On the occasion of the 75th Independence Day, Subedar Major(Honorary Lieutenant) Yogendra Singh Yadav, Param Vir Chakra, was conferred the rank of Honorary Captain by the President of India. To honour the braveheart, Lt Gen Rajeev Sirohi, Military Secretary, and Colonel the GRENADIERS put on the rank badges on him at the Army Headquarters in New Delhi.
Subedar Major (Honorary Lieutenant) Yogendra Singh Yadav, PVC is the youngest person ever to be awarded the highest gallantry decoration of the country during wartime, the Param Vir Chakra, at 19 years old. His actions led to the capture of major features of the Tiger Hill complex by 18 GRENADIERS.
His specific act of gallantry took place on 04 July 1999 when he volunteered to lead a Ghatak commando platoon of 18 GRENADIERS was tasked with capturing three strategic bunkers on Tiger Hill. He started climbing the cliff face, which had a vertical snowbound approach. Halfway up, an enemy bunker spotted him and opened up a machine gun and rocket fire. Despite being hit by three bullets, Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav kept climbing and reaching the top, he crawled up to the Pakistani bunker, lobbed a grenade, killing four Pakistani soldiers on the spot. His charge cleared the way for the rest of the platoon to climb up the cliff face. Despite being grievously injured, Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav charged towards the second bunker along with seven soldiers. The bunker was captured but only Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav survived with 15 bullet injuries, two hand-grenade wounds, and an arm hanging from tendons and skin.
This unparalleled act of bravery earned him the country’s highest wartime gallantry decoration, the Param Vir Chakra, making him one of the rare living legends in the Armed Forces. Subedar Major (Honorary Lieutenant) Yogendra Singh Yadav is one of the 1695 Junior Commissioned Officers who were awarded the rank of Honorary Captain on the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence Day.
