NEW DELHI/LUCKNOW, Sept. 3 -- Air Marshal (retd.) Jeetendra Mishra, the first chief executive officer (CEO) of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, was one of the top planners of Operation Sindoor and received a medal for distinguished service of exceptional order for his role during the four-day military confrontation with Pakistan last year. He belongs to Bhopatpura village in Bhatpar Rani area of Deoria district in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Mishra, a fighter combat leader and an experimental test pilot, retired on April 30 as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Subroto Park-based Western Air Command. Air Marshal Mishra has more than 3,000 hours of flying experience. The Command was at the centre of operational activities during Operation Sindoor-New Delhi's muscular response to the Pakistan-backed Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. It triggered four days of strikes and counterstrikes with fighter jets, missiles, drones, long-range weapons and heavy artillery before the two sides reached an understanding on stopping all military action on May 10, 2025. Under Mishra's leadership, the WAC was ready to strike targets in Pakistan within hours of the Pahalgam terror attack. He was closely involved in selecting the terror targets in Pakistan and determining the weapons best suited to hit them with minimal collateral damage, people aware of the matter said on Wednesday. Mishra was awarded the Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal for his role. "He is known for applying himself to the assigned task and executing it well," said one of his NDA course-mates. Mishra accompanied Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Adampur air base in Punjab after Operation Sindoor. The visit was designed to puncture Pakistan's extensive disinformation campaign against India. In a military career spanning nearly four decades, Mishra held several command and staff appointments. These included commanding officer of a fighter squadron, chief test pilot at the Aircraft & Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE), Air Officer Commanding of two frontline air bases, Director (Operational Planning and Assessment Group), and Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Projects) at Air HQ, Commandant ASTE and Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Doctrine, Organisation and Training)....