Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw
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Sam Manekshaw
India Today, June 27, 2015
Sam Manekshaw's death anniversary: Some interesting facts about the 8th Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army
Sam Manekshaw was the first Indian Army officer to be promoted to the five star rank of field marshal. He spent a glorious military career that spanned over four decades. With a swashbuckling personality and signature twirling moustache, his name is enough to spark reverence and admiration in the minds of not only the army officials but also of every Indian who knows about him.
Some important highlights from his life:
•Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw was born on April 3, 1914 to Parsi parents in Amritsar in Punjab
•His father initially resisted his plans for joining the army, but he rebelled and gave the entrance examination for enrolment into the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun and was a part of the intake of first 40 cadets in 1932
•Post his graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the British Indian Army, which became the Indian Army after Independence
•In 1942, Manekshaw served as the Captain of the 4/12 Frontier Force Regiment in Burma during World War II against the invading Japanese Army
•He led to his team's victory despite losing 50 percent of his soldiers. He also suffered a major injury by a light machine gun fire and was in a state of panic. Observing this, Major General David Cowan who was the Commander-in-Chief of the 17th Infantry Division, saluted his bravery and determination. He pinned his own Military Cross ribbon on his chest saying, "A dead person cannot be awarded a Military Cross"
•On May 24, 1953, Manekshaw was appointed the Colonel of the Regiment 8 Gorkha Rifles and 61 Cavalry and continued to be the Honorary Colonel of the units till his death
•On June 8 1969, Manekshaw was appointed the Chief of the Army staff succeeding General P.P. Kumaramangalam
•He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the President of India in 1968 for his Services in the Indian Army
•As the Chief of the Army Staff, he rendered yeoman services to the nation by counterfeiting the Indian Army into an efficient instrument of war. He united the army, navy and air force into a close knit team which resulted in the defeat of the Pakistani Army in Eastern Front in 1965 and the significant achievements of the Indian Army during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War that led to the liberation of Bangladesh
•For his unfathomable services towards the nation, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1972 and was given the rank of Field Marshal in 1973
•Manekshaw succumbed to complications from pneumonia on June 27, 2008
•In 2014, a statue of Sam Manekshaw was erected in Wellington, the place where he died, in his honour
Reportedly, his last words were "I'm okay!" We salute the bravery of the army man and the sacrifices he made to make our motherland proud.
