Enviro News Asia, Wonogiri — Around 350 first-year cadets from the Indonesian Military Academy and the National Police Academy gathered at the Struggle Monument in Pracimantoro, Wonogiri, Central Java, on Nov. 6 to honour military cadets who died fighting communist rebels in 1948.
The ceremony commemorated the Battle of Pracimantoro, fought on Oct. 4, 1948, near Godang hamlet and Telaga Timbang in southern Pracimantoro. Two cadets from the Yogyakarta Military Academy, Vaandrig Kadet Hardo Sumeru and Vaandrig Kadet Anto Soegiarto, were killed in the battle against the larger, machine-gun-equipped forces of the PKI-Muso rebellion.
Hardo was at the front line when he was shot. Anto continued fighting until he ran out of pistol ammunition. Another cadet, Vaandrig Kadet Harsojo, was seriously wounded and initially presumed dead. Local residents later found him alive and provided assistance. He recovered, continued his military career and eventually attained the rank of major general.
The battle formed part of military operations against the 1948 PKI-Muso rebellion in Madiun. Three companies of Yogyakarta Military Academy cadets were deployed alongside troops from the Siliwangi Division. One company, under the command of the Nasuhi Battalion, was assigned to move towards Pacitan through Wonosari and Pracimantoro, where the cadets encountered the fighting.
Although they were still undergoing military training, the young cadets left their classrooms to defend the newly established Republic of Indonesia. Their sacrifice became part of the country’s military history and a reminder of the price paid to safeguard independence.
Their names have since been commemorated at military institutions. Hardo Sumeru was honoured through the naming of the physics laboratory at the Military Academy in Magelang. Anto Soegiarto’s name was given to the academy’s electronics laboratory and a street in Pracimantoro. Harsojo was commemorated through a building at the Indonesian Army’s Field Artillery Centre.
The Yogyakarta Military Academy Family Association (IKAM-Yogya) has continued efforts to preserve the history of the battle. In cooperation with the Pracimantoro Military District Command (Koramil 13/Pracimantoro), the association restored the Struggle Monument, completing the work in September 2025. The names of the cadets who took part in the battle were re-inscribed at the monument.
All cadets involved in the 1948 military operation against the PKI-Muso rebellion were awarded the Satya Lencana Gerakan Operasi Militer I (GOM-I), a state military operations medal.
Passing the Legacy to a New Generation
The Nov. 6 ceremony was led by Lt. Col. (Marines) Hery Mulyanto, commander of the Third Cadet Battalion at the Indonesian Military Academy. The cadets attended with their instructors as part of the 2026 Integrated Combat Training programme, which retraces the 2026 guerrilla route of General Sudirman, the Indonesian military’s first commander-in-chief.
During the event, Ambar, daughter of Moh. Tholib, a member of the first Yogyakarta Military Academy graduating class who also fought in Pracimantoro, recounted the history of the battle.
IKAM-Yogya also distributed information sheets detailing the experiences of the academy cadets involved in the fighting, helping connect family memories with historical education for future generations of military and police officers.
At the monument, the cadets held a memorial ceremony under the theme: “Fallen Flowers on Pracimantoro Soil, Your Spirits Live Forever in the Archipelago; Our Prayers and Highest Tribute to the Cadet Heroes.”
A reading of the battle’s history and the laying of a wreath formed the central parts of the tribute. The ceremony gave the future officers an opportunity to reflect on the courage, loyalty and dedication shown by their predecessors in defending the Republic.
The gathering also underscored the importance of preserving the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice while still in military training, ensuring their legacy remains part of the education and values of Indonesia’s future TNI and police officers. (*)
