Yos Sudarso’s childhood dream was to become a soldier, despite his parents’ preference for him to become a teacher. He fulfilled this dream when the Japanese government required more military personnel for the Greater East Asia War. He attended the Naval Academy in Semarang and excelled in naval military education with the Japanese Navy. After Indonesia’s independence, he joined the People’s Security Agency in the marine sector and later became part of the Indonesian Navy.
Throughout his career, Yos Sudarso participated in various military operations to eliminate insurgencies in Indonesia. He commanded several Indonesian Navy Ships and even served as a judge on a military court. In 1961, during President Sukarno’s call for TRIKORA, Yos Sudarso was the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations. He led a mission in the Aru Sea near Maluku to support the liberation of West Papua from the Dutch.
During this mission, Dutch warships sensed Yos Sudarso’s movements and opened fire, causing his ship, KRI Macan Tutul, to fail. Yos Sudarso selflessly sacrificed himself by using his ship as a shield to allow the other two KRI units to escape. He, along with 24 other men, perished in the battle of the Aru Sea at the age of 36, bravely giving his life for his country.