Sacrifice is a matter of fact & not sentiment for the men in uniform

Talamulla village, alongside Wulur Lake, on Aug 22, 1996: The Marine Commandos (Marcos) are operating with a Rashtriya Rifles battalion. When the Armymen came under heavy fire, the Marcos team opened up another corridor of attack from the water front. And thus, opened yet another dimension to the conflict in the Kashmir Valley, namely the use of special forces with extraordinary skills in water-borne operations.

Dashrath, a Lance Steward, who is very effective with his Light Machine Gun took the initiative away from the militants. The Marcos team then moved into the marshes to lay an ambush, when Dashrath LS lost control of his fears and pounced on an escaping militant. For displaying such raw courage, Dashrath LS has been awarded a Shaurya Chakra.

Dharmatalla, Barpeta, in Assam on the nights of Aug 19/20, 1996: Naik Jangbir Singh of the Intelligence Corps Liason Unit was tasked to acquire information about United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) presence in a hide-out.

Once confirmed, Naik Jangbir volunteered to lead a sub-team, and as they moved closer, firing began from two sides. The team leader and Naik Jangbir counter-ambushed, and in the fire-fight he was hit by a burst. He, nevertheless, crawled ahead and continued firing until he succumbed to the injuries. For an act beyond the call of duty Naik Jangbir Singh has been awarded a Shaurya Chakra. Likewise, Havildar Kishor Rai of 11 Gorkha Rifles patrolling in the Pir Panjal on Sept 9, 1996, came under heavy militant fire and his leading scout was wounded. This did not deter Hav Kishor from maintaining offensive contact with the militants. With darkness approaching and unable to close in any further, Hav Kishor ordered his men to keep the contact while he crawled towards the militant’s position. And out came the khukri with which he finished three of the mercenaries. Hardly surprising that he should be awarded a Shaurya Chakra.

There is then the tale of Captain Qureshi Mohammed Aslam Islam who lived by the oath of Hippocrates, and died by it. Dec 24, 1996 in Khomina, Baramulla: A group of trapped militants opened fire on the search party in which a Havildar was injured. Despite continuous firing the brave Soldier Doctor moved to help the casualty. Whilst attempting to flee, the militants caught Captain Qureshi in their fire, but in spite of his own injuries he continued to administer first aid to the jawan, who survived, but the Soldier Doctor succumbed. He joins the ranks of posthumous awardees with a Sena Medal.

While Siachen has been claiming casualties from the Army as a matter of routine, there have been those of the Air Force as well, and none more poignant than that of Flt Lt Sandeep Jain.

Tasked for air maintenance of posts in the southern glacier in Aug 96, the assignment underwent a marked change when the Pakistani Army moved forward to threaten Hoshiyar post. The flight path was risky, for besides coming under Pakistani fire, the helicopters were also exposed to worsening weather conditions.

As captain of these special supply missions Flt Lt S Jain undertook two such high-risk flights and after dropping the load for the third time his helicopter was swallowed by the weather. For these hazardous missions Flt Lt Jain has been awarded a Shaurya Chakra. Just as Flt Lt Sandeep Khajuria has been, but this was for saving the life of a MiG-21 pilot who had crash landed and lay unconscious in an aircraft that was catching fire. He cut open the cockpit and pulled out the pilot moments before the MiG exploded.

In a classic special forces operation, displaying astute battle-craft as well as leadership, Naib Subedar Vinod Kumar was personally responsible for the elimination of five militants. He was leading a squad operating in Kupwara to lay multiple ambushes in appalling weather. The ambush was from 9 to 12 Aug 1996, when on the first night a militant walked into his position. He waited until the last moment and then killed him with a silenced weapon, thus not alerting others.

At 1530 hrs on Aug 11, four militants were making their way uphill with the lead as a scout. Superbly concealed, he waited until the scout was five yards away to shoot him, and then charged the second militant 20 yards behind. Stunned, he too was shot dead. And then the firing opened up 200 metres to his east. He rallied the squad and with skillful use of natural cover silently made his way to the point of fire.

When they were 50 yards away, he charged his squad forward firing. The militants disengaged leaving behind two of their dead, and naib Subedar Vinod Kumar to collect a abundantly deserved Sena Medal.