Another hero lays down his life for his family and country
By Atula Bandara
Many of the soldiers who lay down their lives for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country are from poor homes. It is in this light that we should view this next story.
The parents of a young man who died in action, Salinda Weerasinghe of Ethungagoda, Tirappane, a town a few miles from Anuradhapura, were compelled to place the remains of their only son in their humble abode, a dilapidated hut. It was a heart-rending sight for those who gathered there to pay their last respects to a war hero.
Born in May 1988 and educated at Ethungama Government School, Salinda Weerasinghe joined the Sri Lanka Army in February 2007. He was awarded the Purnabhoomi Medal and the Deshapura Award for his valour as a soldier of the First Regiment Light Infantry, which was responsible for several military operations against the LTTE. However, Nov. 16, 2008 was a fateful day in his life when he was killed in action during a military operation on the Muhamalai forward defence line.
Salinda was the only son in a family of four children. His parents H.M.Weerasinghe and Milina Kumari of Kokweliya in Vavuniya fled from the area in fear of constant terrorist threats spent more than five years in a camp in Anuradhapura before they settled in Ethungama. They received only a small block of land and no other assistance from the government. This compelled them to erect a hut on the land provided to them and depend on manual work to earn a pittance to maintain the family.
Salinda, who was worried about the plight of his parents and three sisters, who were struggling to exist, fighting against various odds, decided to join the Army when he was just 18. Many of the young men of the Akkarapaha colony in Ethungama joined the army at that age as well. Salinda’s only dream was to build a house for his family and to be able to give his elder sister in marriage. However, fate had decreed otherwise and the bullet of a terrorist shattered his dream. The news of his tragic death sent shock waves throughout the area and a large crowd gathered to pay their last respects. His mother Milina Kumari has not yet recovered from the trauma of the tragic news of her only son’s sudden demise and was not in a position even to speak to visitors.
Salinda’s funeral took place at the Etungama public cemetery with full military honours and with the participation of a large crowd. Residents of the area who attended the funeral stressed that the government should look to provide Salinda’s family with immediate relief, as he was a war hero.
courtesy:dailymirror.lk
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