Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena (born 31 August 1975) is an Indian Air Force (IAF) officer and former helicopter pilot. She joined the IAF in 1994, is a 1999 Kargil War veteran and the first woman Shaurya Chakra awardee. She joined Indian Air Force after attaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Hansraj College, Delhi University.[1][2][3] She is the only woman to be part of the Kargil War,[3][4] making her the first woman IAF officer to go to war.[5][6] She is the first of two women along with Flight Lieutenant Srividya Rajan from the IAF to enter a war zone flying Cheetah helicopters.[3][4] One of her main roles during the Kargil War was to evacuate the wounded from Kargil, transport supplies and assist in surveillance.[1] She would go on to be part of operations to evacuate over 900 troops, both injured and dead, from Kargil. In 2004, after serving as a pilot for seven years, her career as a helicopter pilot ended; the concept of permanent commission for women was not there during her time.[3][6]
The 2020 Bollywood movie Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl is inspired by her life.[1]
0 comentários:
Post a Comment