59 and 64 Infantry Divisions, Members of the Special Forces Regiment Council, Centre Commandant Regimental Center SF, Commanding Officers, Officers and Other ranks, Retired Senior Officers, Officers, Warrant Officers and Other Ranks of Special Forces Ex-Servicemen Association participated in the anniversary event.