This is the A-4 Skyhawk jet fighter, and this picture was taken by me using a Samsung A53

I am pretty close with one of the bosses in my office. For the context, I've been working in this company for almost 9 years. During that time, I moved from one division to another, working in a small team to a larger one, handling the existing projects and the new ones. But I was always close to her, let's call her Mrs. A.

Mrs A was my mentor when I was still a new employee from the Officer Development Program (ODP). Before we "jump to the jungle", they divided 80 new employees into small groups to learn various things over about three months. Mrs. A was my mentor and the person in charge of my group.

We become closer during the pandemic. She lost all of her teammates due to the massive employee reductions. But she got a challenge to build a new ambitious project. And she chose me to be her right-hand. That project didn't work as good as we thought (even though we won awards), so I moved back to my past division and she took over some other team.

But we still very closed. I even went to her family's holiday trip several time; become her daughter's personal art tutor; etc. And the last weekend, she asked me (or you can say "forced me") to joined "Historical Trip: Tracing the Spies' Trail in Indonesia". Sounds interesting?

This is the Swabhuwanapaksa Monument that was made by A-4 Skyhawk jet fighter, and this picture was taken by me using a Samsung A53

The trip started from the "Swabhuwanapaksa Monument" right in front of Tebet Eco Park, South Jakarta. This monument was built from a replica of a former A-4 Skyhawk fighter jet. Anyway, all the story that I would write later is based on what the guides said. There are two guides: one is an ex-editor-in-Chief of a national media outlet in Indonesia, and the other is a famous historian.

Around the 1980's Indonesia tried to find this type of fighter jet. We were looking for Australia, but didn't find it. Until one day, we found it in Israel. The problem is, Indonesia has never had diplomatic relations with Israel. We need that plane ASAP, but we can't just buy it with "a normal workflow".

So the president at that time, the Second President of Indonesia, Soeharto, asked his Minister of Defence, Benjamin M, who had a very good worldwide spy network, to work on it. 10 people were then secretly sent to Israel without anyone's knowledge (even the people who were sent didn't know; all they knew was that they were going to the United States via Frankfurt, Germany).

Long story short, right after they arrived in Frankfurt, they were "kidnapped" to Israel, where they were arrested by Mossad and then taken to Eliad. They just felt relieved after seeing Beni there. At that place, for four months, they must abandon all Indonesian ties and were told to claim that they were from Singapore to get A-4 Skyhawk training. After graduating, they burned all evidence and asked not to leave behind any evidence that they had been in Israel. Upon returning home, they tried to gather evidence that they had trained in the US.

On October 5, 1980, approximately 34 Skyhawks finally arrived. At that time, we were just being told that the jet was sent from the United States. But how do we know this story? That's because there is a "ritual" for great figures to write their biographies after retirement, when they are old, and near the end of their lives. And this story was written on one of the pilot's biographies, Djoko Purwoko, "Dancing in the Sky".

The books that the guides brings on the trip, and this picture was taken by me using a Samsung A53

During the trip, our guides also showed us what books they used as historical references. Most of them are autobiographical. Some of the books are very rare.

After that, we walked to Transjakarta bus stop and rode the bus to the Satriamandala Museum: the military museum. The museum's building used to be a house for one of the First Presidents of Indonesia, Sukarno's wife. Yes, he had lots of wives. After she passed away, the Indonesian government turned it into be museum.

In this museum, the guides told me the story about the M16, the KGB, and the CIA's role in Indonesia. It would be too long to write, so I would tell you my favorite one. The story about the best military pilot we ever had during "wartime": Air Commodore (posthumously) Ignatius Dewanto.

This is the P-21 Mustang jet fighter with it iconic shark pattern on the body, and this picture was taken by me using a Samsung A53

On May 18, 1958, Dewanto and his P-51 Mustang had been assigned to attack Aurev Airbase in North Sulawesi. But just a few moments after he took off, he got orders to fly to Ambon, which had been bombed by Aurev's B-26 Invader. He found proof that indicated a recent air raid, but he couldn't find the B-26. He then went west, dropped tanks to increase the plane's agility, and flew low. Right after he saw the Indonesian Navy convoy, he found B-26, which apparently flew towards the convoy.

