FROM MY LOG BOOK - PART III

Continued from Part II.

The trip from Leh to Base camp via Thoise was absolutely out of this world. The Mi-8 climbed over Leh and then hopped over Khardungla onto the Shyok valley. The helicopter had been stripped off of all equipment that is not required to climb over the pass. The winds at these altitudes in the mountains create their own set of problems. However, the helicopter pilots were experienced and made the whole thing look like routine. We met the Army people at Base camp. We were briefed on the sortie; switched helicopters; from the heavier Mi-8 to the the lighter Cheetah, with skis. Siachen glacier is the second longest glacier in the non polar world, and is about 70 kms long. We took off for the sortie in the Cheetah.

The glacier was a white expanse of snow with snow covered mountains on either side and light clouding on top - ideal conditions for whiteout. - "Whiteout is a weather condition in which visibility and contrast are severely reduced by snow and diffuse lighting from overcast clouds". Everything looked white and the horizon was not discernible, making it very difficult to decide on what is right side up. It seems as if one is enclosed inside a white ping pong ball. The helicopters were being stretched to their limits; the French (manufacturers) had opined that these helicopters were not designed for these altitudes. However, our aircrew operated them successfully on the glacier.

Our chopper was flying at very low heights and it seemed that we could touch the white virgin snow. The chopper pilots told us that the fresh snow made their task very difficult. They also told us that it made the task of the Army even more difficult, as snow covered the crevices and posed a hazard to the Army troops that marched up and down the glacier. We passed various Army camps on the glacier - small posts with personnel positioned there permanently for a duration of time. The environmental conditions, and the living conditions, as we saw them from the helicopter made us feel that we were living in 5-star comfort in Leh. This being our Army's first year on the glacier - the conditions were very basic, to say the least; things, in terms of living conditions, have since improved, although the natural environment has not altered materially - temperatures of -50 degree Celsius are normal; with snow storms and other high altitude phenomenon like strong winds, snow drift, avalanches are part of the major hazards.

The glacier slopes upward gradually and helicopter was following the slope of the glacier, slowly gaining height. We reached Sia La. The chopper pilots did not want us to get out of the helicopter, as the helicopter could not switch off at that altitude - oil congeals and it becomes difficult to restart the engine thereafter. We had carried some mail for the troops there and handed them over to the jawans - lighting up their faces - letters and news from home is always welcome, specially so at these desolate places. The jawans did not let us close the chopper door thereafter. They insisted that we get off the chopper - the chopper pilots relented and told us that we could go out for 2 minutes. Those two minutes were spent with us meeting with all the jawans and getting a feel of the area and the prospective targets. We took a picture with the tricolour and the jawans based at this pass. The soldiers requested us to send some old magazines for them, so that they could keep in touch with what is happening - it's a different world out there, you see.


Any visitor is welcome here, as it breaks the monotonous life of the soldiers based there - imagine sitting at over 18000 ft on a glacier with no means of leaving for an extended period - you have trekked up and will live there for a, hopefully, pre-defined period and trek down on completion, if all goes well. Living at these altitudes is a task by itself for normal humans born and brought up in those regions. Imagine the degree of difficulty for some of our troops that have been based at Siachen that have never used blankets, let alone quilts - troops from the southern parts of India. Some of us have a feeling that the Army fights only during the war - well, they fight the elements, besides the enemy, every day along our borders, some of which in the North and the East of our country are really breathtakingly beautiful but are a nightmare to defend against external aggression, as we saw during the Kargil war. Loss of limb and life is not only during war; it happens on a nearly daily basis at these places. Frost bite, pulmonary oedema are two of the major reasons for these losses; it happens in the 'line of duty' - a term that all our troops are very familiar with.

We then were taken to Bilafond La. Once again the chopper could not switch off here and the pilots did not permit us to get out of the helicopter because we had to leave early. The mail was passed on to the troops and they were heart broken when we said that we could not come out - they did the next best thing - they insisted that we have at least a welcome drink, to which we said ok, if they could hurry up. Within no time we were handed over steel glasses which felt warm to the touch - the drink was warm orange squash laced with rum. We fighter pilots had the same and the chopper pilots were given orange squash only. We took off and returned back to base camp; thanked the helicopter pilots; the Army and took off for Leh in the Mi-8. This trip was an experience - it taught us many lessons, besides giving us an insight into what we are up against. One of the most important lessons that I learnt can be summed up in the words of a hoarding that I had seen on Marine drive in Bombay in 1976, "I complained because I had no shoes, until I met someone without feet".

