Galwan Braveheart's wife all set to enter Army as Lieutenant

On April 29, Rekha Singh will be among the 200 cadets, including 40 women, who will graduate from the Chennai-based Officers Training Academy. She is the wife of one of the 20 brave hearts who were killed in a skirmish with the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) at Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh.

In a first, five lady cadets from this latest batch of officers will be commissioned into the regiment of artillery.

Rekha was married to Naik Deepak Singh of the 16th Battalion of the Bihar Regimeent. He was killed in action at Galwan on June 15 2020, while fighting the Chinese PLA soldiers. He had been posthumously awarded the Vir Chakra in November 2021. The Vir Chakra is India's third highest wartime military honour after the Param Vir Chakra and Maha Vir Chakra.

The infantry battalion's commanding officer, Colonel B Santosh Babu, who was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra was among the 20 soldiers who were killed in the seven-hour conflict near Patrolling Point 14 in Galwan Valley. While the Chinese did not put out the exact number of soldiers it lost, India's assessment says that the number was double when compared to the Indian Army. Beijing has officially claimed that the number of soldiers it lost was at four.

Several Army wives whose husbands were killed in conflict have chosen to pursue a career in the armed forces to carry forward the legacy.

The Army too is encouraging women who are eligible to become officers to follow in the footsteps of their late husbands. The Army is also providing them with ample guidance to make a fresh start to their lives.

The wives of soldiers who have been killed in action are granted exemption from appearing for the Combined Defence Services Examination, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission, to qualify for the Service Selection Board interviews. The wives are also entitled for age relaxation.