Drass:
Army on Friday remembered the Kargil war heroes on the 14th anniversary of 'Operation Vijay', and paid glowing tributes to the bravehearts who laid down their lives fighting the Pakistani forces.
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra, along with various serving and former top-ranked Army officers, offered floral tributes at the Kargil War Memorial here.
The ceremony was followed by a memorial service and a visit to the 'Hut of Remembrance', a museum constructed besides the war memorial.
Addressing the officers and jawans, Chachra said the victory in 'Operation Vijay' stands testimony to the valour and perseverance of our gallant soldiers.
"Today, as we pay respects to our martyrs who made supreme sacrifices, we pledge once again to uphold the sacred values of our Republic and to serve our nation with courage, loyalty and utmost dedication, even at the cost of our lives, just as these bravehearts did in 1999," he said.
Chachra said the Army and the nation will remain indebted to all the brave soldiers, and history shall record their contribution etched in golden letters for time to come.
He also described the war memorial as a sacred place.
Colonel V N Thapar, father of Captain Vijyant Thapar who laid down his life while leading the 2 Rajputana Rifles at Tololing, said the nation should be more sensitive towards the supreme sacrifice of its martyrs.
"We feel proud to come at a place like this. It reminds us of those bravehearts who sacrificed their lives for security of the country. My son was one among them, he fought in the Tololing mountains," he said.
"Today, we are assured that our armed forces will take out the nation out of any problem it faces," he added.
"But the nation should give respect to its martyrs and not ignore the forces. It should think that are we doing, what needs to be done for those who gave everything for the nation?" he said.
