5 Heroic Stories of Indian Soldiers Who Became Legends

There are many stories that become legends and these legends deserve to be told over and over again. The stories of sacrifice, courage, devotion, passion, and love. The stories of real heroes who gave their lives to protect ours. The soldiers who are portraying the real meaning of bravery and their stories have become an inspiration to so many youngsters. Fighting against all the odds, these soldiers are making sure that the country stays united and thus the Tiranga keeps on flapping with the wind high in the sky.

Here are some stories of brave soldiers which will definitely fill your heart with pride and more than enough to give you goosebumps. There will be an instant realization that freedom does not come for free, there are men in uniform sweating their blood to ensure that we could spend our nights peacefully.

See Also : Life of a cadet at NDA

Indian Armed Forces – Interesting Stories

Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat – Story Of A Man Who Fought Till His Last Breath.

During the India-China war in 1962 when soldiers of 4 Garhwal Rifles were engaged in the intense battle of Nuranang, Jashwant Singh and his troop members received an order to retrieve from their positions due to lack of resources and manpower. But the brave heart soldier from Uttarakhand refused the order of commanding officers and decided to stay put. He refused to leave the battle ground and fought against the Chinese army single-handedly.

In front of his eyes, he saw his companions falling on the ground but he didn’t give up and swear to fight till his last breath. As per the other soldiers there, he fought with the Chinese soldiers for 3 days all by himself, giving them a tough time and killing nearly 300 enemy soldiers. The heart of the enemies was filled with fear as this single man was equal to a battalion for them. Jaswant Singh was not only a die-hard soldier but also a sharply witted personality. He formed a strategy to keep the Chinese army under an illusion. It is believed, with the help of two girls he set up weapons at different places and fired at enemies relentlessly. He deceived them in believing that it is a large army force whom they were fighting against. But soon the truth was revealed to the Chinese army. They become furious thinking that it was merely a soldier who was standing up against all of them. After that, they surrounded Jaswant Singh, realizing that he was about to be captured. This fearless man decided to shot himself before the enemy could lay their hands on him. To take their revenge, the Chinese army cut off his head and took it as a souvenir. But later, after the war was ceased, the Chinese army returned the head of the solider to the Indian army as, they too were amazed by his selfless act of heroism.
The courage that he has shown was extraordinary. He is the only soldier in the history of the Indian army who continue to serve even after his death. For his bravery, he has been bestowed with the award of Maha Vir Chakra posthumously.

Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan – The Ultimate Fighter Of 26/11 Mumbai Attack

26 November 2008. A day still to be remembered for the unbeatable spirit of Indian forces. As Mumbai was under the series of attacks, fear and terror seized everyone, while terrorists were moving among the common people. Terrorists were attacking different sites and one of their targets was the iconic Taj palace hotel. Operation Black Tornado was put forward by the National Security Gaurds(NSG) to trail down bombers and save the hostages who were there in the hotel.

Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan was the team commander of Special Action Group(SAG) who was part of the operation. He and his team members of 10 commandos entered the hotel and were moving with every caution. The inside view was more dreadful than the outside. They started their search for anyone who might be alive and in need of help. They were about to move to the next floor when one of the team members found one man and a woman lying under the table in extreme pain as they were shot twice. Major Unnikrishnan immediately started the evacuation process for them and made sure that they reach outside the hotel safely.

After checking from floor to floor, they heard few screams and gun firing from the above floor, they realized that terrorists were on the 3rd floor. In the above room, few people were held under gunpoint by the terrorist. As the team started to walk up the stairs, the terrorist started firing at them from the above. The terrorist was already aware of their positions and they were waiting for them. After a few minutes, they threw a grenade, it bounced at the staircase and exploded. For a period of time, the fierce gun firing continued between the SAG team and terrorist. In the darkness, only flashes from the gun firing could be seen. In between Sunil Jodha, one of the major Unnikrishnan’s team member was hit by two bullets in his chest. He asked his other team member to take Sunil Jodha into safety immediately and went to the room alone without thinking about his own safety. Now, the situation was highly dangerous as there was nobody to cover him. He entered the room and hide behind the broken chair laying in the floor. He held his last grenade in his hand, snapped the pin off and threw it near the window. The grenade exploded, shattering the window. There was no one. He started moving down the corridor, holding his gun MP5 close. There was a table to his left and suddenly there was the sound of AK-47 firing from beneath the table. In the encounter that followed Major Unnikrishnan was shot. His last words were “do not come up, I’ll handle them.”

Major Unnikrishnan and his team were successful at saving 14 lives during the operation. He was given Ashoka Chakra which is the highest peacetime military award.

