Perseverant Amid Limitations in Loyalty to “Striped Uniform” Corps

Being a TNI soldier does not only require toughness in training to be ready to face battle. With their welfare still limited, they and their families also face a test of patience.

KOMPAS/HENDRA A SETYAWAN

A soldier at his home at the TNI AD soldier's flat in Cililitan, East Jakarta, Tuesday (6/9/2022).

Living under limited conditions in the line of tough duty, Second Corporal Muhammad Husni (35) refuses to buckle down. He may need better income to support the household, but never once has a thought crossed his mind about looking for a new livelihood at the expense of his status as a member of the Indonesian Air Force. He remains faithful to the striped uniform battalion.

With a smile on his face, he looked proudly at his dress uniform, on the upper arm perched a red V epaulet. His mind drifted back to his childhood three decades back, recalling his parents asking him about what he aspired to achieve in the future. "I wanted to become a soldier. [It does not matter] whether the Army, Navy or Air Force. The important thing was to wear the striped uniform," he said in mid-September. He was on duty as a member of Battalion 461 of the Indonesian Air Force's Rapid Action Forces (Kopasgat).