I am reproducing it here for the benefit of those who missed reading it earlier.This is worth reading.It's such an amazing,inspiring article and a tale of exceptional bravery.Let's devote some time for our brave defenders,Defenders of our Nation...
Before he turned 20, Chuni Lal had already won a Sena Medal for bravery on the icy heights of the Siachen glacier. At 21,153 feet, the Siachen glacier is the world's highest and toughest battlefield. To get a sense of the height and what super human effort it must take to fight a battle there, the post that he fought to recapture was just 7,875 feet lower than Mount Everest, which is 29,000 feet tall
The young sepoy, just two years into the army, had volunteered to be a part of the operation led by the indomitable Naib Subedar Bana Singh, one of India's greatest living heroes, who himself won the Param Vir Chakra, the country's highest gallantry award for that operation.
Chuni Lal was a member of Bana Singh's team, which had the task of clearing Pakistani intruders from the post, which was almost an unbreachable glacier fortress with 1,500 feet high walls of ice on both sides. In extremely difficult circumstances, the men led by Bana Singh crawled from trench to trench and cleared the post of all infiltrators.
Twenty years after that feat of courage, by June 2007, Naib Subedar Chuni Lal had won three gallantry awards and was amongst the most highly decorated soldiers of the Indian Army.
The man from Jammu and Kashmir's Bhaderwah in Doda district -- once the hotbed of militancy -- Chuni Lal's medals and his valour are the stuff of legend. In 1999 he was awarded the Vir Chakra -- the third highest bravery award for fighting back Pakistani infiltrators in Poonch and was instrumental in killing 12 intruders as the post commander.
He also did two stints with the United Nations Peace Keeping Force in Somalia and Sudan. His team's courage under fire in Sudan won them a UN citation for valour, the only Indian battalion to be so honoured.
On June 24, 2007, Chuni Lal proved -- yet again -- what made him such an exceptional soldier. Commanding his post in Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir, at 14,000 feet with a visibility of just 5 metres and a temperature measuring minus 5 degrees, he detected some movement across the fence from the Line of Control. He quickly deployed his soldiers to stop anyone from crossing the LoC.
At 3.30 am the Indian soldiers heard some noise on the fence and challenged it. A volley of Kalishnikov fire greeted the Indian inquiry. The exchange of fire continued for almost an hour, the soldiers surrounded the whole area and searched for the terrorists till daylight broke. On finding nobody, they made way to the last remaining bushy patch -- as they approached closer, to ensure no one had crossed the fence, they were fired upon.
Chuni Lal along with his men continued to close on to the area where the terrorists were hiding and killed two of them on the spot. In the gunfire two soldiers were badly injured and lay precariously close to where the terrorists were. Risking his life Chuni Lal crawled towards them, pulled his men to safety and saved their lives. Then he took charge of the search party again.
He started searching the area, anticipating another hidden terrorist -- his hunch proved right and he saw a third terrorist trying to escape. Chuni Lal charged at him with his weapon, killing him. Unfortunately, the terrorist�s bullet tore his abdomen and left him bleeding profusely.
Unmindful of his grievous injury he took cover behind a boulder, continued firing and did not allow the other terrorists to break the cordon. Under his leadership the two remaining terrorists were also killed. At the end of the operation, five terrorists had been killed and a large amount of ammunition was recovered.
Chuni Lal had lost a lot of blood and by the time a helicopter could airlift him to hospital, the brave soldier had passed into the ages. For his exemplary courage and leadership, Naib Subedar Chuni Lal, who was not even 40 when he died, was awarded the Ashok Chakra, which is equivalent to the Param Vir Chakra, the highest award for bravery.
His rare courage will enhance the annals of Indian military history. The evening before the President of India was to present the award to his grieving wife, his commanding officer and family revealed what made him such an extraordinary soldier and why we should all be grateful to him.
Colonel Ram Pratap Singh, Commanding Officer, 8 Jammu & Kashmir Light Infantry talks about Chuni Lal :
What set him apart as a soldier:
If there was one quality that marked Chuni Lal as a soldier -- it was daredevilry. When bullets were flying around him he said he would lead from the front. Naib Subedar Chunilal was the rarest of the rare in the army. It was not a chance incident where he showed his bravery.
