Late Lieutenant General

Parami Kulatunga RSP, VSV, USP remembered

                                                                

Gentle giant with a heart of gold

By General (R) C. S. Weerasooriya. RWP RSP VSV USP

       I first met Parami in 1971 when he, together with a group of young aspirants, was at the Panagoda cantonment for his Officer Quality Tests. He stood out from the rest because of his height and impressive bearing. He was a product of Trinity College, Kandy and joined the Army with Intake 5A.

He passed out second in the order of merit in his batch and on being commissioned was posted to the 1st Battalion Gemunu Watch in Diyatalawa. He excelled as a young officer and caught the eye of the late General Tissa (Bull) Weeratunga who, when taking over command of the Army made him his first aide-de camp. Parami, true to his nature, remained as the General's ADC for life!!

       Parami was a professional soldier and over the years attended many courses of training, locally and abroad, culminating in the prestigious US Army War College Course. He commanded the Gemunu Watch, several brigades and divisions in operations in the North and the East. He participated in many major operations such as, Operation Liberation (1987), Operation Balavegaya (1991), Operation Riviresa (1995), Operation Jayasikuru (1997) - just to name a few. He held the prestigious appointments of Colombo Commander, Security Forces Commander Vavuniya, and Director General General Staff (AHQ) and at the time of his death, the post of Deputy Chief of Staff.

       One could write volumes about the military achievements of an officer who served for nearly thirty five years. However, I feel that in the final count what matters most is the impression one leaves behind as a human being. Parami was characterized by his genial and pleasant personality. He was much liked by his colleagues and was very popular among his many civilian friends. I would describe him as a gentle giant with a heart of gold. He was ever willing to be of assistance to anybody in need. He loved children although he did not have any of his own. In this appreciation, I have only scratched the surface in writing about the merits of Parami. He was one of those who could have sought safer and greener pastures when the situation in the country worsened, but who nevertheless decided to stay on and serve the motherland loyally, and in doing so paid the supreme sacrifice.

Parami will be remembered for his honesty, loyalty, dedication and commitment as a true son of Lanka.