General Ahmad Yani was the commander of the Indonesian Army

Indonesian Army

The Indonesian Army , the land component of the Indonesian Armed Forces, has an estimated strength of 328,517 regular personnel. The force's history began in 1945 when the Tentara Keamanan Rakyat "Civil Security Forces" served as paramilitary and police.Since the nation's independence struggle,...

, and was killed by members of the 30 September Movement

30 September Movement

The Thirtieth of September Movement ) was a self-proclaimed organization of Indonesian National Armed Forces members who, in the early hours of 1 October 1965, assassinated six Indonesian Army generals in an abortive coup d'état. Later that morning, the organization declared that it was in control...

 during an attempt to kidnap him from his house.

Early life

Ahmad Yani was born in Jenar, Purworejo, Central Java

Central Java

Central Java is a province of Indonesia. The administrative capital is Semarang. It is one of six provinces on the island of Java.This province is the province of high Human Development in Indonesia and its Points Development Index countries is equivalent to Lebanon. The province of Central Java...

 on 19 June 1922 to the Wongsoredjo family, a family that worked at a sugar

Sugar

Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...

 factory run by a Dutch owner. In 1927, Yani moved with his family to Batavia, where his father now worked for a Dutch General. At Batavia, Yani worked his way through primary and secondary education. In 1940, Yani left high school to undergo compulsory military service in the army of the Dutch East Indies

Dutch East Indies

The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....

 colonial government. He studied military topography in Malang

Malang

Malang is the second largest city in East Java province, Indonesia. It has an ancient history dating back to the Mataram Kingdom. The city population at the 2010 Census was 819,708. During the period of Dutch colonization, it was a popular destination for European residents. The city is famous for...

, East Java

East Java

East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and islands to its east and to its north East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and...

, but this education was interrupted by the arrival of the invading Japanese

Japanese Occupation of Indonesia

The Japanese Empire occupied Indonesia, known then as the Dutch East Indies, during World War II from March 1942 until after the end of War in 1945...

 in 1942. At the same time, Yani and his family moved back to Central Java.

In 1943, he joined the Japanese sponsored Peta (Defenders of the Motherland) army

PETA (Indonesia)

PETA or was an Indonesian volunteer army established on 3 October 1943 in Indonesia by the occupying Japanese. The Japanese intended PETA to assist their forces oppose a possible invasion by the Allies...

, and underwent further training in Magelang

Magelang

Magelang is one of the largest cities of the 1,130 km² Magelang Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. It is also the largest town in the Kedu Plain between Mount Merbabu and Mount Sumbing in Central Java, Indonesia...

. After completing this training, Yani enlisted to be trained as a Peta platoon commander and was transferred to Bogor

Bogor

Bogor is a city on the island of Java in the West Java province of Indonesia. The city is located in the center of the Bogor Regency , 60 kilometers south of the Indonesian capital Jakarta...

, West Java

West Java

West Java , with a population of over 43 million, is the most populous and most densely populated province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, it is slightly smaller in area than densely populated Taiwan, but with nearly double the population...

 to receive his training. Upon completion, he was sent back to Magelang

Magelang

Magelang is one of the largest cities of the 1,130 km² Magelang Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. It is also the largest town in the Kedu Plain between Mount Merbabu and Mount Sumbing in Central Java, Indonesia...

 as an instructor.

Career with the Indonesian Military

After Independence

Indonesian Declaration of Independence

The Proclamation of Indonesian Independence was read at 10.00 a.m. on Friday, August 17, 1945. The declaration marked the start of the diplomatic and armed-resistance of the Indonesian National Revolution, fighting against the forces of the Netherlands until the latter officially acknowledged...

 Yani joined the army of the fledgling republic and fought against the Dutch. During the first months after the Declaration of Independence, Yani formed a battalion with himself as Commander and led it to victory against the British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 at Magelang. Yani then followed this up by successfully defending Magelang against the Dutch when it tried to take over the city, earning him the nickname of the "Savior of Magelang". Another notable highlight of Yani's career during this time period was the series of guerilla offensives he launched in early 1949 to distract the Dutch whilst Lieutenant Colonel Suharto prepared for the 1st March General Offensive which was to be directed at Yogyakarta.

After Indonesia's Independence was recognized by the Dutch, Yani was transferred to Tegal, Central Java. In 1952, he was called back into action to fight the Darul Islam, a group of rebels seeking to establish a theocracy in Indonesia. To deal with this rebel group, Yani formed a special forces group called the Banteng Raiders. The decision to call in Yani paid dividends and over the next 3 years, Darul Islam forces in Central Java

Central Java

Central Java is a province of Indonesia. The administrative capital is Semarang. It is one of six provinces on the island of Java.This province is the province of high Human Development in Indonesia and its Points Development Index countries is equivalent to Lebanon. The province of Central Java...

 suffered one defeat after another.

In December 1955, Yani left for the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 to study at the Command and General staff College, Fort Leavenworth

Fort Leavenworth

Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...

, Texas. Returning in 1956, Yani was transferred to the Army Headquarters in Jakarta

Jakarta

Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...

 where he became a staff member for General Abdul Haris Nasution

Abdul Haris Nasution

In this Indonesian name, the name "Nasution" is a family name, and the person should be referred to by the family name "Nasution".Abdul Haris Nasution was an Indonesian general who was twice appointed Army Chief of Staff and who escaped an assassination attempt during the...