He was very lucky that he was literally behind the B-26. Long story short, with his rockets from his M2 12.77mm machine gun, he shut down that B-26 jet fighter and followed by an attack from KRI Sawega, which was part of the convoy. The B-26, who was piloted by CIA mercenary (and Korean war veteran) Allen Lawrence Pope and a radioman named Hary Rantung (who at first didn't admit that he was Indonesian, but it was discovered because when he was detained, his cellmate was his neighbor in the village), burst and plunged into the sea. They are both alive anyway, and got their trial soon after that.

Dewanto was the only Indonesian pilot the only pilot who managed to shoot down an enemy plane (and I hope we won't need another war or enemy things in the future, tho).

This story was very epic, but what makes me love (but also sad) is how Dewanto's life is after that. Around mid-1965's he served as Deputy Minister of the Air Force for Operations. After the September 1965 movement, he was detained for several months and then served as Air Attache in Moscow for a year. In 1967, he returned to Indonesia and was honorably discharged from the military. During that time, he worked as a truck driver! From jet fighter to truck, both are good, but just... different (IYKWIM).

After years, he came back to the flight after being accepted as a civilian pilot. He flew a Piper PA-23 Aztec, a small plane, from Medan to Aceh. But sadly, that was his last flight. Due to engine failure, the plane crashed, killing all on board. Dewanto's body was found eight years later, and with the permission of Soeharto, he was buried at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery after being laid out at the Pancoran Indonesian Air Force HQ.

The book that I got. It is written by Sri Sultan HB IX, the King of Yogyakarta very distant relative because I am a descendant of Sri Sultan HB I (let me tell you later on another story), and this picture was taken by me using a Samsung A53

When I was a kid, I might have been "bright", but history is my weakness. I love history class, but somehow I never got a good grade or even passed the test. But this trip makes me feel "smart," and I can save Mrs. A's face in front of her friends. Anyway, both guides are her friends.

While the others and I sat down, listening to what the guides said, Mrs. A might be bored. She sat behind me, and when I looked at her... SHE WAS ASLEEP. How can she be asleep when her best friends talked about CIA, KGB, etc, in a very passionate tone?

I need to save her face. So at the last part of the trip, the guides gave us a quiz. And I can answer the question "What are the names of the two US citizens who were shot in Sumedang?" I got a book for the prize. I didn't read it yet.

Anyway, the question that I answered was about the CIA that already existed and operated in Indonesia long before the 1950s. In April 1950, the world was shocked by news that two US citizens were found shot dead in Sumedang, West Java: Raymond Kennedy, who that known as a Yale University professor, and R.Z. Doyle, who that known as a Times journalist. They were both reportedly researching the post-war impact in Sumedang.

There are lots of speculations about this event, but who are they really? Who is the culprit? What's the motive? It's still unsolved till now. But our First Vice President, Moh Hatta, promised that we would find it. And this story became the only story about a person who was suspected of being a secret agent that being executed and buried in Indonesia.

SO, CONCLUSION...

I really don't remember what kind of plane it is, but it was taken in front of Satriamandala Museum building with my Samsung A53

The trip was very random, but I liked it. Even tho it was started too early (for me, who is a night owl person), but that's fine. I never knew that learning history could be this fun.

I am kinda surprised to meet lots of history geeks. Except me and Mrs. A, I think all of the trip members were history enthusiasts. We not only listened to the guide, but they kept throwing questions about history, fun facts, or just a book recommendation. And I think they regularly joined a historical trip that was held every Sunday with various themes.

Would I join it again? Hmm, depends on the place and the time. I definitely can't stay awake at that early morning, during my holiday. Right after the trip ended, I hurried up to find coffee, then rode the bus to my home to sleep like a log for the rest of the day.

Maybe, it just maybe, when I have energy and time to read that book, I will write about it in my account!