A few months ago, he made headlines as the “First Sri Lankan to win the US Navy SEAL Commando Trident badge.” Lt Koyan Chamitha of the elite Special Boats Squadron (SBS) achieved this unique honour by successfully completing the SEAL BUD/S course at the US Navy SEAL Training School in the USA.
Considered one of the toughest commando training courses in the world, he joined 200 US Navy and other friendly navies’ candidates for 14 months of unbelievably intense training. The most gruelling phase was “Hell Week”, during which trainees are not allowed to sleep for an entire week and must undergo relentless training in the mudflats along the San Diego beachfront in California, bordering Mexico.
SEALs are trained for unconventional warfare at sea (all SEALs are combat divers), air (all SEALs are paratroopers), and land, including maritime, jungle, urban, and Arctic environments.
Out of the 200 trainees, only 27 finally qualified to proudly wear the SEAL Trident pin on their uniforms.
Our son Koyan was one of them, bringing immense pride to the SBS, the Sri Lanka Navy, and the country.
When he returned to Sri Lanka last year, the SBS leadership entrusted him with the important responsibility of training officers and sailors who volunteered for a new batch of SBS trainees. Only last week, he participated in a joint exercise with US Navy SEALs in Trincomalee, known as “Exercise Balance Style.”
Soon after this joint exercise, he travelled to Colombo to take part in the Independence Day Parade scheduled for 4 February 2026 at Independence Square.
He stayed with other SBS officers and sailors involved in parade rehearsals at our Naval Base in Walisara.
That fateful evening, as he did every day, he completed his routine run, rigorous gym training, and a long swim in the swimming pool before having a light dinner and retiring to bed.
He was found dead in his cabin at the Walisara Wardroom (Officers’ Mess) the following morning, possibly due to a silent heart attack during sleep. The full post-mortem report is yet to be released.
Joint training with the US Navy SEALs began in 1996, exactly 30 years ago. SBS has conducted this training annually, except for two years when all personnel were committed to operations to eradicate LTTE terrorists.
WE ARE EXTREMELY GRATEFUL TO THE US NAVY SEALS FOR MAKING US PROFESSIONALLY COMPETENT.
When we began joint training with the US Navy SEALs 30 years ago, our dream was to train an SBS officer at the US Navy Special Forces School in San Diego. It took three decades to realise this dream.
But… our own Sri Lanka Navy Special Boats Squadron SEAL, our 24-year-old son Koyan, departed this world “like a candle in the wind.”
So sad. May he attain the Supreme Bliss of Nirvana.
(The writer is the co-founder of the SBS, along with the late Commander (VNF) Cedric Martinstyn in 1993, and commanded this elite unit twice during the conflict years, in 1993 and 2000.)
