By: Prabowo Subianto [taken from the Book of Military Leadership 1: Notes from the Experience of Lieutenant General TNI (Ret) Prabowo Subianto]
Pak Sutiyoso graduated from the ’68 Academy. When I was a junior, I had seen Pak Sutiyoso from a distance in Kopassus. He was in Group 2 in Magelang, while I was in Group 1 in Cijantung and in Batujajar. Although we didn’t often interact during our service, I knew that he was involved in various operations, including infiltration operations in East Timor under Pak Dading Kalbuadi.
Pak Sutiyoso is known for his sense of humor and his involvement in numerous field operations. He is also famous for his hobby of shooting moving targets.
During his time as the Operations Assistant of Kopassus, when I was the Commander of Brigade 17 Airborne, he proposed to Pak Tarub that I become the Commander of Pusdikpassus in Batujajar.
While I had aspired to remain as the Commander of the prestigious 17 Airborne Brigade, the Education Center in Batujajar held great significance as all airborne forces and all of Indonesia’s special forces had to go through there. I saw this as an opportunity to influence the quality of Indonesia’s elite forces by improving the curriculum and the quality of training and trainers in Batujajar. Therefore, I agreed to Pak Sutiyoso’s request to return to Kopassus and serve as the Commander of Pusdik.
During my time as the Commander of Pusdikpassus, Pak Sutiyoso supported me significantly. We both worked under the leadership of the Pangkostrad when he was the Operations Assistant in Kostrad, and I was the Commander of Brigade. Pak Sutiyoso is a very patriotic person and is deeply committed to the red and white. Additionally, he has a great sense of humor. These are the qualities of the seniors and mentors who have guided me during my time in the military.