Major Somnath Sharma – A Story of a Vigorous Leader

“The enemy is only 50 yards from us. We are heavily outnumbered. We are under devastating fire. I shall not withdraw an inch but will fight to the last man and the last round.” – Major Somnath Sharma

Among those uncountable brave soldiers who have given their lives during the Indo-Pakistan war in 1947, there was a man who did something so extraordinary and proved the true meaning of leadership. From the very beginning of his career in the Indian army, Major Somnath Sharma was known for his praiseworthy work. When Pakistan invaded in Jammu and Kashmir on October 22nd, 1947, at that time he was serving as Major in 4th Kumaon Regiment. Next morning he received the orders to report in Srinagar with his troop members. Before his company was asked to move to Srinagar he had an accident while playing hockey and his hand was fractured. He was advised to rest but he insisted to be with his company. Two days later they were given the information that the enemy soldiers have captured a small town named Badgam which was only a few miles away from the Srinagar airfield. They have entered into the valley with only one intention to seize Jammu and Kashmir under their possession. Clear-cut orders were given to Major Somnath and his company to prevent any intrusion and defend the new state that has become the part of India.

When Major Somnath and his soldiers reached their destination on 3rd November he made sure that all his troop members were at the fighting positions according to his strategy. He knew that the enemy has attacked Badgam to distract them and the next attack would surely come from the west. During the patrolling they did not notice any movement of the enemies, so, two companies were moved back to Srinagar. Only the ‘D’ company led by Major Sharma was asked to stay back.

Around 3 pm a large army force of nearly 600-700 enemy soldiers appeared from the west and started firing. They attacked the company with powerful mortars. Within a few minutes, they were surrounded by the enemy who was firing at them non stop. More than 50 Indian soldiers were dead and the company was inflicted with major loss due to heavy bombardment. Major Somnath analyzed the whole situation and soon understood the grave danger they were in. He knew that if the enemy succeeded in their mission and took control over the Srinagar airlift then soon they would lose everything but he wasn’t ready to retrieve a single step even though they were outnumbered.

He ran to his ground section often exposing himself to the enemy without caring for his own life and encouraged his troop members to fight till their last breath and asked them not to give up. Even though his right hand was fractured he ignored all the outcomes and took the responsibility of filing the magazines and supplied them to men, who were operating light machine guns. In between the firing, a mortar shell exploded near him and killed him. But under his leadership, the Indian soldiers were so much motivated by his valor and determination that they fought the enemies for 6 hours. After some time the reinforcement team landed at the airport and took control over the situation.

It was Major Sharma’s courage and unbreakable spirit of soldiers of 4th Kumaon Regiment that failed the deadly intentions of the enemies. For his fearless actions, he was awarded Param Vir Chakra (PVC), India’s highest wartime gallantry award. He was the first recipient to receive this award.

Subedar Yogendra Singh Yadav – Story Of A Living Legend

It was 1999 when Kashmir was once again under the attack. Pakistan army had invaded the Indian military lines of the border and have successfully captured several bunkers. They have captured the Tiger hill and soon the Indian army was in danger as they were completely surrounded by the enemy.

It was May when Subedar Yogendra Yadav who was part of the ‘Ghatak’ Commando platoon, an elite special forces unit received their orders to attack the enemies and recapture the fort at any cost. Soon he and his platoon was climbing at the height of 16000 Ft, taking every single step with caution, they didn’t want to disclose their position to their enemies.

It wasn’t an easy task because of the harsh wind and freezing cold weather, but they kept moving forward persistently. The platoon came up with a strategy of climbing up the Tiger hill at night and surprising their enemy with an attack. It was 90-degree steep climb they had to make, one step wrong and death was inevitable. Subedar Yadav volunteered to climb up the mountain first so that he could affix a rope system into the ice and other members of the platoon could easily follow him.

It was a pitch dark night when he began on this dangerous mission keeping his head held high with only one aim, to protect his nation. For straight two days, they kept on moving up the hill, his platoon members just a few yards away from him. On the third night after tough climbing, Subedar Yadav was just halfway up the ice covered hill when all of a sudden the commandos heard a distinct sound coming from the mountain crest. Within few seconds a rocket grenade hit the ground with an explosion followed by heavy gun firing from above by the enemies.

Half of the platoon members were shot and others fell headlong to the ground reaching a dreadful end. He looked back and realized that half of his platoon was eliminated. He himself was shot with three bullets but even those bullets failed in breaking his spirit and rose like a phoenix and started climbing up the hill. He made up to the enemy position where there was a bunker. As the crossfire was going on he successfully destroyed one of the enemies bunker killing everyone inside with a grenade. He killed another enemy soldier from a close range who was firing at them with a machinegun. In the fighting, he suffered from nerve injuries but that didn’t stop him from standing against his enemies.

After 6 hours of fighting, he along with his remaining platoon members ceased their firing made it look like that they all have died. Next morning few Pakistani soldiers started moving towards their position to analyze the situation and that is when the Subedar Yadav and others fired at them relentlessly killing everyone but hearing the sound of firing within half an hour more than 30 enemy soldiers have reached there. The platoon was outnumbered and they were not left with any ammunition. He saw two of his team members shot dead in front of his eyes. He himself pretended to be dead when the Pakistani soldier was standing next to him. They shot him twice in the chest but he didn’t make a single sound. When the enemy soldiers were returning he took a grenade out of his pocket and charged at them and continued firing. The enemy had fallen to the ground. Collecting all his strength he reached to the position of other platoons. On the same night, the Indian flag was fluttering with the wind on the Tiger Hill.

