AFVOA Newsletter 03 of 2020

Section 4 – War Diary CV 2 No. 03 / 2020 Page 38 of 167 Operations in 1971” After a while he said “My Brother was killed in that operation” I paused for a while had a good look at the Colonel and was struck by the striking resemblance between his face and the face of the young Captain whose body I had placed near a tree on 14 Dec 1971 in the ambush site. After taking a deep breath I asked the Colonel, “Was your brother’s name Navashish Ali Khan?” “Yes” said the amazed Colonel. I said “A Very Brave Man”. Sitting in front of me on the other side of the table, my wife Sulochana nudged me with her foot to go no further and changed the subject to appreciate the beautiful Cadets Mess and came to my rescue lest I continue with the details. Moral of the Story: Listen To Your Wife. I follow the dictum even today. I am happy! About the Author Col A Krishnaswami VrC, VSM & Bar, joined the National Defence Academy Kharakwasala in Jan 1955 and commissioned from Indian Military Academy Dehradun in December 1958, as Second Lieutenant in the 1st Battalion, The Jammu and Kashmir Rifles. Later he was privileged to command the same battalion from 1972-1976. During his Service career, he has served in all the theatres extending from Kutch to the Burma border. He took part in the operations during the Indo China Conflict in 1962, The indo Pak War of 1965 and 1971. In 1968, saw the successful action against the Chinese in Nathula and Chola Passes of Sikkim, which restored our pride after the debacle in 1962. During the December1971 Indo Pak war, was actively involved in the 13 Days operation that the Indian Army fought that enabled the creation of a separate nation- BANGLADESH. As a company commander, was among the first batch of troops to enter Dhaka on 15 Dec1971 after a successful ambush and inflicting heavy casualties on the retreating Pakistani troops. He was awarded the Vir Chakra by the President of India for this gallant action. Subsequently during his service, he was decorated TWICE by the award of Vishist Seva Medals for his distinguished service. Further the Chief of the Army Staff awarded him the Commendation Medal, for his outstanding performance. After serving for 32 years in the Army, in a variety of command, staff and instructional appointments, retired in October1989. His aim in life has been " To be of use to others and to the community" . He actively partakes in youth programs and motivates the younger generation to excel in all walks of life and face the challenges with confidence and competence. As one of the founder Members of the AFVOA, he has been striving for inter service camaraderie among the veterans of Chennai.