Suhario Padmodiwiryo, "Hario Kecik" to his friends and family, was born in Surabaya on 12 May 1921. He began a career in medicine but his studies were cut short by the arrival of the Japanese. After his extraordinary experiences as a Deputy Commander of forces fighting in Surabaya in 1945, he stayed in the newly formed Indonesian National Army, rising eventually to the rank of General. Later placed under house arrest by President Suharto, General Suhario published his memoirs in Indonesian in 1995.