An officer of the Army Aviation Corps in a helicopter at the Sevoke Road helipad during the raising day fest

The Army Aviation Corps celebrated its 22nd Raising Day on November 1.

The Army Aviation Squadron which is under the Corps and located at Sevok Road in Siliguri, hosted a special sainik sammelan to mark the occasion. The commanding officer praised the men for their professionalism.

The Corps was earlier known as the Air Observation Post which was manned by an elite group of Artillery officers. Helicopters were flown by them, but maintenance was carried out by the Indian Air Force. The arrangement remained unchanged over the years. The Post took part in the 1971 War.

On November 1, 1986, the government gave formal approval for the formation of the Corps. Since then, the Corps with its motto of “Swift and Sure” has been protecting the country from the Siachen glacier to the Rann of Kutch .

Officers and their wives at a programme on the 227th anniversary of Corps of Engineers’ Day

Raising Day

The Great Eight, one of the oldest artillery regiments, celebrated 67th Raising Day for three days on starting November 1.

The day commenced with wreath laying ceremony at the Unit War Memorial to pay homage to those who had sacrificed their lives for the country.

After this, a special sainik sammelan was held in which commanding officer Col K.S. Marwah urged all personnel to dedicate themselves to the service of the nation upholding the gunner’s motto Sarvatra Izzat O Iqbal. The sainik sammelan concluded with the Championship Banner being presented to Medium Battery (a small unit of the regiment) for excelling in all intra-unit events of the year.

Pagal Gymkhana was organised on November 9. Various events were held, but the most interesting one of the day was the tug-of-war between the Commanding Officer and Subedar Major’s teams.

A get-together was held at Station Artillery Mess in Binaguri on November 16. The decoration, cuisine and music made the evening a memorable one. Maj. Gen. P.S. Bhalla, the general-officer-commanding of the Kripan Division, was present.

Engineers’ fest

The Corps of Engineers celebrated its 227th Corps Day on November 18. The Sappers have shown valour and professionalism in every warfare in these years.

The four pillars of the Corps are the Combat Engineers, Border Roads Organisation, Military Engineer Services and Military Survey. They provide technical and engineering support to the armed forces.

In war, these combat engineers lay and breach mines, build bridges, construct helipads and air fields, lay tracks and facilitate movement of troops and, if required, hold ground as infantry.

During peace, the engineers — in addition to their primary role — provide relief and support to those affected by natural calamities.

The engineers are first to respond to any natural calamity like earthquake, tsunami, and flood.