It had been a long day. The gun position had just fired over 200 rounds and the men were tired. As expected, just as the guns were given rest to manage the spent ammunition and provide relief for the crews, the counter bombardment started. It had never been so close. They had been well sited, tucked right behind a mountain and the gun position officer knew that it would be difficult to target them.
However, it was with unease as he saw the rounds creep closer and closer to them. As Sachin observed the rounds falling behind, he noticed the glint of glass in the hills behind him. He wondered what it could be, there was no inhabitation there. Taking out his binoculars, he surveyed the area and could definitely make out the reflection of glass but nothing more. He was tucked away in the command post bunker and didn’t want to take a chance stepping out to take a better look as enemy shells still rained down though yet a safe distance away. He noted the bearing of the shining object and passed it on to his adjutant.
Meanwhile, they got orders to resume firing and the new target required the guns to redeploy in the same gun pits. As he barked the orders on the microphone, the detachments swung into action running to shift the trails of the guns and make safe any ammunition in the way. Soon the ready report of the guns started pouring in - all but gun number 5 had reported ready.
It was very unlike the detachment to take so much time and he climbed the bunker stairs to see why they were taking so much time. An uneasy feeling crept into his stomach as he saw men crowding around something on the ground. He could just see a pair of feet with the DMS boots lying on the ground. Some was down and he sprinted towards it.
Sachin had just been commissioned a year ago and had joined the operations in Kargil after completing his Young Officers course to perform the duties of a gun position officer. His trial by fire was literal in every sense with the bofors gun position he commanded seeing action every day and night.
Suddenly the Hollywood life that he’d been living so far turned into reality. Balwinder, a jawan of the 5th detachment lay on the ground. His body lay cut into half, the stomach and intestines had spilled outside with blood trying to seep into the rocky ground below them. Sachin was too shocked to react. This couldn’t be happening - not on his guard at least. He picked up the torso and tried to join it with the lower body scooping up the stomach and intestines. Screaming for an ambulance he mumbled that maybe the doctor could stitch the body together and bring the limp body back to life.
His men pulled him back as someone covered the body with a sheet. His shrieks of agony were drowned in the dull thuds of enemy shells that continued to rain down.
Firing had been called off for the day. Sachin’s buddy helped him clean the blood off his hands and clothes. He spent his whole day trying to come to terms with the loss. The day had gone bye, he’d missed his lunch. A retaliatory fire plan had been chalked out by the meticulous staff officer. Revenge had to be taken. Hungry and eager to be prepared for the morning, he made his way to the officers mess. As he entered the mess, he saw his Battery Commander brooding over a glass of rum. Suddenly, the helpless and rage bottled up inside Sachin erupted and he shouted at his boss. How could he drink when they’d just lost a soldier. The battery commander looked at him, a glint of water visible in his eyes and quietly went back to his drink.
Epilogue - The shimmering glint that Sachin observed on the hill side was a local villager who had been trained by the enemy to direct fire. He was shot at the spot observed earlier. The battery commander nursing his grief with quiet maturity went on to become a commanding officer as did Sachin - years in combat taught him his lesson in maturity and tolerance. The enemy was targeted ferociously over the next month soon after which a cease fire was called out and hostilities ceased in Kargil that year, 2003.
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