For his bravery, Yadav was awarded with Param Vir Chakra when he was in the hospital fighting for his life after getting shot for 15 times. But he is the lion of the Indian army who lived to tell his story.

Havildar Hangpan Dada – A Hero Who Lived Among Us

A hero was born in Boduri Village in far flung Arunachal Pradesh. He joined Indian army as a soldier in the 3rd battalion of the Parachute Regiment on 28 October 1997. Among his battalion members, Hangpan was popularly known as ‘Dada’, a name that represents something more than respect. In 2016, he was transferred to the Rashtriya Rifles battalion on operations in Kupwara district, Jammu and Kashmir. This location is a near line of control and so, the soldiers have to be in alert position every time.

On 26th May 2016, it was around 6 a.m when the phone in the headquarter rang and on the other side of the line, a sepoy named J N Baite was reporting that he had spotted some suspicious movement in the Shamshabari range. This location was between the Sabu post and Marsari post which were below the headquarters. J N Baite was the first O.P( observation post) on that day and he noticed that 4 militants were moving ahead of the ambush point who were trying to sneak in. Without wasting any time he immediately reported the matter to the commanding officer. The O.C asked him to keep an eye on the movement of the enemies and then he further reported the message in the Sabu post.

Hangpan Dada and his team were given the information that the militants were moving from the Mira Naar towards Sabu post and he has to stop them at any cost. Within half an hour, the entire area was cordoned. Operation Sabu Dada began at around 7 am. There were two teams one of Sub. Kurung Anal and other of Naik Najibur. Dada was placed in the Sabu post who was moving along with his team to block the most likely route of escape for the militants in the Mira Naar. They were moving cautiously, hiding their moments in the midst of the morning. The weather was making everything worse. He and his team were ordered to move first and cover the area where the moments of the militants were last seen.

The company headquarters started firing at the enemies with the machine gun. It was a surprise attack for them for which they were not ready. Two of the militant hid and the other two ran down towards the Naar. Dada and his team started firing at them but they took cover behind the rocks. He moved ahead making no sound and took a clear cut shot at one of the militants. One militant down, three more to go. He decided to move forward and asked his team members to give him cover. The cross fire started. The team was engaged in fierce gun firing. He crawled to the ground keeping his head low not to get in sight of the enemy and took his next position. One more shot fired and the militant fall to the ground, dead.

After that, for the search of other militants, two teams were formed one of the commanding officer and other of Hangpan Dada. He was leading his team and was encouraging them with every step. He knew it was important to eliminate rest of the militant before dark or they would lose them. The area where the enemies were reported to be seen was very dangerous. There were big rocks behind which the enemies could hide very easily and it was impossible to spot someone in the slopes. Seeing Dada’s team the militants started firing at them. He knew it was now or never, keeping his head low he ran quickly and came face to face with the third terrorist and neutralized him.

Well aware of the fact that his life would be at stake he still moved forward to kill the last terrorist and suddenly he heard a shot fired from the front and felt the bullet piercing his stomach. A loud voice echoed in the hills “Dada has been shot”. But that didn’t stop him, he collected his strength and tried to get back on his feet. And all of a sudden before he could have held his gun, he was shot again. He was succumbed to his injuries. The last terrorist was killed by one of his team members.

Havildar Hangpan Dada was not an ordinary solider, he really was exceptional. For his remarkable efforts and the courage he had shown, he was awarded Ashok Chakra posthumously.

A soldier never dies in vain because just like their life, their death is also out of ordinary. Every soldier knows that there may be a bullet carrying their name and they feel proud to take it for their nation. Like these epic stories, there are many other stories of soldiers who have laid their lives whenever the nation asked for it. These martyrs will always live in our hearts. Their stories will be passed as a legacy to the next generation. We are grateful to all the soldiers who fight for us and for our freedom. These man in olive green are the real heroes and we salute them.

See: Mind Boggling Reasons Why To Join Indian Army

A Tribute To All The Soldiers

Only Prayer Of A Soldier…

Before the dawn breaks
My eyes will be closed for sure
Mine will also become an unsung story
Of all the sacrifice and pain I’ve endured
Yet there is no regret
As I’ve played every role
Be it a son to a mother, a brother to a sister
Or a lover to my half soul
Death is standing next to me
And I’m holding a letter
There is a picture of me in uniform
Saying ‘ I Love You Daddy’ from my daughter
Once again a mother will cry
Seeing me in a box when I’ll return
No, it has never been about medals
But the honor that I’ve earned
The two stars on my shoulder
Will always shine brighter
Than any star in the sky
As they speak for a fighter
Believe me, I’m just a man
And I too had my fears
There were many times
When I’ve cried unmanly tears
But don’t you worry my friend
Because I’m not gone
I promise you
Only as a soldier I’ll reborn
Then once again I’ll be
wrapped in tricolor
With my last breath
I pray to be remembered just as, a soldier.

Vande mataram!

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