Thread by @meemainseen

*July & Heroes from Kargil*
A thread
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In 2001, on my 2nd posting to Himalayas I was Post Commander with a Northern Light Infantry (NLI) Battalion
A couple of years had passed since the Kargil War
Troops on my post had fought the battle
They had stories, I was an eager audience

A name would pop up frequently, Captain Changezi
I heard first and second hand accounts of a brave-heart, who earned the respect of his troops
A ghazi who earned Sitara e Jurrat in battle action
Years later on my posting to Kakul I'd meet Major Changezi as Platoon Commander PMA

Someone revered by his troops as demigod was a humble soul and a lovely human being
People when praised his Sitara e Jurrat, he would politely change the topic
A feeling very private to him, he won't talk about it, yet one would see a tinge of contentment in those smiling eyes

A few years later while studying the Kargil Conflict I was to come across a hero from across the border, the valiant Captain Vikram Batra, Param Vir Chakra
The officer offered supreme sacrifice while capturing a height that is now named as Batra Top in the mountains of Kargil

There's a video of the officer during the conflict where he revisits the battle actions of his company and their success signal code worded as "Yeh Dil Mangey More"
Look at those shiny eyes and smiling face, feel the enthusiasm, all happening in that unknown territory of fear

A fearless soul titled Sher Shah by his troops
His Subedar still remembers those words when he pushed him aside & dashed to rescue an injured lieut
'tu baal bachey daar hey, hut ja peechay'
Captain Batra embraced afterlife on a 2nd mission a few days after the video was shot

From Palampur of Vikram Batra we head to Swabi of Captain Karnal Sher who earned glory in the same conflict
Captain Sher with handful of souls, heavily undersized in number and arms, moving uphill at the highest battlefield on earth, in daylight launched a daring counter attack

"On Tiger Hill Officers of 18 Grenadiers & 8 Sikh, watched the brave Pakistani Captain lead a daring counter attack to win back his post
He fought till end and a hail of bullets snuffed life out of him
There were no survivors. No one to testify to his gallantry, but enemy itself"

The ferocity of his daring attack won Captain Karnal Sher the respect of the enemy defending the Tiger Hills
The brave Captain’s citation was originally written by the Indian commander recommending him for a befitting honour
Captain Karnal Sher was awarded Nishan e Haider

Inside Ingall Hall, at PMA Kakul, there's a quote
It does not matter what happens to me; what matters is how I behave while it’s happening to me
Soldiers are ordinary humans, they have the courage to stand up to the task when it matters the most and it makes them towering heroes