Last man standing to protect country
Today, we are sleeping peacefully in our respective homes because we have thousands of infantrymen guarding the borders staying awake. Be it the coldest Siachen or Kargil or Thar desert, the soldiers brave climatic extremes to hold fort and keep the nation safe.
India has 20 per cent infantrymen of its total army strength, while many countries, including Russia and the US, have moved to mechanised units. “Without infantry, nothing is possible in warfare,” said retired brigadier Mohan K. Barathan. He added that they are the crux of the fighting machine and the last men standing.
Despite the bombing tanks, the US had to withdraw from Vietnam without any success because of the indomitable spirit of the people in general and the infantrymen in particular. Similarly, the LTTE didn’t have tanks or artillery. They only had basic infantry without even modern technology. But they gave a tough time to the Indian Peace Keeping Force and Lankan army and it took a long time to subdue them. Back home, the infantrymen played their role to perfection during the Bangladesh Liberation War and helped India defeat Pakistan.
The significance of celebrating Infantry day started soon after Independence when Pakistanis began infiltrating into Kashmir, said retired captain K.B. Chidambaran, who served the country at Tangdhar, Kashmir, during 1974-75. He said the infantrymen effectively stopped the infiltrators and the country began to celebrate them by observing Infantry day on October 27. “Even from primitive days, infantrymen are important in a battlefront because they capture the ground. Even in Kargil, it was the infantrymen who climbed the mountains and then hoisted our national flag to signal victory,” he added.
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