Yogendra Yadav: The Kargil Hero Subedar Major Yog endra Yadav „It is my duty to tell them about the brave soldiers who gave their lives for our land.‟ „The free air of freedom that we breathe is because of men like them. The soldier who became a legend . Subedar Major Yadav was just 19 when he was awarded the Param Vir Charkra – he took 15 bullets fighting in the Kargil War – and is the youngest soldier to ever win the nation‟s highest honour for gallantry. Subedar Major Yadav fought in two of the pivotal battles of the Kargil War – the battles of Tololing and Tiger Hill – which turned the tide of the war and brought victory for India. The soldier was awarded the Param Vir Chakra for his exceptional and extraordinary bravery in the capture of Tiger Hill. His platoon scaled the heights for four days and launched a bitter attack against the Pakistani soldiers. Indian soldiers paid in blood to secure the feature. Twenty-two highly trained men approached the Pakistan-occupied peak via a vertical cliff at an altitude of 16,500 feet. His commander had divided the men into small sections – every soldier in his team of seven was killed in action. Then Sepoy Yogendra Yadav was the lone survivor from his team. He was grievously injured and crawled his way down where the other men from his battalion were positioned. “Every soldier has a role in a battle plan. He has to implicitly trust his commander and his men. What a soldier does is for his commander, his fellow soldiers, his country,” he says . His commander, Lieutenant Balwan Singh (now a colonel), was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra. “There is a legion of soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for their country. That day on Tiger Hill, I witnessed that myself – soldiers sacrificing their lives in the service of their country, without thinking about families or loved one they were leaving behind. It was an extraordinary example of selfless sacrifice and valour.” He was evacuated for treatment and spent one-and-a-half years in hospital. Subedar Major Yogendra Yadav is currently posted at an Indian Army training institute. He trains young jawans about aspects of soldiering and leadership in battle. A role model, young jawans want to hear accounts of the valour of Tololing and Tiger Hill from him. JAI HIND. By Cadet Suraj Rai 1 Mah. Armd. Sqn Mumbai B Group .