When the news of how an avalanche struck the camp located in the northern Siachen Glacier, burying soldiers and the subsequent evacuation of the Siachen martyr, Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, made national headlines, the country was aghast.
Back in Goa, there was one man, living in Fatorda who sympathised and shared the pain of the soldier’s families and army at this loss. Not only had this man experienced the tough weather conditions and terrain, Colonel John D’Souza was the commanding officer at the world’s highest battlefield at Siachen Glacier at a height of 21,000 feet in 1996.
Col John spent six months at Siachen and under his leadership the number of deaths that are normally reported at Siachen came down to just two and both were due to the weather and terrain conditions.
Having received letters of accreditation from the Army, Col John said it was his highest honour and that whoever serves at Siachen leaves the region with a badge of bravery.
He recalled how difficult it was given the conditions and the fact that they have to remain alert 24×7 due to the constant shelling and the possibility of weather conditions changing at any given time or even accessing the terrain where a wrong step could lead to body harm.
He added that even for helicopters to navigate the area were hard but they still had to be dropped by air to reach certain heights where there was no land route and how after they touched the ground they had to rush to their post and sometimes even crawl to avoid the enemy.
They had to make to do with special rations where dry fruits were popular and be careful about the supply of food and kerosene as it was not easy to supply the same there.
As a commanding officer, it was also important for him to motivate the soldiers who had to endure through the period of the posting. This sense of brotherhood forged into strong friendship and till today they keep in touch and Col John recently went to Pune to meet his old battalion.
Before his posting at the northern part of the Siachen Glacier, Col John underwent training at Ladakh at 9,000 feet, then the Siachen base camp located at the snout of the glacier at 12,000 feet and how the Siachen battle school is key to help the battalion get acclimatized with the ice cold conditions.
He said it was wrong to say that as you go higher there is less oxygen but that there is no dip in oxygen content but it is the differing atmospheric pressure at sea level that makes it hard for the lungs to get oxygen and thus the importance of the training.
He felt that besides the physical training, it is the psychological training and technicalities of operating at the glacier that are vital. “There has to be absolute discipline and there is a reason why drills are so important as much as following the dos and don’ts as it a matter of life and death up there. The biggest and most important task is communication,” said Col John.
He also hit out at suggestions that equipment and clothing are lacking at Siachen and pointed out that on the contrary, they have the finest equipment and clothing in the world that matches international standards.
“This is one such wrong perception that is created about Siachen. The second is about why we strive to protect Siachen and the cost of it and to this I have to say the cost of the strategic value of occupying the area is priceless,” said Col John.
Col John spent 37 years with the Rajputana Rifles of the Indian Army and has been part of several key operations in counter insurgency and terrorism as well as being posted at the Kashmir Valley, J&K, Poonch region, Nagaland and has also travelled to Sri Lanka as a Major on the Indian Peace Keeping Force.
He has interacted with Goans when he was in charge of the recruitment for Goa, Kerala and Karnataka during his posting at Belgaum.
Asked about the poor response from Goans who appear reluctant to join the army, Col John said he had visited many schools and colleges to try and motivate the youth to join the army but felt that there are several reasons that keep Goans away. “I think the parents in Goa are very protective of their sons and they fear for their lives if they join the army. There is an also lack of awareness among the Goans especially the youth about the Army. There is a preference to go to the Gulf or to join the ship for better salaries but with the 6th pay commission and OROP into effect, the salaries are attractive as well,” said Col John.
