Slamet Rijadi Brigadier General Ignatius Slamet Rijadi ( Perfected Spelling : Ignatius Slamet Riyadi ; 26 July 1927 – 4 November 1950 ) was an Indonesian soldier . Rijadi was born in Surakarta , Central Java , to a soldier and a fruit seller . " Sold " to his uncle and renamed as a toddler to cure his illnesses , Rijadi was raised at his parents ' home and studied at Dutch - run schools . After the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies , Rijadi studied at a Japanese - run sailor ' s academy and worked for them upon graduation ; he abandoned the Japanese army towards the end of World and assisted resistance operations for the rest of the occupation . After Indonesia ' s independence on 17 August 1945 , Rijadi led Indonesian forces in the Surakarta area during the revolution against the returning Dutch . Starting with a guerrilla campaign , by 1947 , when he fought against Dutch offensives in Ambarawa and Semarang , he was in charge of the 26th Regiment . During a second Dutch offensive , Rijadi lost control of the city but soon retook it , later leading counter - offensives in West Java . In 1950 , after the end of the revolution , Rijadi was sent to the Moluccas to put down a rebellion . After several months of planning and a month crossing Ambon Island , Rijadi was killed near the end of the operation by a rebounding bullet . Since his death , Rijadi has received much recognition . The main street in Surakarta is named after him , as is a frigate in the Indonesian Navy , the KRI " Slamet Riyadi " . Awarded several medals in 1961 posthumously , Rijadi was given the title of National Hero of Indonesia on 9 November 2007 . Biography . Early life . Rijadi was born with the name Soekamto in Surakarta , Central Java , Dutch East Indies , on 26 July 1927 ; he was the second son born to Underlieutenant Raden Ngabehi Prawiropralebdo , an officer in the sultan ' s army , and Soetati , a fruit seller . When Soekamto was one year old , his mother dropped him ; he afterwards became frequently ill . To help cure his illness , his family " sold " him in a traditional Javanese ritual to his uncle , Warnenhardjo ; after the ceremony , Soekamto ' s name was changed to Slamet . Although formally Warnenhardjo ' s son after the ceremony , Slamet was raised at his parents ' house . The family was Roman Catholic , but Rijadi studied mysticism from a young age . Rijadi ' s primary education was done at Dutch - run schools . His elementary school was taken at Holland Indlansche School Ardjoeno , a private school owned and run by a Dutch religious group . While at Mangkoenegaran Middle School , where numerous students were named Slamet , he received an additional name , Rijadi ; it is also during middle school that his father bought him back . After middle school and the Japanese occupation in 1942 , he attended a sailor ' s academy in Jakarta . After graduation , he worked as navigator on a wooden ship . Rijadi , who when not at sea lived in a dormitory near Gambir Station in Central Jakarta , occasionally met with underground resistance . On 14 February 1945 , with Japan facing defeat in World , Rijadi and other sailors abandoned their dormitory and took up arms ; Rijadi moved back to Surakarta and supported resistance movements there . He was not captured by the Japanese military police or other units for the remainder of the occupation , which ended with Indonesia ' s independence on 17 August 1945 . National revolution . After the Japanese surrender , the Dutch attempted to re - occupy the newly declared Republic of Indonesia ; unwilling to be colonised , the Indonesians fought back . Rijadi began a guerrilla campaign against Dutch posts and quickly rose through the ranks . He was in charge of the 26th Regiment in Surakarta . During Operation Product , a general offensive by Dutch forces in mid - 1947 , Rijadi led Indonesian forces in several parts of Central Java , including Ambarawa and Semarang ; he also led a cleansing force between mounts Merapi and Merbabu . In September 1948 Rijadi was promoted and given control of four battalions of soldiers and one of student soldiers . Two months later , the Dutch launched a second attack , this time on the nearby city of Yogyakarta ( then serving as the nation ' s capital ) . Although Rijadi and his troops launched attacks on Dutch forces approaching Solo through Klaten , ultimately the Dutch soldiers entered the city . Applying a divide and conquer policy , Rijadi was able to drive the forces out in four days . During the remainder of the war , Rijadi was sent to West Java to fight against Raymond Westerling ' s Legion of Ratu Adil . Later life and death . Not long after the end of the war , the Republic of South Maluku ( RMS ) declared its independence from the nascent Indonesia . Rijadi was sent to the frontline on 10 July 1950 as part of Operation Senopati . To retake the island of Ambon , Rijadi took half his forces and invaded the eastern shores , while the other half was tasked with invading from the northern coast . Although the second group experienced heavy resistance , Rijadi ' s group was able to take to the beach in native canoes unopposed ; they later landed more infantry and armour . On 3 October , the troops , along with Colonel Alexander Evert Kawilarang , were tasked with capturing the rebel capital at New Victoria . Rijadi and Kawilarang led a three pronged assault , with forces approaching by land from the north and east , and naval forces pulling directly into Ambon harbour . Rijadi ' s forces approached the city through mangrove swamps , a journey which took a month . During the trip , RMS snipers armed with Jungle Carbine s and Owen Gun s shot constantly at the troops , often pinning them down . Upon arriving in New Victoria , Rijadi ' s forces made short work of the RMS troops . However , he did not see the end of the battle . As Rijadi was riding atop a tank towards the final rebel stronghold on 4 November , a volley of machine gun fire erupted in his direction . A single bullet rebounded off the tank ' s armour and into Rijadi ' s abdomen . After being rushed to a hospital ship , Rijadi insisted on returning to the front ; instead , the doctors gave him much morphine and attempted unsuccessfully to treat the gun wound . Rijadi died that night ; the battle ended the same day . Rijadi was buried in Ambon . Legacy . Numerous things have been named after Rijadi . The long main road of Surakarta is named after the brigadier general . The KRI " Slamet Riyadi " , a frigate described as one of the most sophisticated in the Indonesian Navy , is named after him . Rijadi has received numerous awards . He received several medals posthumously , including the Bintang Sakti in May 1961 , the Bintang Gerilya in July 1961 , and the Satya Lencana Bakti in November 1961 . On 9 November 2007 , President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono gave Rijadi the title National Hero of Indonesia ; Rijadi received the title along with Adnan Kapau Gani , Ida Anak Agung Gde Agung , and Moestopo based on Presidential Decree Number 66 / TK of 2007 .