Thread by @ColSanjayPande

1/n @nudelhilawfora Sir, There is a trend when a veteran passes away, his erstwhile service directorate or Regiment publishes an obituary in newspapers. It is always from ‘Director General Regiment of xxx’ or numerous such HQs. What is the need? They left forces many years back!

https://twitter.com/nudelhilawfora/status/1469701141965406209

2/n It is now strictly followed. Pick up any news paper and you can see it on daily basis. Only Officers deaths get an obituary. Is it not a very deeply distressing exercise? Why doesn’t @adgpi stop this practice? Soldiers fade away, but these directorates play with emotions.

3/n No one questions them. Selective obituaries keep popping up in newspapers. These directorates have no clue where and in what state the Veterans and Widows live. They are absolutely clueless but must suddenly rise to pay random tributes to ‘deceased officers’.

4/n Has any Army Chief, Army Commanders, Serving Brigs and Colonels ever brought this up? Has AHQ @adgpi ever debated it? The public funds of Army are being used. What is the purpose? Doesn’t it give distress to the veterans who held PBOR ranks? Aren’t VETERANS all EX-SERVICEMEN?

5/n Rank was worn during service for a responsibility given by Army. Along with Rank came in power, officially given. Post retirement everyone draws pension and rank is used by officers as permitted by constitution. It has NO POWER, NO PERK. All ESM are a flat hierarchy.

6/n Who gets any benefit by such obituaries? Everyone joins and retires from Army but why do people insist on ONLY naming their arm and service? None says he retired from ‘Army’, it’s Armoured, Artillery, Engineers, DOGRAS, MARATHA LI and this list will go till serial 50.

7/n MINDSET requires change. @adgpi and @PMOIndia with @rajnathsingh need to encourage Radical Military Reforms. People from outside need to be brought together to advise and implement changes. There are at least a hundred points that will change the mindset. Another major…

8/n mindset that needs to change immediately is the “veterans’, especially the retired officer lot granting themselves the ‘right’ to become nanny to their units and battalions. Serving personnel DO NOT look forward to veterans arm twisting invitations on raising days.

9/n This thread is equal to blasphemy!!! Has to be. We as veterans cannot be a permanent parasite on units we served. Why go to unit where no one even knows a veteran? 90% unit personnel retire in 20 yrs. Why don’t veterans meet those soldiers who served with them?

10/n There is a reason. Ego. A Retd Lt Gen wants to be treated as a ‘Lt Gen’ so is with every officer rank. Commanding Officers are Demi Gods. @adgpi must become BOLD and put a blanket ban on this nostalgia nonsense. The units must invite only those veterans or widows…

11/n … whose names appear in Quarter Guard on the board having names of Gallantry Award Winners. This is real motivation. The vulgar raising days, biennials & any event where veterans go in hordes must STOP. It’s a professional army, led by able people enjoying peoples trust.

12/n I am sure that few people have developed strong itch to abuse me, troll me, teach me and justify traditions. They will ask me why did I go to unit after retirement. For them- I am yet to step in the unit I was commissioned into and commanded too. It’s 16 yrs in retirement…

13/n I meet my veterans and my unit widows each year from last 15 yrs. We take care of children under education of widows. I organise large gatherings of unit veterans where we invite serving officers, JCOs and men. Commanding Officer attends too. The word travels back…

14/n to unit. The morale of unit is very high. They know they are being cared for after retirement and their families too if they happen to die. We fund such gatherings ourselves. Nothing from unit. I do not attend Regiment of Artillery Raising Day parties. Reason?

15/N I joined Army and retired from Army. For the intervening 26 years THEY put me in Artillery. I gave my best to Army while serving, now I give my best to the veterans and widows. I retired on 09 Sep 2006, on 10 Sep 2006 I wrote and thanked Artillery Directorate for the …

16/LAST for grooming me into what I was and thanking them. I did inform them that I will never attend any Central Raising Day functions organised by Artillery. Today, 16 years, I am more in touch with MY MEN and all who retire from my unit. To me, this is service. Jai Hind.

17- Anyone who tries to justify, for him 👉🏻 “When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.”
Frédéric Bastiat