So War Again: Tumpet Blows

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After having won victory in the battle of Waterloo over Napoleon Bonaparte British Commander Duke of Wellington said that worst thing after losing a battle was having won it. In his camp tent he had waited a long time for his generals to come and report but none did come; there they lay in the battle field, dead. He came out of his tent to see and what did he see.... the dead, dying and the injured crying for succor. What had the Allies or the Axis powers gained after the two World Wars? Nothing, only their colonies gained independence. Japan got nuke bombed at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We have fought three perhaps four wars with our sibling neighbour and we are where we were, at the international border and the LOC (line of control). Both the countries lost men in thousands and materials worth millions. Do we realize the futility of war fare as did old Casper said on finding an old skull where the battle of Blenheim was fought... It was a great battle... Who won... Who lost...I do not know. But it was a great battle...

Bidding 'good bye' to Siachen glacier on my way home on my retirement I had locked the huge wardrobe of my uniforms in a black box.
Twenty three years! Those twenty three years that I had served in the army just could not be pushed down, buried in a black box a usual accompaniment of a travelling soldier.
'Green Forest' a book authored by me earlier was just not about jungle based stories. It was a book with an abundance of stories of real life soldiery lived, and both an invocation and inspiration to write the rest of my life stories dedicated to my fellow brethren, soldiers of Indian army.
While on Chalunka road I kept my eyes fixed on the horizon or closed as I passed by miles of stacked firewood, replenished from time to time for when stocks got depleted. At the Brigade Head Quarters a meeting of the officers was held that I participated in to assess the need of firewood required to cremate the ever-dying soldiers.
A condolence letter written by me to be sent to the bereaved family of a martyred soldier I had handed over to Col. Ranjit commanding officer of the Sikh Regiment who was in a fix to find words to write letters to the families of soldiers about the demise of their dear ones. The copy of the letter drafted by me was dually filed to be kept as a specimen. The commandant, Col. Ranjit was relieved; whenever there was the unfortunate occasion of sending information about the death of a soldier that draft was pulled out of the file, the name and number were changed and the letter sent.