The sky outside was a perfect blue with fair winds on that hot day in July, but inside the Jaguar an emergency was unraveling with every passing second. Wing Commander Vernon Desmond Keane had two options: Eject and see his beloved aircraft crash -- which would come at a great cost to the nation and cause harm to civilian life and property on the ground. Or try the limits of his training; push the aircraft and his flying skills to the edge of technical and human endurance and save them both.
The Kirti Chakra awardees are Major Digvijay Singh Rawat of 21st Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (Special Forces), Major Deependra Vikram Basnet from the Sikh Regiment's fourth battalion and Havildar Pawan Kumar Yadav from the 21st battalion of the Mahar Regiment, according to the defence ministry.
'The odds were stacked against us.' 'Through it all, we were determined to overcome and prevail we did!' Wing Commander Shailesh Singh on the high-risk flying mission for which he was awarded the Shaurya Chakra.
Her father Major Bhupendra Singh's statue was unveiled in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, on his 72nd birth anniversary on October 25.
Niranjan's lungs got punctured due to the impact of the blast of a grenade that was kept in the pocket of a slain terrorist and the officer died before being taken to hospital.
The 2003 BSF operation that eliminated terrorist Gazi Baba in Jammu and Kashmir, the subject of an upcoming action film, "Ground Zero," crippled the Jaish-e-Mohammed. The mission, which earned the BSF a dozen gallantry awards, is being portrayed in the film releasing on April 25. The operation, described in the BSF's 50th anniversary book, involved a daring raid on a house in Srinagar where Gazi Baba was hiding. The BSF faced heavy gunfire and grenades, with officers sustaining injuries and one constable, Balbir Singh, being killed while protecting his superior officer, Narendra Nath Dhar Dubey. Dubey, who led the operation, received the Kirti Chakra, India's third highest peacetime gallantry award.
President Murmu set aside the protocol of her high office to hug mothers and wives as they mourned their loss and also acknowledged a grateful nation's eternal debt to their kin.
President Ram Nath Kovind -- supreme commander of India's defence forces -- conveyed the nation's deepest gratitude to bravehearts who had protected the motherland from harm at the Defence Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday May 10, 2022.
The Maharashtra government on Wednesday informed the Bombay high court that it has decided to grant financial benefits to the family of an Army Major, who was killed in the line of duty in Jammu and Kashmir four years ago.
'No matter how much you get paid or how successful you get, nothing can match the fauj.'
Salute the brave soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice defending the motherland and whose courage was acknowledged by a grateful nation at the Defence Investiture Ceremony.
President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday approved 412 gallantry awards and other defence decorations to Armed Forces personnel and others on the eve of 74th Republic Day.
Film folk have been celebrating #ArmyDay by posting pictures with the men in green on social media.
The 39-year-old officer was bestowed with the PPMG, the highest police gallantry award, for skillfully killing a terrorist holed up in a building in Kashmir on June 21, 2020, officials said.
Three young officers, grandsons of war veterans, will lead contingents at the 76th Republic Day parade in New Delhi, continuing a family tradition of military service. Lt Ahaan Kumar will lead the 61 Cavalry, Lt Cdr Saahil Ahluwalia will lead the naval contingent, and Capt Ritika Khareta will lead a contingent of the Corps of Signals. The parade will also feature new stunts, including a "Bullet wheelie" by Capt Ashish Rana and a salute by Capt Dimple Singh Bhati on a 12-ft ladder mounted on a moving motorcycle.
'He fulfilled his farz to his country,' a grieving mother says of Major Mustafa Bohara who was awarded the Shaurya Chakra, the nation's third-highest medal for gallantry in peacetime. 'He fulfilled his farz to his country,' said his proud mother of her soldier son.
Wing Commander Raveendran and flight steward Sargeant Iyer, though shaken and injured, managed to open the rear door of the aircraft and shouted for Prime Minister Morarji Desai and the passengers in the forward cabin to exit in haste since they suspected that fire would engulf the aircraft.
The brave men who President Ram Nath Kovind, supreme commander of India's armed forces, awarded the Shaurya Chakra at the Defence Investiture ceremony on Monday, November 22, 2021.
Assistant Sub-Inspector Babu Ram and Constable Altaf Hussain Bhat of Jammu and Kashmir Police were on Saturday posthumously conferred with the Ashoka Chakra and the Kirti Chakra awards respectively on the eve of the 75th Independence Day. While the Ashoka Chakra is India's highest peacetime gallantry honour, Kirti Chakra is the second in order of precedence of peacetime gallantry awards.
President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday conferred Distinguished Service Awards, including 52 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals, on 84 serving and retired personnel of the armed forces and the Indian Coast Guard.
A division bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Firdosh Pooniwalla said it was "not happy " and "surprised" with the government's stand despite orders passed by the court asking the chief minister to consider the matter as a "special case".
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday informed the Lok Sabha that IAF Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor in the military chopper crash in Tamil Nadu, is on life support in the Military Hospital at Wellington, Tamil Nadu.
'Whatever you work towards, be dedicated, do your best. Never go to bed thinking I could have put in more effort'
Special Police Officer Bilal Ahmad Magray of the J&K Police was a daredevil who sacrificed his life in the line of duty. His mother received the Shaurya Chakra with grief and pride.
Kirti Chakra was posthumously conferred on CRPF Commandant Pramod Kumar and Army Havildar Giris Gurung.
President Ram Nath Kovind presented the Gallantry Awards and Distinguished Service Decorations at the Defence Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday. Here's a glimpse of some of our brave hearts being honoured.
He was conferred with the Shaurya Chakra in August for averting a possible mid-air accident after his Tejas light combat aircraft suffered a major technical glitch last year.
The Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra were posthumously awarded to Major David Manlun and Major Satish Dahiya, who lost their lives while fighting with terrorists in Nagaland and Jammu and Kashmir.
The pilot ejected safely and a court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident, the IAF said in a brief statement.
Nine army men have been awarded Shaurya Chakra, the third highest peacetime gallantry award.
Three pistols, two kilograms of heroin and Rs one lakh cash were recovered from them along with the two cars in which they were travelling, he said.
Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor in the horrifying chopper crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu, was conferred with the Shaurya Chakra in August for averting a possible mid-air accident after his Tejas light combat aircraft suffered a major technical glitch last year.
The officer was involved in a dog fight with Pakistani fighter aircraft and was awarded a Shaurya Chakra for taking down an F-16 combat aircraft during the engagement.
Colonel Ajay Kothiyal, Kirti Chakra, Shaurya Chakra, is one of the most decorated soldiers to join politics. He still has two bullets lodged inside his body sustained in a gun battle with terrorists in J&K.
Chand was honoured with Kirti Chakra, the second highest peace-time decoration, for displaying great presence of mind, valour and conspicuous gallantry before making the supreme sacrifice.
'He continued firing with the other hand with the AK-47.' 'He was hit in the neck and shoulder, but did not let go of the terrorist.' On Republic Day, Mudasir Ahmed Sheikh of the J&K Police was awarded the Shaurya Chakra posthumously for eliminating three Pakistani terrorists.
The PMG was announced by the Union home ministry on the occasion of the 74th Republic Day, being celebrated on January 26 (Thursday).
The Army had paid rich tributes to 'Axel', a Belgian Malinois.
The IAF received a total of 13 awards including five Yudh Seva Medals and seven Vayu Sena Medal.
'The families of those who die during operations are looked after very well by the army, but those who die in non-combat situations do not receive the same attention.'
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