Our trip to the glacier; our meeting with our Army brethren - some of them disabled due to the natural elements convinced us that our living conditions at Leh with all its shortfalls was actually 5-star, relatively speaking. I can only salute the work that our personnel in Olive Green do during peace and war, and personally feel that they rightfully deserve our respect and gratitude for doing what they do to keep us secure as a nation.

I found this video on youtube which may give one an idea of the living conditions on Siachen glacier.

Comments

Nagesh said…
Dear Sir,
Does chopper Engine or chopper Battery works at -53 degree celsius
in siachen ?

If Not , how do you Ignite the engine if you have turned off , Just curious to know,since I have seen CAR's doesn't starts on a cold day because the battery wouldn't be in the normal working conditions.
Balvinder Balli said…
JP, what a wonderful discription of your trip to Siachen. You literally took me back there. Yes in those areas the Air Force Pilots were like God to us. They will not only drop our rations but will also bring news from our home in addition to evacuating the sick and disabled.

Once on our dropping zone we had marked " Please Drop Chicken" as we were fed up of eating tinned stuff and the very next day fresh broilers were dropped along with required condiments.

I salute the Indian Air Force who made our living and fighting possible in such difficult areas where the bigger enemy of the Army is the weather conditions rather than the opposing forces.
J P Joshi said…
Nagesh: Yes, chopper engines and batteries work at -53 deg. too. Only it is very difficult to start at those temperatures and that is why the choppers don't switch off at the higher altitudes. In any case, aircraft starting systems are more complex than a car - you generally have a smaller engine that is started first on battery power - external source and not the aircraft battery, if possible and then this smaller engine helps start the main engine(s). There are also cartridge starts, chemical starts, etc.
J P Joshi said…
Balvinder: Interesting incident about the chicken. I did one para dropping sortie as a passenger in the AN-12 and saw a drop in terrain that was definitely hostile - and we had troops based there, very close to Aksai Chin. Hats off to the Army.


There was a story of 1984 in our flight safety journal many years ago, giving out exactly what you have said.

In short, a chopper pilot got in to the train at Pathankot; no reservation; settled in the corridor - suddenly one JCO offers his berth; the chap asks him why? and the JCO says: "Sir, I had this lung problem on the glacier and had to be evacuated to help me live; weather was really bad, but still the chopper came - and you were the pilot; you donot remember but I do; I owe my life to you and that is why my berth is yours".
Anonymous said…
JP Sir, what an incredibly well narrated set. My heart filled with pride, my eyes with tears for the young JCO you mention above. Thank you Sir.
J P Joshi said…
Thank you for your comment, Anonymous. I have just shared a glimpse of the routine of what our defence forces do. The defence forces anywhere in the world live by a different ethos, training, and trust levels; the nature of our job is different; it can demand the most precious part of us, our lives.

We depend on each other to be alive and stay safe, and thus get to understand the nature of our interdependence on each other, more readily than others.
Bibhu Jena said…
Not as a routine...but for extraordinary conditions it can be started...
J P Joshi said…
@Unknown: Thank you for your comment.
Raghu Rajan said…
Dear JP,
I have always had a sneaking admiration for your character and capability in adverse conditions.The compassion that you have shown of our friends in Olive Green ,touches my heart and brings tears to the eyes.
Give the chance,I would even now ,give my life for thwm!!
Thanks.
Raghu Rajan
J P Joshi said…
@Raghu Rajan: Thank you for your heart touching, as also heart warming comment. I am not sure if we have met sometime in service, or life. Your sentiments about our fellow brethren in olive green are much appreciated. Looking at the situation on our LAC, feel even more empathy for our brave jawans facing the odds of terrain, weather and the enemy, and all this for naam, namak and nishaan. God bless them. Jai Hind.