The Tenth Intake of the Kotelawala Defence University (formerly the Kotelawala Defence Academy) celebrated its 27th Anniversary on Friday, November 8.
Serving and Retired Officers of the Intake held a Bodhi Pooja Pinkama at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya in the evening on the day of the Anniversary, to invoke blessings on and to commemorate the great sacrifices made by the seven fallen War Heroes of the Intake and also on the four other members of the Intake who have passed away due to natural causes, with the participation of parents, wives and children of the fallen/deceased.
Lieutenant Saman Muttettuwatta (Navy), Captain Muditha Abeysekera (Army), Captain Saliya Fernando (Army), Major Duminda Attanagoda (Army), Major Nandana Jayasinghe (Army), Major Terrance McKelvie
(Army) and Commander Nishantha Abeysinghe (Navy) of the KDU Ten laid down their lives in the line of duty and 2nd Lieutenant Harischandra Nanayakkara (Army), Major Prasad Perera (Army) and Lieutenant Sriyanjith Nagahawatta (Army) passed away untimely due to natural causes, while Midshipman Jagath Rajapaksha (Navy) succumbed to his injuries while undergoing training at Naval and Maritime Academy in Trincomalee in 1993.
Tenth Intake, comprising 73 Officer Cadets, was inducted to the KDU, at the height of the War on November 8, 1992 to begin their training as future military leaders of the Army (46), Navy (22) and the Air Force (5). The Intake graduated in 1995 producing 30 Army Officers, 20 Navy Officers and three Air Force Officers.