Gunjan Saxena Shero Of Airforce In Kargil War 1999
When a five-year-old girl saw a fighter plane for the first time, she decided on the same day that one day she would fly the plane herself. This child was Gunjan Saxena who was born in a family where both her father and brother were in the army. Since childhood, that girl had decided to sacrifice everything for the country.
44-year-old Gunjan is now retired. She is known as ‘Kargil Girl’. Gunjan has been awarded the Shaurya Award for her valour, courage and patriotism. Gunjan is the woman who proved on the fact that women cannot only become pilots but can get their prove their mettle in Kargil 1998 War.
Gunjan Saxena bravely handled the flying operations during the Kargil War in 1999. She used to command the Cheetah Helicopter. During this time, she lifted from the high hills of Dras and Batalik and brought herself back to a safe place.
Pakistani soldiers were constantly attacking with rocket launchers and bullets. Gunjan’s aircraft was targetted by Pakistani missiles but the target missed and Gunjan at last survived. Gunjan, without any weapons, confronted the Pakistani soldiers and rescued many Indian soldiers from there.
When Gunjan was graduating from Hansraj College, she joined Safdarganj Flying Club of Delhi. At that time both her father and brother were employed in the Indian Army.
It was the first time when women pilots are being recruited in the Indian Air Force. Gunjan Saxena then passed the SSB exam and joined the Indian Air Force as a pilot. Her father and brother had motivated her to persuade the dream of joining the IAF and wear the blue uniform.
At that time, the security forces were dominated by male officers and women officers in the Indian Air Force were not allowed to fly equal to men.
Of course, women officers were not allowed to fly fighter jets at that time, but the women of their batch had made history by flying the aircraft for the first time in the Indian Air Force. However, at that time there was a reservation for women pilots in the Indian Air Force.
But then it was not clear how they would face mental and physical stress in wars to fly? The women present in Gunjan Saxena’s wanted a chance to prove themselves, which they got during the Kargil war in 1999. During the war, when the Indian Army needed a pilot, Gunjan Saxena and Sri Vidya were sent to the battlefield.
Gunjan Saxena Shero Of Airforce In Kargil War 1999
She also flew several times very close to the Line of Control to complete his mission, so that the position of Pakistani soldiers could be ascertained.
At that time, Gunjan Saxena and her colleague Shri Vidya took the responsibility of saving the Indian wounded soldiers. Gunjan and her partner Vidya were sent to the area of Kashmir, where Pakistani soldiers were constantly attacking Indian troops with rocket launchers and bullets.
Both of them went to the battlefield with Cheetah helicopters and helped hundreds of soldiers. Despiite that Gunjan fought the Pakistani soldiers without any weapon and succeeded in saving many Indian soldiers.
To execute her mission, Gunjan had to fly several times very close to the line of control, so that the positions of Pakistani soldiers could be traced, Gunjan and her companions carried out this entire mission by playing on their lives.
Gunjan Saxena was awarded the Shaurya Veer Award for her bravery during the Kargil War, becoming the first woman to receive this award. Now women pilots can also fly fighter planes in the Indian Air Force and the credit goes to the courageous IAF pilots like Gunjan Saxena.
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