The Bravest of the Brave... Review on Indian Army

First things first….This is one of the Motto of The Indian Army…

The safety, honor and welfare of your country come first always and everytime.

The honor, welfare and comfort of the men you command come next.

Your own ease, comfort and safety come last, always and everytime.

Whenever I read these lines my heart beats for the Millions of Soldiers who guard the Borders, Fight Terrorism, Protect our Mountains, Save people from Droughts, Floods, Tsunamis, Earthquakes and Cyclones and we sit so relaxed in our offices and homes and forget about the sacrifices made day in and day out by our dear soldiers.

I got inspired to write this review by a Bomb Blast which occurred day before yesterday in Srinagar, for most of us it was just another News Item or a TV Clipping but spare a thought for the families of the five soldiers who were killed, you would be surely distraught but it is true that even the dead bodies of the soldiers were not found due to the Impact created by the Bomb, A Major of the Indian Army was killed who has a family of a wife and his 4 years-old daughter, and now they are all alone, I am sure The Government would take full care of them but till when…

Our Indian Army is one of the strongest and the most populous Armies of the World, it ranks among the top Armies in terms of their Endurance and Skills. Indian Army has performed brilliantly in various UN Peace Keeping Forces throughout the World and even sacrificed their lives fighting for a cause that is not even close to their heart and that too in an alien territory. The Former Chief of the UNPKF was an Indian General Satish Nambiar if I am not wrong.

Indian Army has helped our country to win three previous wars fought with our neighbour in 1965, 1971 and 1999. The most recent being the Kargil War where initially it suffered major setbacks but later they tasted the sweet flavour of success.

One major fact which I am sure most of you don’t know is that in 2003 there was a competition which took place in 2002 in South Africa where the Elite Commando Squads of all the major Armies like India, US, UK, Israel, France, Germany etc. took part and our contingent won the First and the Third Prize. It had various tests of Shooting Skills, Endurance Levels, Physical Strength and a host of other parameters, and I felt very proud that day that indeed we Indians are the best.

Army training takes place in three academies National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla near Pune for people who join straight after Class 12; Indian Military Academy, Dehradun for people joining after graduation and Officer Training Academy, Chennai for people who join under the Short Service Commission. I have been to NDA and IMA as my brother is a pass out from both these Academies, and it trains the Best Quality Defence personnel of our country.

I really feel sad to hear news that there is an acute shortage of Army Officers in the country due to the fact this career is not lucrative enough to attract youngsters but this problem is getting rectified now.

I know one of my brother’s friends who are four brothers and all four are in he Army, I mean this is some dedication, and hats off to their parents and I am sure this is not an one-off case, there would be other such families as well.

Whenever our country is in trouble due to a natural calamity, Indian Army’s help is always solicited for Rescue Operations and they have always delivered without any consideration that this is not their prime duty but they know their duty is to serve our country whatever be the reason.

They guard our borders on Siachen that is the highest Battlefield on Planet Earth, the temperature is as low as Minus 45 Degrees on the harshest of days, they eat only de-humidified food and even urinating is a difficult task there and we sit here relaxed and safe.

In the Kargil war, close to 500 soldiers were killed and thousands injured but the Indian Army was victorious and the objectives of the enemy was defeated in no time. There are loads of stories of Valour if you read the book “Battlefield Kargil” written by an Indian Express journalist.

Even Bollywood has made movies on them and they have been well received, movies like Border,Haqeeqat and LOC are examples of the bravery of the Indian Army.

Every year on Republic Day I sit glued to my television to watch our smartly dressed soldiers parading so impeccably on Rajpath, New Delhi and showing our might to the Whole World.

My request to all the Indians is to respect all our soldiers and whenever you read that a soldier has died just pray once for his soul and his family, I know this is tough but I am sure this is not impossible. This time spent would be a reward to the millions of soldiers who brave so many difficulties so that we are safe.

In the end, just one more brilliant quote...

When you go home, tell them of us, that for their tomorrow we gave our today.