The Indonesian historian and former Minister of Education and Culture Nugroho Notosusanto described Sudirman as "his only idol", citing the general's guerrilla period as the origin of the army's esprit de corps.
Sejarawan Indonesia dan Menteri Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Nugroho Notosusanto menggambarkan Soedirman sebagai "satu-satunya idolanya", menyatakan bahwa masa-masa gerilya sang jenderal adalah asal esprit de corps TNI.