Bullets for souvenirs: Veterans’s tales of valour and sacrifice

Jaipur: Against the backdrop of the 10th Armed Forces Veterans Day event in the city Wednesday, decorated ex-soldiers from across the state gathered to share stories of their combat experiences at the Polo Grounds inside Jaipur Military Station.Among the many recollections of past heroism and sacrifice that highlighted the day, what stood out most were the tales of those who wore not only their wounds as badges of honour, but carried the literal fragments of conflicts past in their very bodies.
Consider the case of retd. Havildar Om Singh Shekhawat of the 17 Rajputana Rifles (Sawai Maan), a recipient of the Sena Medal. "On Oct 18, 2007, I was engaged by two terrorists in Bandipora, Jammu & Kashmir, and struck with seven bullets, six in my legs and one in my right shoulder. Despite the wounds and the odds, I eliminated both terrorists. Doctors later managed to remove all the bullets from my legs, but not the one in my shoulder," he recounted. Life with a bullet in the shoulder is difficult, even after almost two decades and especially in the bitter winters that engulf his native Shekhwati region every year. "The colder it gets, the more painful it becomes," confessed Shekhawat, adding it was a small price to pay for the honour of serving his country.A resident of Dabri village in Sikar district, this veteran claims his incredible courage and determination developed over years of listening to his father's stories of the battlefield. "I was four years old when my father retired from the Army, after having fought in the 1962, 1965, and 1971 wars. The day I was awarded the Sena Medal, I finally understood what an honour it is to serve in the Army," he proudly recalled. Shekhawat was not the only one with a ‘souvenir bullet' at Wednesday's event, a term sometimes used in military circles to describe a slug doctors leave in place because removing it could prove more dangerous. Retd. Havildar Zakir Hussain, a resident of Kirdoli village in Sikar and formerly of the 13 Grenadiers (GJ), also had metal in his body to prove his mettle. Posted in Baramulla, J&K, he was part of a team that had cornered a group of terrorists in Nov, 2007.In the ensuing gunfight, five soldiers from his team were killed, while Hussain himself was shot thrice, once in the arm and twice in the chest. "Despite my condition, all I could think of was my fallen companions, and that gave me the strength to shoot down five terrorists," he said.Today, like Shekhawat, Hussain lives with a bullet still lodged in his body. "I take it with pride because it was all for protecting the nation," he said. For his bravery, Hussain was supposed to be awarded the Sena Medal in 2008, but skipped the ceremony to celebrate the birth of his son.