Kashmir, India: Hailing from Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district, Major Sudhir Kumar Walia was born into a military family on May 24, 1969. Major Walia always looked up to his father, Subedar Major Rulia Ram Walia and was determined to follow in his footsteps and join the Indian Army. The young Walia ultimately forced his dream into reality after he graduated from the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in 1988 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the 4th Battalion of the famed Jat Regiment.

Since the beginning of his military career, Major Walia was noted for his fearlessness and grit. The young officer ultimately came to be known as ‘Rambo’ by his peers, who witnessed his undaunting spirit on the battlefield while Major Walia was engaged in counter-insurgency operations in the Kashmir Valley. Speaking with Republic, a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) from 9 Para (SF) who served with Major Sudhir Kumar Walia in Kashmir revealed that the young officer had completely relinquished fear.

“He had let go of every ounce of fear inside him. I have served with many officers but have never come across someone like him,” Subedar Sunil Kumar said. It was in Kupwara’s Haphruda forest where the 31-year-old officer attained martyrdom while combating terrorists on August 27, 1999. For his action on the battlefield, Major Sudhir Kumar Walia was awarded India’s highest peacetime gallantry award, the Ashok Chakra.

Major Walia kept service before self

Following the commission, Major Sudhir Kumar Walia was sent to Sri Lanka as part of the Indian Peace-Keeping Force under the Indo-Sri Lanka accord. After returning from the deployment, the young officer joined the 9th battalion of the Parachute Regiment, a Special Forces unit of the Indian Army. Major Walia’s unit was infamous among militants for undertaking covert counter-insurgency operations in the valley which often required the special forces operators to go undercover in hunt for the terrorists.

Notably, this strategy facilitated the execution of numerous militants and leaders of several terrorist organisations operating in Kashmir. Walia was awarded the Sena Medal twice for gallantry while engaging in CI/CT Ops in the region while serving as a Captain.

In 1997, Major Sudhir Kumar Walia was sent to the United States to undergo a specialised course, during which he got the honour to address the Pentagon in front of representatives from 80 nations attending the course. Later in his career, Major Sudhir Kumar Walia was appointed as the aide-de-camp (ADC) to the former Chief of Army Staff, General Ved Prakash Malik. During this appointment, the Kargil War broke out. In an application addressed to the Army Chief, Major Walia sought permission to be deployed on the frontline with his unit. The officer led an assault during the offensive to flush out Pakistan Army troops from the Zulu Ridge in Mushkoh Valley.

After the Kargil War ended, Major Walia returned to Kashmir to combat terrorism. It was during this deployment that the officer undertook a “Search and Destroy” mission in the dense Haphruda jungles. Leading a squad of five commandos, the officer identified a well-camouflaged terrorist hideout and engaged the enemy while leading from the front. Notably, Major Walia single-handedly neutralised nine terrorists in battle.

However, during the fierce fighting, the officer sustained gunshot wounds to his abdomen. In a show of grit determination and an undaunting spirit, Major Walia refused to be evacuated and continued giving orders to his team till the culmination of the operation. The officer allowed himself to be evacuated only 35 minutes after the operation concluded. While en route to the army base hospital, Indian Army’s ‘Rambo’ Major Sudhir Kumar Walia succumbed to his wounds. 

Major Sudhir Kumar Walia was awarded the Ashok Chakra for “exemplary leadership, unparalleled courage beyond the call of duty, conspicuous gallantry under fire and making the supreme sacrifice in the highest traditions of the Indian Army,” the citation read. Notably, a quote by the gallant officer is etched into the memory of the nation. Major Walia had once said, “I won’t die in an accident or die of any disease. I will go down in glory.”