There are journeys that begin not with footsteps, but with remembrance. On July 12, Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd), now Deputy Minister of Defence, returned—not to the frontlines, but to those who once stood upon them. In his visit to the Sri Lanka Ex-Servicemen’s Association and the Bolagala Veterans’ Home, he walked softly through a space shaped by sacrifice, where salutes have grown into stories, and uniforms rest in quiet honour.
This was no ordinary official visit. It was a second march—a return shaped by duty of a different kind: the duty to care, to listen, to uplift. Among veterans who once bore the weight of a nation, he offered not speeches, but presence. He spoke with warmth, heard their challenges, and planted seeds of promise—both through compassion and through the planned cultivation project meant to restore purpose and pride in everyday work.
In a world that often forgets its guardians once their battles are over, Major General Jayasekara’s presence reminded all that leadership, at its best, is not about rank, but return. His concluding address to the Executive Committee echoed not as policy, but as a promise: that the Ministry of Defence will not turn its gaze away from those who once stood unwavering.
Between salutes remembered and silence honoured, this visit carved a new path of commitment—a soldier’s second march, walked with memory, meaning, and quiet resolve.
