KATHMANDU, July 20: Three generations of the same Nepali family—grandfather, father and son—have graduated from the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, marking a rare milestone and continuing a remarkable military legacy.
At the graduation ceremony for Commissioning Course Short 262 held on Saturday, Lieutenant Tejus Jung Thapa of the Nepali Army was among 74 newly commissioned officers. He became the first Nepali officer to represent the third generation of a family to graduate from Sandhurst.
Lt Thapa said graduating from the academy after his father and grandfather—whom he described as his greatest role models and source of inspiration—made him even prouder of serving in the military. His father and grandfather were also present at the ceremony.
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Lt Thapa's paternal grandfather, retired Brigadier General Tejendra Jung Thapa, and maternal grandfather, the late Lieutenant Colonel Prabal Shumsher Rana, trained together at Sandhurst between 1960 and 1962. His father, Major General Anup Jung Thapa, later graduated from the academy after training there in 1990–91.
Lt. Tejus Jung Thapa (Left) saluting his father Maj.Gen Anup Jung Thapa after his commissioning parade.
When Brig Gen Tejendra Jung Thapa graduated, the ceremony was attended by the then King Mahendra Shah and Queen Ratna Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah, while Queen Elizabeth II visited the academy during Major General Anup Jung Thapa's training.
The Sandhurst is regarded as one of the world's leading military academies. Nepal has been sending officer cadets there since 1952, and two more Nepali Army officers are scheduled to be commissioned in August and December this year. Over the decades, Nepali officers have earned recognition at Sandhurst for their leadership, professionalism and academic excellence.
