Military Life - Demystified!

Why should we respect our soldiers so much? Aren't they just doing their job? What do they even do when there is no war around? 

Questions like these come up quite often. In India, Military is perceived in contrasts. On one hand, people have immense respect for it because of its supreme role during wars in the past and continued terrorist incursions. On the other hand, any perk provided to the military men is looked down upon as an inferior use of the tax payers’ money. 

A major chunk of the society still thinks, 'Men in Uniform' spend their time only in partying and enjoying the free liquor.

In a common man's life, Military is usually remembered during the Independence Day and/or the Republic Day. That's when Military gets pampered by the media as well. All the TV channels & Radio stations start playing patriotic songs, war-based movies, etc. Other times when Military re-surfaces into common awareness is during a terrorist attack, recently famed surgical/air strikes or a natural calamity.

When I think about answering questions related to the misinformed perceptions about Indian Military, I get reminded of my days in the Armed Forces & the incredible experiences it offered me. Experiences which weren't always pleasant & easy, but which taught me a lot about life, about this world, & most importantly about myself. The separation from family and loved ones, the festivals away from home, the postings in areas which one could barely even spot on a map, the opportunity to meet a hugely diverse set of people & so on. 

There is a lot to this profession, it is an ocean in itself which you can't fully comprehend till you jump in and take a swim. Military is much more than just war-time heroism, border stand-offs, non-stop parties, & subsidised alcohol. This profession is capable of pulling one out of the narrow well one might be living within, & expose them to the greater & grander scheme of things. I will attempt to exemplify this through highlighting the key contrasts of my story. 

I was born and brought up in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. It's a dry state with absolutely horrible summers and a very mundane lifestyle where people are mostly business oriented. We don't even have any Regiment in the Indian Army related to Gujarat. High school, followed by Medical college and I became a Doctor, yes a real doctor who treats patients. If you recall my first post, I was always inclined to join the forces, so I appeared for the interviews and tests at Delhi. Ofcourse, I got selected and got commissioned at Base Hospital Delhi Cantonment. Training was done at Officer's Training College, Lucknow, where we learnt how to wear proper uniform and walk straight with pride and honor, follow schedule, survive in jungle, fire weapons, field exercises, sand model exercises, military history etc. The last week was crucial for all when postings were announced. Everyone knew it will be either North-East or J&K. The training director announced - "Chest number 64, xxx Field Hospital" (Can't mention exact details for security reasons). Immediately we opened map, yes paper maps (This is Feb, 2009 by the way). So, the map said, Captain Gautam Vijay will be moving to Drass, Kargil, second coldest inhabitable place in the world. 

Fellow officer said "Dude, you're dead", but I shouted in joy "Yes, thats where I always wanted to go.' The very location where the Kargil war took place.

I was 23 at that time.Nobody could imagine what I felt when I stepped out of the vehicle to see 8 ft. of snow around me and feel the freezing chill of -30 degrees. That feeling when I first looked at the mighty "Tiger Hill", the sense of pride when I gave my first presentation to the commander about casualty evacuation plan from "Tololing". Hundreds of medical camps at the tiny villages which don’t even appear on the map. The experience of interacting with people, witnessing the untouched natural beauty of the landscapes; these are some of the incredible events which can’t be described easily in words. 

Then came the last but the most amazing tenure of my life, posting to the "Siachen Glacier" - "Highest Battlefield in the world". As much as I was excited, I was terrified too with the mere thought of life there without fresh food, electricity and no cell phones. 1 month of rigorous training at the "Siachen Base Camp", 15 days of "Acclimatization and 13 days of climb, yes 13 days of climb to reach the post where I was supposed to serve for next 90 days. The 90 days, which were going to change my life forever and they surely did. I survived an Avalanche, rescued soldiers from helicopter crash and attended many critical injuries at 21,000 ft. and -40 degree temperature. Awarded Commendation medal from the then Army Chief - Gen. V.K Singh, I came back with many injuries, but many more memories and experiences.

The time in the peaks of Himalayas was immediately followed by a mountaineering expedition to Mt. Bhagirathi ahead of Gangotri and then Camel Safari Expedition between Badmer and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. The two years in the Thar dessert exposed me to the contrast of people staying in small groups as nomads, different cultures, lifestyles, food, Rattle snakes, scorpions and a plethora of many other things.

I left the Military after serving for 5 years. I was 28, wanting to pursue higher studies, and I did my Masters from the US.

However, the questions still kept coming, and I decided to share my journey to help people get a sneak-peak into the spectrum of life in the Military. 

After all, everyone who is in the military is not a gun toting warrior, waiting for the next chance to pull the trigger.

Jai Hind !!