Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey, PVC (25 June 1975 – 3 July 1999) was an Indian military officer posthumous recipient of India’s highest military decoration, the Param Vir Chakra, for his audacious courage and leadership during the Kargil War in 1999. An officer of the first battalion in the 11th Gorkha Rifles (1/11 GR), he died in battle on the bunker hill edge of the Khalubar Hills in the village of Garkon Aryan Valley in Kargil.
About Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey
| Name: | Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey |
| Date of Birth : | June 25, 1975 |
| Place of Birth: | Sitapur, Uttar Prdesh |
| Father : | Gopi Chand Pandey |
| Mother: | Mohini |
| Education: | Uttar Pradesh Sainik School, Lucknow and Rani Laxmi Bai Memorial Senior Secondary School. |
Military Career
He graduated from the National Defence Academy in 90th course and belonged to Mike Squadron (Mustangs). Pandey was commissioned as a lieutenant in the 1st battalion, 11th Gorkha Rifles on 7 June 1997.
| Service No : | IC-56959W |
| Service : | Army |
| Last Rank : | Captain |
| Unit : | 1/11 GR |
| Arm/Regt : | 11 Gorkha Rifles |
| Awards : | PVC |
| Martyrdom : | July 3, 1999 |
Prior to his selection, during his Services Selection Board (SSB) interview, the interviewer asked him, “Why do you want to join the Army?” He replied, “I want to win the Param Vir Chakra.” Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey did win the country’s highest gallantry honour but posthumously.
Quotes By Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey PVC
- In his personal diary he wrote “Some goals are so worthy, it’s glorious even to fail“.
- In the memory of his mother : “She is the star which shines brightly in the darkness, some one who will always give and bless.“
- In his diary these lines were written in bold letters: “If death strikes before I prove my blood, I promise (swear), I will kill death.“
Gallantry Award Ceremony
On the occasion of Independence Day 1999, a month after the war ended, the President of India approved the award of the Param Vir Chakra to Pandey and three others – Captain Vikram Batra, Rifleman Sanjay Kumar and Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav. His father, Gopichand Pandey, received the award from the President of India K. R. Narayanan during the Republic Day Parade in New Delhi on 26 January 2000.
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