L-R: Gnr Bhadreshwar Pathak, VrC (Posthumous) and Hav Bal Hahadur, VrC.
Jalandhar, December 7, 2013: One of the finest Air Defence units of the Indian Army, Air Defence Regiment (Samba) recently commemorated, its 42nd battle Honour Day, somewhere in the Western Sector. The commencement of the celebrations was marked by a Wreath Laying Ceremony at the unit memorial by the Director General and Senior Colonel Commandant Army Air Defence which was followed by a Special Sainik Sammelan and tea with troops. A “Samba Warriors Heritage Hike”, a bicycle rally across Punjab, J&K, Himachal Pradesh & Haryana was ‘Flagged Off’. The celebrations were also witnessed by a number of War Veterans, who had converged at the Regiment location. The newly created “Pathak Motivation Hall” was also inaugurated by the DG & Sr Col Comdt.
During the 1971 Indo-Pak War the Operation Cactus Lily, the unit was deployed in the western theatre. The unit has the rare honour and distinction of having shot down as many as eleven enemy air crafts like F-86 and MIG-19. Two brave soldiers of the unit, Havildar Bal Bahadur and Gunner Bhadreswar Pathak (Posthumous), earned two Vir Chakras. In recognition of its immense contribution to the Indian victory in the war, the Regiment was conferred with the “Samba Honour Title’. The Samba Regiment has also carved a niche for itself in the annals of Air Defence history by having the rare distinction of being awarded two Vir Chakras, 4 Sena Medals, 8 Mention-in-Dispatches and 14 Commendation Cards.