It was July 26, 1999. After holding the fort for nearly three months and winning decisive battles at Tiger Hill and Tololing, the Indian Army went for the kill in the last week of July and emerged victorious after successfully driving out Pakistani intruders. July 26 is celebrated as Kargil Vijay Diwas or (Kargil Victory Day) to commemorate the hundreds of soldiers who laid their life during the conflict.
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Devbhoomi Uttarakhand lost 75 of her sons during the 1999 Kargil War who fought courageously for the nation but ultimately had to sacrifice their lives in order to keep the enemies at bay. For their valiant efforts in the military warfare at Kargil conflict, 37 gallantry awards were bestowed to the sons of Uttarakhand. The innate passion to serve for the nation selflessly can be judged from the fact that 15% of the population in state consists of ex-army servicemen. More than 60,000 men from the hill state are currently serving Indian Army at various place all over the country.
Mahavir Chakra (2nd highest military decoration) recipients: Major Vivek Gupta and Major Rajesh Adhikari
Vir Chakra (3rd highest military decoration) recipients: Kashmir Singh, Brijmohan Singh, Anusuya Prasad, Kuldeep Singh, A.K. Sinha, Khusiman Gurung, Shashibhusan Ghildiyal, Rupesh Pradhan and Rajesh Shah
Sena Medal recipients: Tam Bahadur Chetri, Hari Bahadur, Mohan Singh, Narpal Singh, Devendera Prasad, Jagat Singh, Surmaan Singh, Dabal Singh, Chandan Singh, Mohan Singh, Kishan Singh, Shiv Singh, Surendera Singh, Sanjay Barshiliya
Mentioned in Dispatch (an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which his or her gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy is described): Ram Singh, Hari Singh Thapa, Devendera Singh, Vikram Singh, Maan Singh, Mangat Singh, Balwant Singh, Amit Dabral, Praveen Kashyap, Arjun Sen, Anil Kumar
Inputs from Dainik Jagran