Gunjan Saxena and Srividya Rajan – names that got lost in time – names that we should have never forgotten in the first place – names of India’s first women combat aviators who went all guns blazing into the heart of the war zone that was Kargil, 17 years ago.

It’s a story that has been forgotten in the fanfare of India’s first women fighter pilots being commissioned into the Indian Air Force earlier this year being able to fly fighter jets.

And while Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena and Flight Lieutenant Srividya Rajan never flew fighter jets, they did fly through an area where Pakistani soldiers fired bullets and missiles at virtually any Indian helicopter or aircraft that they could spot.

Their tiny Cheetah helicopter was unarmed and entirely defenceless against enemy fire. And yet, like so many of their male counterparts, the two young women soldiered on, flying dozens of sorties directly in harm’s way during the 1999 war in North Kashmir.

Today, 17 years later, Gunjan told NDTV that missions where she evacuated injured Indian Army soldiers were her biggest motivation during Kargil.

Here is the story as told by Gunjan Saxena to NDTV:

Gunjan Saxena had grown up in a family of fighters ready to give their all for the nation. Even her father and brother were in the army so she decided to join the armed forces after completing her graduation from Delhi University’s Hansraj College.

During the Kargil War, Flt Lt Gunjan Saxena and Flt Lt Srividya Rajan were tasked with casualty evacuations and spotting Pakistani positions in the Kargil region. The two pilots often flew very close to Pakistani positions during the operation albeit at a height which they believed would be beyond the range of Pakistan gunners.

The battle was tense and the army needed each and every pilot of theirs during the battle. The women pilots were called in, tasked with medical evacuations, supply drops and spotting Pakistani positions in the war zone. Not worrying about the fact that their tiny Cheetah helicopters were unarmed and completely defenceless to enemy attack, the two brave hearts continued flying in and out of the danger zone in North Kashmir.

But one day, Gunjan’s chopper came under direct attack while it was positioned at the Kargil airstrip. A Pakistani soldier had fired either a rocket or a shoulder fired missile directly at her aircraft. The weapon missed her chopper thudding into the hillside behind her. Not deterred in the least, Gunjan continued her operational sorties carrying a fully loaded INSAS rifle and a revolver with her in any mission. If she had a crash landing close to Pakistani Army positions, she would fight her way out of trouble or would go down fighting. Just like her brother, an Indian Army officer who happened to be fighting in the Kargil War at the same time.

For her outstanding show of courage in the Kargil war, Gunjan was awarded the Shaurya Chakra, a gallantry award presented for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice while not engaged in direct enemy combat. She was also the first woman to receive such an honour from the army. Gunjan and Srividya never got an opportunity to fly fighter jets, but they did pave the way for others like them who wanted to fight for their country shoulder to shoulder with the men as evident today.

As a short service commissioned officer, her tenure ended after seven years. But her association with the IAF has never ended. She is now married to an Indian Air Force Mi-17 helicopter pilot.