Bravery and valour were in his blood. This is no exaggeration because every time he got an opportunity, he made the best use of it.
He never allowed his subordinates to go ahead of him in danger. Even in this operation, he pulled back one soldier, saying -- 'I am the commander, let me go first.' That kind of ethos and mental attitude is not seen in the real sense.
He was 17 years old when he joined the battalion in 1985. I have seen him grow from one rank to the other. He was dashing, took a lot of initiative, had team spirit and the courage of conviction. He excelled in all military subjects.
Just two years after joining service he got an opportunity to be part of an operation with Subedar Bana Singh in 1987. He volunteered to go into that operation where the post was recaptured and renamed Bana Top. He was the first few to reach that post along with Bana Singh and received a Sena Medal.
In 1999 -- when the unit was deployed in Poonch, there was an attempted intrusion and he fought back. As the post commander, he synchronised the firing and deployment -- 12 infiltrators were killed and he was awarded the Vir Chakra. So before the Ashok Chakra, he was already a twice decorated soldier.
He was a very fit man and served as an instructor at the NCC Officers Academy, Kamptee, Madhya Pradesh. He used to always come first in the battle physical efficiency test.
His stint in Sudan:
He represented the Indian Army in Sudan in 2006 as a United Nations Peacekeeper and displayed devotion to duty while serving in the difficult operational situation in Sudan. We were tasked to set up the initial mission there. There were terrain and climatic challenges and we were tasked to move the entire store from India to Sudan and establish the team site.
There was a crisis between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Sudan People's Liberation Army. Both the forces took out their tanks and guns and started firing and we with the blue berets were required to calm them down. It was successfully carried out by the Indian contingent. Within 7 days it was calmed down. The unit carried out the humanitarian operation, the relief operation and the evacuation of UN officials out of that location to a safe place.
For this the battalion was awarded the United Nations Unit Citation for valour. We are the only battalion to receive a citation from the UN. It is a very rare accomplishment.
What it takes to guard the Line of Control:
After Sudan we moved to Kupwara. On the LoC, small teams of men are deployed within an area of responsibility; they are supposed to look after that place. Naib Subedar Chuni Lal was the post commander, responsible for those troops.
When he deployed himself and the firing began in the operation, soldiers from neighbouring posts were moved to assist them in eliminating the terrorists. So initially it started with a small group which got built to a larger group where the commanding officer, the company commander, played an important role but Chuni Lal was the man in focus. Under the guidance of the commanding officer and senior officers, the operations were modified on the ground so that we were able to attain the goal.
Chuni Lal was our only unfortunate loss.
Chuni Lal belonged to the most decorated battalion of the Indian Army.
The 8 J&K Light Infantry is the highest decorated battalion in the Indian Army today with 252 bravery awards after Independence. Around 25 per cent of the bravery award winners are still in the battalion.
We call this battalion born in battle and purified in blood -- because this battalion was raised on December 18, 1947 in response to a call by the civil population to check the ingress of Kabailis in Poonch. It saved Poonch from falling into their hands.
In the 1971 war, it was the only battalion which could hold on to its defences west of Munawar Tawi in the Chamb sector despite all odds. Today it is the only location with us on the west of Munawar. For this the battalion was given the battle honours of Laleali and Piquet 707 and the division got theatre honours for the action of this battalion.
In 1987, this is the only battalion that has captured the highest battlefield in the world at a height of 21,153 feet. It requires nerves of steel to be deployed, move, attack, capture and survive at that position. During that operation Bana Singh got the Param Vir Chakra, we also got a Mahavir Chakra in that operation for Subedar Sansar Chand, 7 Vir Chakras, 10 Sena Medals and 70 commendation cards. Nobody has got so many awards in a single operation. That is history in itself.
After we were deployed in Poonch between 1998 and 2001, a number of operations took place. This is the only battalion that has the record of killing the maximum number of terrorists in one tenure at the LoC -- 106 terrorists. For its sterling performance, the battalion was awarded the Chief of Army Staff's unit citation in 2001.
Do bravery award winners get out of turn promotions?
There are no out of turn promotions. An award is given to an individual according to a particular act of bravery, which has its own advantages when he gets considered for his next rank. But he has to fulfill those qualitative requirements to get promoted to the next rank and awards help in getting extra points.
