The Prodigal Son
No one could have imagined that Nasution would one day become an army leader. Compared to his peers, he was small and thin. The only sport he does every day is running because his house is quite far from his school.
Nasution often read stories of heroism and stories of war which ultimately led to different ideals from most of his friends at that time. The only picture that his father displayed as a wall decoration was a picture of Mustafa Kemal Pasha, a Turkish leader who came from the military (Nasution, 1982:11). However, it does not mean that his father expects Nasution to become a soldier. Later, when his parents found out that his son had entered the Dutch military academy, he was considered a prodigal son (Nasution, 1982:47).