The Heroic India

A boy, Sudhir Kumar, from the Himachal Hills, was selected by the National Defense Academy and, upon completion of training, joined the 3rd Jat regiment.  During the Sri Lankan liberation war, 70,000 Indian soldiers were sent to Sri Lanka to enforce peace between the Sri Lankan Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and Lieutenant Sudhir Walia was one of them. India withdrew its troops in 1990 and lost 1,157 soldiers in this peacekeeping mission. Sudhir made a name for himself with his skills in jungle warfare.  After his return from Sri Lanka, he switched to Regiment 9 Parachute Commando Regiment, the unit of the Indian army for unconventional warfare. 9 Para is one of the Indian Army's four special forces and specializes in mountain operations. He served two six-month missions on the Siachen Glacier, the highest and toughest of all battlefields at an altitude of 6,300 meters, and distinguished himself in high altitude combat. In 1997 he was selected among the be...

Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey was commissioned in 1995 1/11 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army, a unit known for its brave soldiers and various heroics. Before his selection, during his interview with the Service Selection Board (SSB), the interviewer asked him, "Why do you want to join the army?"  Without thinking too much, he replied, "I want to earn the Param Vir Chakra" and he did it but unfortunately, he never lived to receive it personally. In his diary he wrote:  "Some goals are so valuable that even missing them is wonderful" On June 11, 1999, Captain Manoj Pandey was stationed in the Batalik Sector. He had pushed the intruders back there and led his men to capture the summit of Junnar, an important strategic location. In fact Capt. Manoj Pandey took part in many attacks in operation Vijay. On July 3, he and his team advanced towards the Khalbur mountain range, north of the Indus, and as they approached the final section, they found themselves exp...