Whenever Subedar Bana Singh picked his next rank, his PVC played an important role, he did not get an out of turn promotion. He had made the nation, the regiment, and the battalion proud. For a Junior Commissioned Officer to become Naib Subedar, you have to be master of many trades. You should be able to lead the troops, to set an example, to guide them, be good at man management and crisis management.
Gallantry award winners are not kept out of operations just because they have won medals earlier. Our battalion has won so many awards that everyone is treated on par.
Do officers value the experience and expertise of the JCOs and men?
Yes, yes when a young officer gets commissioned and meets Subedar Bana Singh, it is a matter of pride. It's a matter of learning when Bana Singh narrates to him how he won the PVC. Though you (an officer) may be highly qualified but from the experience point of view, you may not get that experience, exposure (on the battlefield).
A death that glorifies is a better death
Fear of life and death persists in every individual. We have to choose what kind of death we want to achieve. I may die in a driving accident and no one will know of me and my family. Is that the kind of death I would like? I don't think so.
You give your life for the country, the country recognises you. Eight hundred people from the battalion are there with your family. You are glorified, your family gets glorified, your battalion, regiment, the nation gets glorified. A death that glorifies you, that enhances your name, your family, the nation, the battalion, regiment, I think that's a better choice.
What happens to the family of this decorated soldier?
Chuni Lal's son Manveer, 16, is in class X. After this we will shift him and the family to Jammu. Give his wife accommodation in the Divisional War Widows Hostel, Jammu and get Manveer admitted to the Army Public School, Kaluchak. The battalion will be monitoring the education very closely and arrange for some coaching classes for the National Defence Academy -- we all want to see him as an officer in the battalion. We will feel very happy if he commands the battalion one day.
His daughters -- Arti, 11 and Manju, 9 -- are in school. When the family shifts to Jammu, we will get them admitted in a primary school in the cantonment. The girls also want to join the army -- if everything is fine we will try for the Officers Training Academy for them.
His wife will get a lump sum of around 25-30 lakhs, but how long will she get through with that money?
How can you help the family:
His wife needs a regular source of income, if people could think about that and help her in providing a regular source of income. There is a welfare and settlement directorate of the Army which looks into this, like providing gas agency, petrol pumps -- the procedures are there and we're trying to look for a vacancy and get one.
Army Wives Welfare Association is also going to help -- those who want to help should write to AWWA or the Welfare and Resettlement directorate at Army HQ and mention the lady and that we want to help her out.
The government, battalion and regiment help but if everybody starts helping the family that is the strength one is looking for -- any army in the world cannot win a war if the population is not with them. If we all start joining hands and start looking after the soldiers, that is the sort of security everybody is looking for, that's the ideal situation one is looking for in this country.
Chinta Devi, Naib Subedar Chuni Lal's widow:
My husband loved the army. He always looked forward to going back after the end of his holidays. He used to come once a year for a month or so. He had always wanted to be a soldier and used to tell me about his life serving on the border.
My loss is immense but I know he did such a great task for the country. Everyone in my village speaks so highly of him, they all say he was such a brave man. He truly was.
My son wants to join the army as an officer. He has to live up to his father's name. My son says � 'Mujhe daddy ka badla lena hain' (I want to avenge my father's death). My husband also wanted my son to join the army. I am not scared that my son could face the same fate, because his father wanted him to join the army. That was his wish.
I was married to him for 20 years and now that he has gone I have to live for my children, their studies and their lives.
I get a pension of Rs 15,000 every month and have received around Rs 15 lakh compensation from the government. They say the remaining money will come to me in a few months. It would be nice if the government could sanction a gas agency or petrol pump to us, it would be of help to us.
The people of his regiment have helped us very much and remember us. But only I know what my grief is.
Manveer Singh, Naib Subedar Chuni Lal's son:
I was at home when the news of my father's death reached us. He was a very brave man. Everyone says that. I want to join the army and become an infantry officer. I want to go to the National Defence Academy.
I have always wanted to join the army. I am not scared. I have my father's example before me but it is sad that he will not be there from now on. I want to do something for this nation. I know it can be dangerous but there are certain things that have to be faced. I just want to make my father proud.
His Near & Dear Before His Memorial.
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