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• Rank: Major
• Unit: 13 Kumaon
• Year: 1962
• Award: Param Vir Chakra, posthumous

On 18 November 1962, Charlie Company of 13 Kumaon defended Rezang La in eastern Ladakh, more than 16,000 feet above sea level.

Major Shaitan Singh moved between defensive positions under intense fire, encouraging and reorganising his men as the attack continued. When he was seriously wounded, his soldiers attempted to carry him away. Realising that their movement was exposing them to enemy fire, he ordered them to leave him behind.

But this story must not become his story alone. The official account records that 113 soldiers made the supreme sacrifice. Rezang La should therefore be presented as a story of an entire company—mostly ordinary soldiers whose names are seldom individually remembered.

Remember the company, not merely the decorated commander.