18th Kargil Vijay Diwas: Time to remember heroes of the nation who made supreme sacrifices

kargil vijay diwas

kargil-vijay-diwas

Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated every year on July 26 across the country in order to commemorate the memorable victory that India achieved in that particular war against Pakistan. This day basically serves as a reminder of the military prowess at the disposal of India as well as the unimaginable and immeasurable sacrifices made by the brave sons of the soil. All they wanted to do was keep the country safe and that is why these heroes laid down their lives in the line of duty. This is the 18th anniversary of that remarkable day in the history of India.

Kargil War of 1999 – problems faced by the army

It needs to be remembered in this particular context that the war went on for 60 days and it required immense sacrifice from all the members of the national armed forces posted over there. The conditions – a terrain full of glaciers and high altitudes that was treacherous and thus could create problems at any point in time – made it even tougher for the soldiers to fight the war. The war was fought during May and June in Ladakh, which is known for its notoriously cold weather all round the year. They also had to counter the threat of infiltrators trained and supported by influential forces within Pakistan.

Modi remembers heroism of armed forces

The Prime Minister of India has also congratulated the armed forces for the prowess shown by them during Kargil War as well as the sacrifices made by the brave soldiers. In a series of tweets, Modi has remembered the brave soldiers of India who fought in a gallant manner so that the country could be proud of them and the citizens could stay safe during the war. In fact, during the war Indian Army consistently fought for two months ignoring a number of disadvantages in order to wrest back control of the peaks taken over by the infiltrators.

India pays homage

India too has paid homage to its brave sons on this momentous day and remembered the sacrifices they made for the safety and security of the country. At Dras War Memorial in Ladakh a wreath laying ceremony was organized in order to pay tribute to the soldiers who passed away during the war. Arun Jaitley, the Union Defence Minister, was there at Amar Jawan Jyoti in India Gate, New Delhi. He was there alongwith the chiefs of the different units of India’s armed forces.

Remembering the heroes

Among all the heroes who laid down their lives in Kargil in 1999 so that we could be safe mention needs to be made of Captain Jerry Prem Raj. He was given the responsibility of starting an assault on the Twin Bumps, Dras Sector. Captain Raj was able to accurately determine the position of the enemy and also directed artillery fire at the precise point. It was during this exchange that enemy fire hit him. He disregarded it and continued to rain down fire on the enemies. He was hit by a second volley and was injured seriously. He made sure that the enemy losses were far greater than his own. He was awarded with a posthumous Vir Chakra for his life sacrifice. Mention also needs to be made of Captain Shashi Bhushan Ghidiyal, Subedar Raghunath Singh, and Havildar Sis Ram Gill.