Sitrep: 3 Jat’s 1965 trail of glory commemorated
‘If you don’t identify yourself fully with your men you can never hope to lead them successfully in battle’. General KS Sivakumar said this at the recent commemoration by 3 Jat, at Gurdaspur, of the 50th anniversary of it’s hard-won victory at Dograi in Pakistan in 1965.
‘If you don’t identify yourself fully with your men you can never hope to lead them successfully in battle’. General KS Sivakumar said this at the recent commemoration by 3 Jat, at Gurdaspur, of the 50th anniversary of it’s hard-won victory at Dograi in Pakistan in 1965. It was easy to make out how closely the officers of this very fine battalion related to their men by the easy way they mixed with them conversing in chaste Haryanvi and reliving the days when they faced danger together. This bonhomie and trust between the officers and jawans carried the unit to victory in 1965. Also contributing substantially was the outstanding leadership of it’s commander, Colonel Desmond Hayde supported by leaders at lower levels.
Colonel Devesh Wahi (currently commanding the battalion), Subedar Major Ram Swarup Faujdar and all officers and men in the battalion worked very hard to make the celebrations a grand success. My salute to all the veterans who made it to the anniversary and also to all those who fought the war. The controlled aggression which 3 Jat adopted to achieve victory in 1965 is the right approach to deal with assaults on our territorial integrity or people.
New Western Army Commander
General Surinder Singh has taken over as the GOC-in-C, Western Command. Commissioned in 1979, he later commanded 2 Guards (the old 1st Grenadiers) after it had converted to a mechanised battalion equipped with BMP-2 infantry combat vehicles. Earlier he had graduated from the British Army’s Staff College at Camberley. His most recent command was that of XXXIII Corps defending Sikkim, Bhutan and the vital corridor to the North-East. With his appointment, the avoidable deadlock over senior officers’ postings seems to be nearing it’s end.
General Soni takes over ARTRAC
General DR Soni took over as the commander of the Army Training Command, headquartered at Shimla on September 17. Commissioned in the Central India Horse in June 1979, the general attended the Defence College of Management and Technology at Shrivenham in Britain graduating with a masters degree in global security. His last command was that of X Corps, the pivot formation whose area of responsibility ranges from Fazilka to an area south of Bikaner.
Naval Twitter handle
That the Navy’s spokesperson has a Twitter handle @indiannavy is well known. What isn’t too well known is how naval families are able to follow the progress of ships in which their loved ones are serving, through the medium. Recently they learned of the arrival of the Talwar-class guided missile frigate INS Trikand at Maputo in Mozambique on September 17 on a three-day goodwill visit. Earlier, on September 10, one learned of the visit of INS Kolkata, the lead ship of the Kolkata-class of stealth guided missile destroyers and INS Aditya, a replenishment and repair ship to Mombasa in Kenya.
Disability Pensions
Armed forces personnel are more prone to disabilities than their civilian counterparts because of the hazardous nature of their jobs and the fact that they serve in all kinds of inhospitable terrain. In spite of that the Seventh Pay Commission has recommended slab-based disability pensions for the former while retaining percentage-based pensions for civilians. This recommendation violates the principles of justness and conformance. Can we then blame the Services Chiefs for refusing to implement the proposals?
(Please write in with your narratives of war and soldiering to msbajwa@gmail.com or call/WhatsApp on 09316135343)