Army celebrates Gunner's day in Udhampur

The Raising Day, which is also known as the 'Gunner's Day', is observed on September 28 to mark the raising of the first Indian Artillery unit, 5 (Bombay) Mountain Battery, on this momentous day in the year 1827, PRO (Defence) Ministry of Defence HQ Northern Command, Lt Col Rajesh Kalia said here.

Since the concept of causing destruction to the enemy's war machine from a distance evolved in warfare, Artillery has been a major battle winning arm and its importance continues in the modern day battlefield, he said.

The Regiment of Artillery has been part of all the wars that the Indian Army has fought since independence and the Gunners have proved their mettle by their professional acumen and dedication, he said.

The victory of the Indian Army in the Kargil conflict in 1999 demonstrated the fire power of Artillery, which pounded and systematically destroyed the enemy's will to fight and proved to be the major battle winning factor, he said.

The Gunners are renowned for their professional excellence and exacting standards and continue to perform their duties in the Northern region with utmost dedication in difficult, hostile and inhospitable terrain, he said.

They are also actively undertaking Counter Insurgency Operations and are involved in a number of developmental initiatives in Jammu and Kashmir under 'Operation Sadbhavana' with the underlying message of peace and harmony in the region, Lt Col Kalia said.

On the occasion, GOC-in-C Northern Command, Lt Gen K T Parnaik, complimented the Gunners for their professional standards and called upon the Artillery units deployed in J&K to continue to contribute to stability in the region.

Major General Harpal Singh, Major General Artillery, Northern Command laid a wreath at the Dhruva War memorial and addressed a Sainik Sammelan of all ranks of the Regiment of Artillery.

He called upon all Gunners to rededicate themselves to uphold the ethos and spirit enshrined in the motto of the Regiment of Artillery 'Sarvatra Izzat-O-Iqbal', 'Everywhere with honour and glory'.