A . M . B . H . G . Abeyrathnebanda A . M . B . H . G . Abeyrathnebanda ( also spelled Abeyrathne Banda in some sources , , died 29 January 2009 ) was a soldier in the Sri Lanka Army . He was killed in action during a battle against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam ( commonly known as LTTE or Tamil Tigers ) during the final stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War . He was posthumously awarded the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya , the country ' s highest military award for gallantry , and is the youngest recipient of the medal . Military career . After finishing basic military training , Abeyrathnebanda was assigned to the 21st battalion of the Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment . The 21st Sinha Regiment was part of the 584 Brigade of the 58 Division . He joined the unit on 1 January 2009 . His citation and army records identify him as a recruit . Action on 29 January 2009 . Mullaitivu , the main military and administrative base of the Tamil Tigers , fell to the army on 25 January 2009 . The Tamil Tigers were then surrounded in the Puthukkudiyiruppu and Visuamadu areas . The 58 Division was advancing towards Visuamadu along the A35 highway , and the task of attacking Visuamadu from the west was given to the 21st Sinha Regiment . The army launched their attack on the dawn of 29 January . A skirmish party was sent to capture a section of the Tamil Tiger defensive line in order to allow the rest of the regiment to launch the main offensive . Abeyrathnebanda was part of an eight - man team in this group . They reached the defensive line undetected under the cover of darkness , and assaulted a heavily fortified bunker , which was their assigned target . The resistance was heavy , and although they managed to capture the bunker , Abeyrathnebanda was injured in the process . However , they soon came under attack from positions in the Tamil Tigers ' secondary defensive lines . As his team were pinned down and taking casualties , Abeyrathnebanda realised that their position would soon be overrun . He jumped out of the captured bunker and ran to the adjacent bunker along the connecting trench . Rushing amongst the attacking Tamil Tigers , he detonated a hand grenade , killing them and himself . This caused the Tamil Tigers ' attack to be delayed long enough for the main force of the 21st Sinha Regiment to arrive and reinforce the skirmish party . The battle ended in victory for the army . They captured the town of Visuamadu , as well as a number of military hardware from the Tamil Tigers . Recognition . Abeyrathnebanda was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal . Three years later , he was approved to receive the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya , Sri Lanka ' s highest military award for gallantry . President Mahinda Rajapaksa awarded Abeyrathnebanda ' s medal to his next - of - kin on 19 May 2012 , which was the third anniversary of the end of the war . The citation for his medal commends him for fighting with " courage and valour . . . disregarding risk to his own life and security " despite sustaining injuries , and for sacrificing his life for the sake of his comrades and country . He was 19 years old at the time of his death , and is the youngest recipient of the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya .