Welfare of troops an example

Dear Veterans,
Couple of days ago, I had been to the Office of Embarkation HQ at Chennai and ran into Nk Manivannan of 5 MADRAS Bn, presently posted at Embarkation HQ at Chennai. What he narrated reminded me of the famous saying by Field Marshal Sir Philip Chetwode:
"The Safety, Honour and Welfare of your Country come first, always and every time. The Honour, Welfare and Comfort of the Men you command come next. Your own ease, Comfort and Safety come last, always and every time."
An Example of how our officers look after the men is placed below.
Regards,
Veteran Cdr Vaidyanathan
Nk Manivannan recounts...
5 MADRAS Bn is deployed in the J&K in counter-insurgency Ops. It was in the beginning of March 2011, that I approached Col Harinder Singh Sidhu, the CO, regarding my problem. My father aged 55 years has been suffering from acute back ache, so much so, that, he can not walk and is bed ridden. My wife at Chennai took him to MH Chennai; but, for want of a Neurosurgeon, could not be operated upon. When approached, my CO, a quintessential Commanding Officer embodying compassion, spoke to Col Srinivas, a Veteran at Bangalore, actively involved in the welfare of Ex-Servicemen, if he could do something to ameliorate the sufferings of my father. In the meantime, my CO was kind to have me posted on compassionate grounds, to Embarkation HQ, Chennai, as my family was stationed there.
I arrived at Bangalore on 25 March, and met Col Srinivas; who then immediately took me to Air Cmde Nanda, the Registrar, Comd Hosp Air Force Bangalore (CHAFB). Air Cmde Nanda having heard me, asked me to get my father immediately to Bangalore; and, requested Wg Cdr Dr Datta, the Neurosurgeon to take up my case.
My father & I arr at Bangalore in the morning of Monday, 28 Mar 2011. Col Srinivas picked us up from the Rly Stn and took us to Comd Hosp Air Force Bangalore (CHAFB), where my father was admitted after examination by Wg Cdr Dr Datta, the Neurosurgeon. Surgery of the spine below the neck was carried out by Neurosurgeons Gp Capt Dr Sridhar and Wg Cdr Dr Datta on 15 Apr. After the surgery, my father was initially kept in the ICU for couple of days; and then, shifted to the General Ward. Thanks to the Registrar, who made available accn to me, I was able to stay next to CHAFB and take care of my father.
Col & Mrs Srinivas visited my father at CHAFB on Sunday, 24 Apr 2011. On hearing from me that my father was being discharged the next day, ie. Monday, 25 Apr; and that, I propose to take him by bus from Bangalore to Tiruvannamalai to Gingee; and from there to my village, 17 km from Gingee; Col Srinivas said a firm NO. Seeing the condition of my father who was bedridden and fitted with a Catheter; Col Srinivas said undertaking a journey by my father by bus from Bangalore to my village would result in undoing the Surgery; and, asked me to collect his Maruti van from his residence and for conveyance of my father to our village, loc nearly 300 km from Bangalore. On 25 Apr when I went to Col Srinivas’ residence to collect the Maruti van; Col Srinivas said that he himself would drive my father to our village, as I was not conversant with the route.
My father was discharged from CHAFB at 4 PM on 25 Apr; and, immediately thereafter, we left for Krishnagiri, 100 km away. We reached Krishnagiri at 7 PM and it was raining cats & dogs. We then stayed put for the night at Tamil Nadu Hotel. Having come to know that the road Krishnagiri to Tiruvannamalai was in a bad state, Col Srinivas decided to take the longer route via Vellore. The next morning, Tuesday, 26 Apr, we hit the road at 5.30 AM; and driving via Vellore – Arcot- Gingee, we reached our village, in the interior, at 1.30 PM. We were received by all our friends & relatives and there was jubilation on arr of my father in the village.
We then had our lunch; and having rested for a while and refreshed ourselves, Col Srinivas & I left for Bangalore at 4 PM. We reached Bangalore at 11.30 PM, after a gruelling drive of 18 hrs, covering 550 km, in one day. And it was Col Srinivas who drove the vehicle.
After having spent the night at Col Srinivas’ residence, I returned to my village on 27 Apr, to attend to my father.
Expression of Gratitude. I am deeply indebted to all Officers starting with Col HS Sidhu, CO 5 MADRAS, Air Cmde Nanda, the Registrar CHAFB, Gp Capt Dr Sridhar & Wg Cdr Dr Datta, the Neurosurgeons, Gp Capt Dr Lalla, the senior anesthetist and to Col Srinivas; for all their help, assistance & support extended to me, an Inf soldier of the Indian Army, in discharging my filial obligation to my father.
To say the least, I am over whelmed; and say with conviction, that the Men of the Indian Army, Navy & Air Force are indeed blessed to have Officers who genuinely care for the welfare & well-being of their Men & their families.

No Communalising Armed Forces

No serving military personnel can have truck with a political party, leave alone a radical group. Therefore, the alleged involvement of a serving military officer of the rank of a Lt Col in the Malegaon bomb blasts and possibly association with a radical organisation, have not only sent shock waves within the military, but in the entire country, as well. Both as a rule and tradition the Indian military has always operated above and beyond the political and communal boundaries. Therefore, this incident is too serious to be overlooked. Military will have to carry out detailed investigations to determine if the concerned radical group or any other communal element has made any inroads into the rank and file. Commanders must remain alert and be on the lookout for signs of disaffection against any community amongst their officers and troops. They must act with the greatest promptitude and vigour to firmly put down any such tendency or inclination.

Yet the military cannot remain completely isolated and unaffected by the goings on in the country. Though terrorists have no religion, for they kill people of all faiths, including women and children, yet the media has been painting only a particular community in black colours. Often the investigating agencies to cover their own failures and to show quick results pin the blame on the community whom the public already perceives as the culprit. This creates heightened feeling of distrust and hatred against that community. In such conditions military personnel cannot remain completely isolated and not get influenced by prevailing feelings of animosity against the targeted community.

To protect military officers and troops from the virus of communal contagion and the dangerous fallout from this disease, good leadership and firm handling is necessary. Any signs of communal, regional or community bias surfacing amongst the troops and officers must be put down with a heavy hand. Loyalty, commitment and involvement of officers and troops with the national cause and country’s well being must transcend caste, regional and religious barriers. During periods of civil disorder officers and troops operate without any regard to the religion of the miscreants.

It would be relevant to recall just three incidents in the military, which relate to the manner of handling of such cases After Operation Blue Star, mutiny by few Sikh soldiers, incidents in Punjab and the killing of the PM coupled with the manner of coverage of these events by the media had led to a feeling of animosity towards the Sikhs. In this some of the military officers and troops too developed communal bias against Sikh troops.

At Kota two Sikh jawans and their wives were severely beaten by troops of another unit for no valid reason, what-so-ever One of the men had to be placed on dangerously ill list (D I list) while the other on the seriously ill list (S I list). This led to the court martial of the concerned officer (OC advance party) , dismissal of the Subedar Major (an Arjuna award winner) two other JCOs and three ORs. When some Principal Staff Officers at Army HQ recommended disbandment of ‘ class units’ (with the Sikh units in mind), general Sunderji would not hear of it and firmly put an end to this move...

The third incident relates to a senior officer (a Maj Gen) inflicted with communal virus On noticing that the guard at the army commander’s residence was from a Sikh unit, he ordered that it be replaced immediately. So a new guard was posted. The abrupt removal of guard escaped the army commander’s notice.

A few days later the Subedar Major of the battalion whose guard had been prematurely replaced arrived at the flag staff house to meet the army commander. He told the army commander that he had come to meet him without the knowledge of his commanding officer. He sought the reason for the removal of guard from his unit so abruptly: within few days of its duty at the flag staff house! He wanted to know if the army commander had lost faith in the troops of his battalion.

The army commander expressed concern at this abrupt change of guard It was without his knowledge and that he had failed to notice the change. He told the Subedar Major, that he did not want to prematurely replace the guard presently on duty, but once it’s tenure of duty of one month was over it would be replaced by the guard from his battalion. He thanked the Subedar Major for bringing this occurrence to his notice.

Then the army commander (a Coorgi officer) enquired as to who had ordered the removal of the previous guard and the reasons for the same. The concerned Maj Gen, presumably gave his reasons for the change. Those reasons made the army commander put an end to this officer’s otherwise promising career. There is no room for complacency in dealing firmly with such matters in the military.

The Indian military is the very epitome of national integration It’s strength lies in its cohesiveness, the quality of its officers and their ability to build on this unity and pan India character. Military is the country’s ultimate instrument to defend its survival. If it fails then there is nothing but Nadir Shah.

Lt Gen Harwant Singh (Retd)

Acknowledgement: We thank Gen Harwant for sending us the transcript. Good lessons of military traditions to be inculcated in our young officers.

SCPC Debate: The holy warrant of precedence
Why is the State unconscionably shoving its boots on the face of the military? What explains its downhill journey in the warrant of precedence?

Lately, in an article, retired Lt Gen Harwant Singh cited why the defence officers were being hard-bone-by. The bureaucracy, taking advantage of political corruption, kept the pot stirred by raising the odds of a military coup, and worked up this fear to emasculate the status of the top echelon, at the cost of the nation's overall strategic disadvantage.

A committee of secretaries revises the warrant of precedence periodically. Gen Harwant Singh writes that as the chief of defence staff in 1981, Gen O P Malhotra raised the issue of downgrading of service officers in the warrant of precedence (this has direct bearing on the pay).

In response, the committee of secretaries recorded, "Military officers were placed unduly high in the old warrant of precedence, presumably as it was considered essential for officers of an army of occupation to be given special status and authority. Mind you, it is not Mirwaiz Umar Farooq but the bureaucrats that called the Indian Army as an army of occupation!

Of course, Gen Malhotra riposted that the pliant colonial bureaucracy (civil servants and police) was the tool of oppression wielded by the Raj to quell the freedom movement, not the army. In fact, the strike of naval ratings in Bombay on February 18, 1946, that spread to major cities was what signalled to the British that it was time to pack their bags and decamp.

Gen Harwant Singh rightly concluded that it was highly malicious for anyone to decry the Indian Army as an army of occupation.

Once the political class colluded with the bureaucracy, there was no stopping the descent down the warrant of precedence. Perhaps the mandarins still see the military as an army of occupation, which should explain why they are pulling out all the stops to belittle it. Hence their effort to further throttle the services through the SCPC.
Heed the cry of the armed forces
Tailpiece: Henderson- Brooks report will spill the beans and belie if there is any truth to brand Indian Armed Forces an as "Occupation Force". The report after 40 years is still classified SECRET. The bureaucrats do (not) want the citizens to know the truth about the onslaught inflicted on the Indian Armed Forces?

Army deserts Army Wives' Welfare Association

CHANDIGARH: Caught in an RTI poser that sought information on the funding of Army Wives' Welfare Association (AWWA), the Army in a shocking reply to the Central Information Commission (CIC) has instead disowned it.

Offices of AWWA are scattered across Army cantonments in India and its headquarters is in South Block, Delhi like the Army headquarters. It is, on the face of it, a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.

Giving a new twist to the ongoing debate over functioning and funding of AWWA, the Army has in a five- page reply, filed on behalf of the chief of staff, Western Command, said it has nothing to do with funds for the association either.

The reply, a copy of which is with TOI, is to be submitted before the CIC next Monday (November 24). It comes over a year after the Army declined to provide information on where money for AWWA came from, taking recourse in the plea that as the body was not funded by the government it did not fall under the RTI purview.

In fact, the Army has gone on to plead with Major (Retd) Guneet Chaudhary to withdraw the petition since "he too has donned the Olive Green and he is well aware of the yeoman's service done by AWWA for jawans. We leave it to his wisdom and discretion whether he should continue to insist on or persist with the issue which was closer to his heart at one point of time and in any case is a non-issue when it comes to questioning it. He may seek to withdraw his appeal and put a full stop on the issue".

In the RTI application, Chaudhary had sought information from Western Command about the legal status of AWWA, source of funding, organizational structure, number of officers and other ranks attached with it, reason for giving office space in the high security zones of western command headquarters, grants given to widows and orphaned children of Army in the last five years and the AWWA president using Army aircraft and Army vehicles.

"As regards funding, we reiterate with all emphasis that Western Command (or Army) does not fund AWWA in any manner," states the reply even as documents procured by TOI on Wednesday revealed that AWWA was funded by a total of 18 HQ brigades in 2004 and by 16 HQ brigades and divisions in 2007.

Record reveals that all AWWA offices are run with the financial assistance from various units. Even the officer-in-charge of the schools run by AWWA are serving Army officers of the rank of Lt Col. An interestingly point: If the Army doesn't pump in money for AWWA, it's a miracle who runs the sprawling network as there is no subscription fee for membership.

Moreover, all vehicles used by AWWA in their day-to-day functioning belong to the Army and the wives' association even finds a mention in the Army's official website. The matter will be finally heard by the commission on November 24.
Army deserts its wives' welfare club
Official AWWA website
AWWA Awards Presented
Welfare in AWWA & AWHO

Comment: The Army should come clean and if AWWA is an illegal association then it should be prudently closed down. Similarly all illegal welfare organisations need to be vetted and made legal as per society act of 1860. One cannot steal and use resources for a noble welfare cause. All welfare association's accounts must be able to stand public scrutiny in the public domain. Armed Forces need to be scrupulously honest befitting of a soldier. Prudent action alone can regain our lost honour and dignity.