Into thin air

[Mayavi Morpheus]

I read this article two years back but forgot where I read it, found it again today, thought would share it with you guys.



http://www.geocities.com/siafdu/siachen1.html



Into thin air

(by Gaurav C. Sawant of Indian Express, 8/5/1999)



The story is too bizarre to be believed, or dismissed. But in Siachen soldiers say it is true. On a recent visit to the glacier we heard the story. "Death waits at every step here,'' an officer said before telling us the story of the rope. The rope that ties soldiers together as they walk from one point to another carrying weapons, ammunition, food and the Siachen liquid gold, kerosene oil.



It was a freezing December morning when eight soldiers began their march from the base to a post. The temperature was a few notches below minus thirty and the special Siachen clothing could barely keep out the chill, which pierced the body like a thousand needles. They walked in a single file, keeping a 7 ft distance between each other, the rope tying them together. The troops were carrying kerosene oil and food for a forward post almost 60 kg of dead weight on a vertical climb. Taking each step was more difficult than the previous one. The soldiers wanted to stop to rest but their commander, a young major, knewbetter.



To stop would mean their sweat would freeze and form a thin layer of ice inside their clothing, and that in Siachen can be fatal. They kept on. The fact that the post was barely 3 km away and hot tea awaited them there kept the boys going. Digging their ice picks into the ice before taking the next step, they trudged on. Until seven men crossed a patch of what they later realised was thin ice. The ice came loose under the weight of the seven men and their luggage and as the eighth man crossed, it gave way and he plummeted deep inside a crevice.



The rope pulled the seventh man and he fell, inching closer to the crevice where the last man dangled, the rope acting as his lifeline. The sixth and the fifth were dragged towards the hole too. The fourth and third tried in vain to dig their ice picks in. They tried to pull the man out of the crevice. But his weight, coupled with the weight of the kerosene oil he was carrying, made it impossible. Slowly they all were slipping towards a certain death. Thenthe team commander took the decision: "Cut the rope,'' he shouted to the penultimate man.



They all looked at him in horror. But that was the only way out. With his hands shaking, the man took out his knife. He saw the horror in the eyes of the soldier dangling in the crevice, shut his eyes, said a silent prayer and cut off the rope. The jawan got stuck in the crevice as it narrowed a little around his waist.



The commander had the presence of mind to radio the base and inform them of the incident. He even gave the precise location of the accident.



Fortunately it was still late afternoon and two helicopters immediately took off to rescue the jawan. The rescue team commander, a young captain, had his orders clear. Try to rescue in half-an-hour and come back before evening when the weather closes in, making is impossible for helicopters to fly. Sliding into the crevice, the officer spoke to the jawan. He tied a rope below the jawan's chest and using snow scooters arranged from the post, tried to pull himout.



The heat from the jawan's body probably melted the ice around him for a few seconds but then it hardened again and he was trapped in the vice-like grip of ice. The young captain tried to break the ice with an ice pick but in the narrow crevice, he could barely move his hands. The chopper pilots were getting panicky and it was time to go.



"Don't leave me to die, sahib. I have old parents, a wife and two little daughters,'' the jawan whispered. The captain almost cried. "Kill me, sahib, here it will be a slow painful death. And please don't tell my family how I died,'' was his last wish. And minutes later the choppers took off. "Then what happened?'' we asked our storyteller, horrified. "The captain never told anyone whether he pulled the trigger or let the jawan freeze.'' Nobody knows.



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This article influenced me greatly and the respect I had for the guys on front multiplied.

[akhilsi2cool]

*Salutes the bravery of the Indian Army*

[Portuguese Man-Of-War]

That's amoving story, but there are plenty of jawans who make up for these ones by raping and eve-teasing.

[The Rainmaker]

Jai Jawaan



Portuguese man of war, those stories of raping and teasing are made up by Pakistani news agencies.. to tell the world that Indians are "occupying" kashmir and abusing the locals.



Which is why that derogatory statement made by you is truly shameful. You should learn to take pride in our armed forces.

[CtrlAltDel]

Portuguese man of war, those stories of raping and teasing are made up by Pakistani news agencies..

...many stories are planted yes...but such incidents do occur. many army guys have been courtmartialled after such incidents and they are usually hushed up. abt eve teasing, the army guys do it here in hyderabad. i have seen it happen (i stay in cantonment)...so it definitely happens in kashmir.



no country's army guys r saints...esp the less educated lot that make up the jawans...