VASCO, July 26 -- SHASHWAT GUPTA RAY[email protected]

Exactly 27 years ago, the Indian armed forces regained control over their posts after evicting the Pa-kistani intruders following an intense and bloody battle for nearly three months on the icy peaks of Kargil, in Kashmir.One of the brave hearts fighting for his motherland was Vasco-based Indian Navy veteran, Captain Utpal Datta (retd), the only Navy helicopter pilot to fly Army choppers, the Cheetah, in the Kargil and Drass sectors during the 1999 Indo-Pak Kargil conflict while undertaking search and rescue missions.

For his courage in the face of intense enemy fire and harsh operational condi-tions, Captain Datta was awarded the Nau Sena Medal (Gallantry). During the Kargil War in ...