Prabowo Subianto’s Experience with Pak Sutiyoso in the Military
Pak Sutiyoso, a graduate of the ’68 Academy, was someone that Prabowo Subianto had seen from a distance in Kopassus during his time as a junior. While Pak Sutiyoso was in Group 2 in Magelang, Prabowo Subianto was in Group 1 in Cijantung and in Batujajar. They didn’t have much interaction during their service, but Prabowo Subianto knew that Pak Sutiyoso was involved in various operations, including infiltration operations in East Timor under Pak Dading Kalbuadi.
Pak Sutiyoso was known for his humor, field work, and hobbies, especially his skill in shooting moving targets.
During his time as the Operations Assistant of Kopassus, Pak Sutiyoso called Prabowo Subianto, who was then the Commander of Brigade 17 Airborne, and proposed that he become the Commander of Pusdikpassus in Batujajar. Despite his aspirations to continue leading the prestigious 17 Airborne Brigade, Prabowo Subianto agreed to the request, recognizing the importance of improving the curriculum and the quality of training and trainers in Batujajar.
As the Commander of Pusdikpassus, Pak Sutiyoso provided a lot of support to Prabowo Subianto. They had previously worked together under the leadership of the Pangkostrad when Pak Sutiyoso was the Operations Assistant in Kostrad and Prabowo Subianto was the Commander of Brigade. Prabowo Subianto described Pak Sutiyoso as a very patriotic and humorous person, and someone who had mentored and nurtured him during his time in the military.
