Col Sonam Wangchuk of Ladakh Scouts may not have inspired films, but his scouting unit achieved the first win at Kargil
Col Sonam Wangchuk of Ladakh Scouts may not have inspired films, but his scouting unit achieved the first win at Kargil He was not expected to fight the war and didn't even have enough ammunition to do so. His orders were to recee and return to base. But Major Sonam Wangchuk, the then company commander of one section of the Ladakh Scouts, rushed into the battlefront and notched up the first win for the Indian Army in the Kargil conflict.
"Members of the Ladakh Scouts know mountains like the back of their hands; a reason why they are entrusted with recee missions for other regiments operating at high altitudes," said the brave soldier, now promoted to the rank of a colonel.
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Braveheart: Col Sonam Wangchuck pic/Mid-Day |
"Our unit was the first to venture into the war zone with minimum information about enemy positions. We had no idea about their logistics or preparation," said Col Wangchuk, honoured with the Mahavir Chakra the second highest gallantry award in the country for his bravery.
"Generally, Ladakh Scouts does not fight wars. Our primary task is to maintain Indian domination at the Indo-China border. Thus, we carry minimum ammunition. At war zones, we set up Observation Posts and return to the base. At Kargil too, I set up an Observation Post (OP) at Batalik, deployed around 20 men from my unit to run the OP and touched base. But we were not aware of the heavy Pakistani presence just above our post. The next morning, my men at the OP came under heavy firing," he recalled.
While he could have stayed back at his base, Col Wangchuk decided to return with reinforcements to save his men. But even before he could reach the Observation Post, the second group was attacked too. "One of my boys, who was just behind me, was hit and died on the spot. We could not see the enemy, we were completely unguarded. But we kept fighting. When bullets fell short, we climbed to higher positions and rolled boulders on the Pakistani bunkers," he said.
Halting and charging ahead with dexterity, Col Wangchuk's men managed to gather information about enemy positions, climbing the 80-degree steep slopes as they fought.
While the company kept the enemy engaged for the entire day, Naib Subedar Thundup Dorje and Havildar Sonam Rigjin went beyond the enemy post to get more specific information. The company was planning a night attack. "We raided the enemy post at around five the next morning. We caught the Pakistanis napping," said the man, making it sound more like a safe computer game than an actual war.
The troops from Ladakh Scouts were briefed each day to go on unexpected missions with minimum time to plan and acclimatize to the terrain. They did not even carry radio sets and unlike other units, they never got artillery support. "When Ladakh Scouts won Batalik and Chorbat la, not a single artillery shell had been fired in the war.
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These men were not even able to communicate with their bases. The company commanders had to issue orders by shouting, which made them even more vulnerable," said an Army officer, wishing anonymity.u00a0u00a0
But Col Wangchuk doesn't consider any of these feats extraordinary. A self-proclaimed man with "very little ambition", he terms these tales a part of military life. "Whatever the almighty has given me is enough. If I am destined to get more, I surely will with my hard work," said the strongly built man with a soft smile.
Maybe it is Col Wangchuk's Buddhist beliefs that keep him contended. "Even as the Army and the country was raving about his wins in Kargil, he treated it with little excitement and kept smiling through it all," said an Army officer, who knows him well.
But his 11-year-old son Riggyal Otbum has been greatly inspired by his father's bravery. Studying at a boarding school in Andhra Pradesh, Riggyal wants to be a sportsman like his father and a little more. "My son is more ambitious than me and often talks about becoming an astronaut," said the proud father.
Col Wangchuk doesn't even treat his Mahavir Chakra a big achievement. "A couple of years after I got the award, it felt good. But the novelty of winning a gallantry medal has been lost now. God has been merciful and if I get another chance, I will again do my best to prove myself," he said.u00a0
A peek into the past>>Major Sonam Wangchuk, the then company commander of one section of the Ladakh Scouts, rushed into the battlefront and notched up the first win for the Indian Army in the Kargil conflict.
>>He was honoured with the Mahavir Chakra u2014 the second highest gallantry award in the country for his bravery.
>>His unit was the first to venture into the war zone with minimum information about enemy positions.
>>The troops from Ladakh Scouts were briefed each day to go on unexpected missions with minimum time to plan and acclimatize to the terrain. They did not even carry radio sets and unlike other units, they never got artillery support.
>>Generally, Ladakh Scouts does not fight wars. Their primary task is to maintain Indian domination at the Indo-China border.
