The Life Story of Try Sutrisno: From Commander to Vice President of Indonesia

General Indonesian Armed Forces (Retired) Try Sutrisno, Indonesia’s sixth Vice President, passed away at age 90 on Monday, 2 March. He breathed his last at 06.58 Western Indonesian Time at the Central Hospital of the Army (RSPAD) Gatot Soebroto in Jakarta.

Try is survived by his wife, Tuti Sutiawati, a teacher born in Bandung, with whom he had seven children. He became widely known as a military figure who later served as Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia.

“From childhood and school, I experienced three eras: the Dutch era, the Japanese invasion, and the beginning of the revolution,” Try said when recounting his life story in 2015.

Born on 15 November 1935 in Surabaya, East Java, Try Sutrisno acknowledged that he once worked as a water seller and newspaper delivery boy to support himself. He attended primary school at Taman Siswa at age 10, specifically in 1945 when he was in fourth grade.

His military career began when Try served as an investigator in an intelligence organisation at just 13 years old. The official start of his military career came in 1956 when he joined the Army Technical Academy (Atekad). He experienced combat for the first time a year later in 1957 when he was deployed to fight the PRRI Rebellion.

In 1961, Try married Tuti Sutiawati and was blessed with seven children—four sons and three daughters. He first met Soeharto during the Operation to Liberate West Irian in 1962, when Major General Soeharto was appointed Commander by President Soekarno.

Try’s military career advanced rapidly after his selection as Presidential Adjutant to Suharto in 1974. In 1978, he served as Chief of Staff of Military Regional Command XVI/Udayana. A year later, he received a promotion to Commander of Military Regional Command IV/Sriwijaya.

His military advancement continued when he became Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Wakasad) in 1985. In June 1986, Try was appointed as Chief of Army Staff (Kasad), replacing General Rudhini.

Try served as Kasad for approximately one and a half years before receiving another promotion in early 1988, this time to Commander of the Armed Forces (Pangab), replacing General L.B. Moerdani. He held this position until 1993.

In 1993, Try Sutrisno was elected Vice President through the General Session of the People’s Consultative Assembly for the 1992–1997 term, serving alongside Soeharto. His tenure as Vice President ended in 1998 when he was succeeded by BJ Habibie at the 1998 General Session of the People’s Consultative Assembly.