CO and 3 Former COs, attending Sandeep Singh's Funeral, Says it All, about the Camaraderie and Espirit de Corps of the Battalion...
I served with 4 PARA , in the late 1970s in East Sikkim,When Col Bulsara(Later Brig) was the CO.
The young 'Old man' of the Paltan (Commanding Officer) walked right front.. followed by the three previous COs. The mortal remains of Sandeep in the coffin were carried the short distance from the home to the cremation ground. The load on the shoulders didn't register, the weight on our hearts was unbearable.
Along side walked the stoic young girl, who with the force of one bullet, in the span of one day had turned from a cheerful, bubbling Army wife to a Veer Nari.
The Mother's tears had dried up with the continued crying..
The Father's diminutive form had shriveled some more, he walked with moist eyes gazing into nothingness..
The Team Cdr, Tp Cdr and the squad members who were there in the contact followed with unkempt hair, flowing beards, heavy steps and blood shot eyes having not slept for the last three days.
A buddy had gone....Lost forever......Martyred in glory and action..
A grieving village followed.....the Media ran bound to bound chasing their shots..
The young boy all of 5 year old was amused.....Death didn't register to him yet.....He was a little spooked though with the continued smothering and affectionate hugs from people with teary eyes..
The band played....The procedures continued......The Pyre was laid.....
The Mother burst forward with one last hope......One last desire....To wake up out of the nightmare.....Nothing happened.....The Gods didn't smile......
She demurely accepted our request to not insist on uncovering the head......The head shot had been brutal. Despite the medical work, it was nothing that we could let a Mother or a Wife see as the last memory of a Hero.....
Wreath laying continued..We paid our respects and homage..The parents followed. The father....The Mother.....The Wife.....we gulped long and attempted to maintain our composure..
The son was assisted by his Mother and with a resolve made to salute his father, one last time..
In a moment, the kid had understood everything..There was no confusion..He ran out of his Mother's arms and flung himself across the pyre..
"मेरे पापा को आग नि लगान दूंगा , पापा को आग नि लगान दूंगा। ...पापा को आग नि लगान दूंगा"
The Young lady sat gazing till the pyre was reduced to ashes...
One last act was pending....
I can say for myself..My composure broke..I cried unashamedly...I cried and cried and cried...It didn't matter that we were in uniform..It didn't matter that we were supposed to console the family..Nothing mattered..nothing counted...
The 4 COs, the SM and Sandeep's squad sat separately with the grieving family......The squad leader and Team Cdr narrated every single detail from the time they lifted in the chopper for the Op area, the contact, the injury, the recovery, the experience, the intelligence, the way it happened, the way it was planned, the way it happens every time..
Questions rolled back..right up to the time that he joined us in 2012 from 22 SIKH .. the probation..the call homes..the leaves..the previous operations..
We sat..and talked and listened and listened and talked and listened some more...
Hours rolled by..The darkness set in..We left the family with promises, with assurances..with messages of our conviction and commitment..With the pride that we felt, the loss that we shared..The darkness that they had to endure, that we promised, we will walk along with them..
The burden was still unbearable....
We witnessed the life of a hero in uniform and the lives of heroes who don't wear a uniform but sacrifice much more...
It is a burden too heavy...
And the way it is forgotten always......
“Those who disrespect the Flag, have never been handed a folded oneIn Grief,
IN GRIEF ALL SOLDIERS
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