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It's been a while since you last heard from me, and with military situations constantly changing within our ecountry, I thought this was rather relevant. Please vote/sub and enjoy...

While the average age of the army man is around 30 years, at the time
of enrolling / commissioning he is around 19 years. He is a short
haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is
considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the
ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his
country.

He's a recent school/college graduate; he was probably an average
student from one of the Kendriya Vidyalayas, pursued some form of
sport activities, rides an old mo'bike / scooter, and has a steady
girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be
waiting when he returns from half a world away. He listens to
bollywood music or ghazals or rock & roll or hip-hop or country or
swing …. ………. and a 155mm howitzer.

He is 5 or 7 kilos lighter now than when he was at home because he is
working or fighting insurgents or standing guard on the icy Himalayas
or the jungles of the North East from before dawn to well after dusk
or he is in Mumbai engaging the terrorists. He has trouble spelling,
thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field strip a rifle
in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the dark. He can
recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher
and use either one effectively if he must.
He digs trenches and weapon-pits and can apply first aid like a professional.
He can march until he is told to stop, or stop until he is told to march.
He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not
without spirit or individual dignity. His pride and self-respect, he
does not lack.
He is self-sufficient.

He has two sets of combat dress: he washes one and wears the other.

He keeps his water bottle full and his feet dry. He sometimes forgets
to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle. He can cook his own
meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts.
If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry,
his food. He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of
battle when you run low.
He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they
were his hands.
He can save your life - or take it, because that is his job.
He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay, and
still find ironic humour in it all.
He has seen more suffering and death than he should have in his short
lifetime. He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have
fallen in combat and is unashamed.


He feels every note of the Jana Gana Mana vibrate through his body
while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to
'square-away' those around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove
their hands from their pockets, or even stop talking.

In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their
right to be disrespectful. Just as did his father, grandfather, and
great-grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom. Beardless
or not, he is not a boy.

He is your nation's Fighting Man that has kept this country free and
defended your right to Freedom. He has experienced deprivation and
adversity, and has seen his buddies falling to bullets and maimed and
blown.


But, he has asked nothing in return, except our acknowledgement of his
existence and understanding of his human needs.

Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration
with his blood.
And now we even have women over there in danger, doing their part in
this tradition of going to War when our nation calls us to do so.
As you go to bed tonight, remember this shot. . ..
A short lull, a little shade and a picture of loved ones in their helmets.
Prayer wheel for our military... Please send this on after a short prayer.

'Lord, hold our Indian Armed Forces in your loving hands.
Protect them as they protect us.
Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for
us in our time of need.
Amen.'

When you receive this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for
our soldiers, sailors and airmen, on all frontiers and wherever else
they are needed.


Pray for the Indian Soldier. He will always do you proud.