IN WAR WITH RESOLVE

हतो वा प्राप्स्यसि स्वर्गं जित्वा वा भोक्ष्यसे महीम्। तस्मादुत्तिष्ठ कौन्तेय युद्धाय कृतनिश्चयः

If killed, thou shalt attain Heaven;

If victorious, enjoy the kingdom of earth.

Therefore arise, O Son of Kunti, and fight!

The successful consummation of Operation Vijay on 26, July 1999 wherein brave soldiers of the Indian Army overcame seemingly unconquerable odds, hostile terrain, weather, and a determined enemy occupying dominating height, to win the KARGIL WAR. The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LoC).

Lt. Gen Yogesh Kumar Joshi and his “Troop”, particularly those brave men, of that time, had against all odd, showed to the whole country and to the world, what Indian Armed Forces could do. They sacrificed their lives. They too had family waiting for them to return but for them the Country came first. They showed, “What our INDIAN ARMY is made of.

Here are some Un-told & Unforgettable stories of “KARGIL HEROES” who paid the price of war with Blood and Tears.

Interviewing the war survivors and martyr’s families, these stories show extraordinary Human courage, of not just men in uniform but all those who loved them the most.

LANCE NAIK DEEPCHAND PRAKHYAT (retd.)

We didn’t crave food. We wanted bullets. My fellow soldiers and I would ask the person who got us ration, to bring us more ammunition instead. In a war, you don’t feel hungry.

In the explosion, I lost my fingers. Later both my legs and the right arm was amputated. After 24 hours and 17 bottles of blood, I gained consciousness.

The accident could have happened to me in any profession. At least it happened in the line of fire. I want to be reborn a soldier. There’s nothing greater than serving your country.

When Kargil martyr Lance Naik Bachan Singh’s son, Lt Hitesh was asked to share some memories of his father, he said he hardly had any.

“We were too young then to understand the enormity of the event. Our father had been shot in the head and my uncle, who was also posted in 2 Raj. Rif. had called up to inform my mother, “says Hitesh, talking clinically about the life-shattering event that left him fatherless at four years of age.

Devender Pal Singh (retd)

When the soldiers come running to his tent, they find that Major Devender Pal Singh’s stomach has been ripped open, exposing his intestines, and all the flesh has been blown off his right leg, knee downwards. They quickly drape a blanket around him and carry him across to where an ambulance is waiting. He is driven two and a half hours on a mud track to the closest hospital in Akhnoor. It is a 60-km ride that he endures in excruciating pain.

A glorious victory demanding unquestioning obedience from its men was achieved. The Kargil war ended with 527 reported casualties, and 1363 injured soldiers on Indian side of the Army.

The Kargil war has become an unforgettable event in the history of India. Nevertheless, this was an event that brought about feelings of patriotism in the hearts of every Indian like never before. The brave struggle of the Indian soldiers will continue to be an inspiration for all the citizens of this country.