. At the Army Headquarters, Yani served as Logistics Assistant to the Army Chief of Staff before becoming Deputy Army Chief of Staff for Organization and Personnel.

In August 1958, he commanded Operation August 17 against the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia

Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia

The Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia was a rebel movement led by army officers of the Indonesian Army.-The Rebellion of the Colonels:...

 rebels in West Sumatra. His troops managed to recapture Padang

Padang, Indonesia

Padang is the capital and largest city of West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is located on the western coast of Sumatra at . It has an area of and a population of over 833,000 people at the 2010 Census.-History:...

 and Bukittinggi

Bukittinggi

Bukittinggi is one of the larger cities in West Sumatra, Indonesia, with a population of over 91,000 people and an area of 25.24 km². It is situated in the Minangkabau highlands, 90 km by road from the West Sumatran capital city of Padang. It is located at , near the volcanoes Mount...

, and this success led to his being promoted to 2nd deputy Army chief of staff on 1 September 1962, and then Army chief of staff on 13 November 1963 (automatically becoming a member of the cabinet), replacing General Nasution.

Final Years

As President Sukarno

Sukarno

Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...

 moved closer to the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) in the early 60s, Yani, who was strongly anti-communist, became very wary of the PKI, especially after the party declared its support for the establishment of a fifth force (in addition to the four armed services and the police) and Sukarno tried to impose his Nasakom

Nasakom

Nasakom was a political concept during the Sukarno presidency in Indonesia. It is an acronym based on the Indonesian words NASionalisme , Agama , and KOMunisme ....

(Nationalism-Religion-Communism) doctrine on the military. Both Yani and Nasution procrastinated when ordered by Sukarno on 31 May 1965 to prepare plans to arm the people.

In the early hours of 1 October 1965, the 30 September Movement

30 September Movement

The Thirtieth of September Movement ) was a self-proclaimed organization of Indonesian National Armed Forces members who, in the early hours of 1 October 1965, assassinated six Indonesian Army generals in an abortive coup d'état. Later that morning, the organization declared that it was in control...

 attempted to kidnap seven members of the Army general staff. A squad of about 200 men surrounded Yani's home at Jalan Latuhahary No. 6 in the Jakarta suburb of Menteng

Menteng

Menteng is a subdistrict of Central Jakarta, one of the administrative city which forms the special capital territory of Jakarta, Indonesia.The subdistrict is best known as the location of the Menteng residential area, a new urban design developed in the 1910s to become a residential area for Dutch...

. Usually Yani had eleven troops guarding his home. His wife later reported that a week before an additional six men were assigned to him. These men were from the command of Colonel Latief, who unknown to Yani, was one of the main plotters in the 30 September Movement. According to Yani's wife, the additional men did not appear for duty on that night. Yani and his children were asleep in his house while his wife was out celebrating her birthday by staying out wife a group of friends and relatives. She later recounted that as she drove away from the home at about 11pm, she noticed someone sitting in the shadows across the street as if keeping the house under observation. She thought nothing of it at the time, but following the events later that morning she wondered differently. Also, from about 9 pm on the evening of 30 September a number of phone calls were made to the house at intervals, which when answered would be met with silence or a voice would ask what time it was. The calls continued until about 1 am and Mrs Yani said she had a premonition something was wrong that night.Hughes (2002), pp. 42-47

Yani spent the evening with official callers; at 7 pm he received a colonel from KOTI, the Supreme Operations Command. General Basuki Rahmat

Basuki Rahmat

Basuki Rahmat was an Indonesian General and a witness to the signing of the Supersemar document transferring power from President Sukarno to General Suharto.-Early life:...

, divisional commander in East Java

East Java

East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and islands to its east and to its north East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and...

, then arrived from his headquarters in Surabaya

Surabaya

Surabaya is Indonesia's second-largest city with a population of over 2.7 million , and the capital of the province of East Java...

. Basuki had come to Jakarta to report to Yani on his concerns about increasing communist activity in East Java. Complimenting his report, Yani asked him to accompany him to his meeting the following morning with the President to relay his account.

When the kidnappers came to Yani's home and told him that he was to be brought before the president, he asked for time to bathe and change his clothes. When this was refused he became angry, slapped one of the kidnapper soldiers, and tried to shut the front door of his house. One of the kidnappers then opened fire, killing the general. His body was taken to Lubang Buaya

Lubang Buaya

Lubang Buaya is the site of the murder of seven army officers during the 1 October coup attempt of the 30 September Movement...

 on the outskirts of Jakarta and, together with those of the other murdered generals, was hidden in a disused well.

Yani's body, and those of the other victims, was recovered on 4 October, and all were given a state funeral the next day, before being buried at the Hero's Cemetery at Kalibata

Kalibata

Kalibata is a kelurahan , part of Pancoran which is itself a subdistrict of South Jakarta, Indonesia.-Cemetery:...

. On the same day, Yani and his colleagues were officially declared Heroes of the Revolution by Presidential Decision No. 111/KOTI/1965.

Mrs Yani and her children moved out of the home after Yani's death. Mrs Yani helped make their former home into a public Museum which stands largely as it was in October 1965, including bullet holes in the door and walls, and with the home's furnishings of the time. Today, many Indonesian cities have roads named after Yani.