Naval veterans share war memories

“My great grandfather,Sawar Partap Singh and my grandfather Gurdial Singh were both in the Army. While,my grandfather fought in World War I,my father Major Bichint Singh fought in the WW II. Asking about my experiences,I still have memories of the war of 1971. As the Navy made a major contribution defeating Pakistan,we were able to capture the maximum number of prisoners,around 93,000,in this war,” said Commodore Jaswinder Singh Brar (retd).

Though his next generation did not follow the family’s legacy,he has no regrets about that. “My son and daughter opted for management and designing from IIM and NID which I think was best for them,” he added.

The retired Navy officers settled in and around Chandigarh had gathered at Post Graduate Institute of Medical and Education and Research (PGIMER) Community Centre in Sector 24 to celebrate the day and share some light moments among themselves during an event organised by Navy Foundation,Chandigarh Chapter.

Another veteran who had made major contributions to the services,Commander M L Mehandroo (retd) had the same spirit,even after 33 years of his retirement from the Navy.

Talking about his experiences as an engineer in the forces who had fought in the war of 1965 and 1971,he said,“39 years ago,in December 1971,the Navy delivered a crippling attack on Karachi and the Pakistan Navy. The two attacks on Karachi by the Navy dealt a blow to the Pakistani war machine and thus,it is in remembrance of these heroic attacks which marked the beginning of the end of the war with Pakistan in 1971.