Ghaziabad (UP): India is celebrating the 21st anniversary of the historic 1999 Kargil conflict, which was termed 'Operation Vijay' by the Indian Army.
To commemorate the event, the day of celebrations is marked as the 'Kargil Vijay Diwas.'
It was on this day 21 years ago that the Indian Army managed to make the Pakistani forces withdraw along the Line of Control (LoC), hoisting the tricolour atop the high-altitude Kargil.
'NEVER THOUGHT TO BE PART OF ANY WAR'
Speaking exclusively to ETV Bharat, Kargil war veteran, Dr (Major) Prachi Garg, who had played a big role in the Kargil war, said that she never thought that she would become a part of any war.
"When I joined the Indian army, I did not even dream that I would ever be participating in any war. During the Kargil war, I was the part of 8th Mountain Artillery Brigade in the Dras sector," She revealed.
TREATED OVER 200 INJURED SOLDIERS
In the battlefield, Dr Garg treated the country’s brave soldiers for three months. She was the only woman medical officer in her brigade and treated over 200 injured soldiers.
Dr Garg said that many soldiers whom she treated were seriously injured. They were brought to the health camps in ambulances. There were other soldiers with minor injuries. She had also seen the bodies of many beheaded martyrs. It was a debilitating moment for her but she served the brave soldiers with all grit and determination.
She said that during the Kargil War she came across many new things, which motivated her to learn a lot. In the war field, she learnt the fire command from Major Prasun.
TREATED OVER 1,000 CORONA PATIENTS
Dr Garg said that she retired from the army in 2003. Now she works with Dr KK Aggarwal in Heart Care Foundation, a Delhi-based non-profit organisation.
She said that the discipline she learnt during the Kargil War is proving immensely useful for her today.
During the corona pandemic, she is treating the virus-infected patients. She said that till now she has treated over 1,000 corona patients.
In 2016, she was honoured with Dr AP Shukla Memorial Service Award of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) in Amritsar.
She is also the recipient of Great Achiever Award, Naari Gaurav Samman, Aaradhan Samman and many such awards.
In 2018, Dr Garg was appointed as the ambassador of 'No Plastic Campaign' by the Delhi Medical Association (DMA).
