Yos Sudarso had always wanted to become a soldier, despite his parents’ preference for him to become a teacher. He realized his dream when the Japanese government needed more military personnel for the Greater East Asia War. He attended the Naval Academy in Semarang and received naval military education with the Japanese Navy, graduating as one of the top students. After Indonesia’s independence in 1945, he joined the People’s Security Agency in the marine sector, which later became part of the Indonesian Navy.
Throughout his career, Yos Sudarso participated in various military operations to suppress insurgencies within Indonesia. He commanded several Indonesian Navy Ships (KRI) such as KRI Rajawali, KRI Alu, KRI Gajah Mada, KRI Pattimura, and KRI Macan Tutul. In 1958, he also served as a judge on a military court for four months.
In late 1961, President Sukarno initiated TRIKORA, which included an operation in the Aru Sea near Maluku to support the liberation of West Papua from the Dutch. Yos Sudarso, then the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (KSAL), led three KRIs in the silent operation in Maluku waters. Despite the Dutch war fleet sensing their movement, Yos Sudarso’s quick thinking saved two of the KRI units when the engine of KRI Macan Tutul failed. He sacrificed his own ship by positioning it as a shield to protect the others, resulting in his death alongside 24 men in the battle of the Aru Sea. Yos Sudarso, at the age of 36, gave his life in service to his country.
