For the first time in its history, the combined graduation parade of flight cadets at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal on Saturday had a new ‘blue addition’ to the march past -- all cadets wore medical masks on their face as part of compliance with the government mandate for coronavirus restrictions.
Moreover, the parents of the cadets watched the ceremony online due to restrictions of physical presence. Due to this, the biannual emotional rapture of parents was missing.
Meanwhile in the skies, skydivers, fighter jets, helicopters and other aeroplanes of the Indian Air Force performed stunts that kept spectators on the edge of their seats to mark the induction of 123 flight cadets as Flying Officers, including 19 women officers.
Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria reviewed the parade and formally conferred the ‘President’s Commission’ on 123 cadets as well as awarded ‘Wings’ to 11 officers from the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard.
Amongst the newly commissioned officers, 61 officers joined the Flying branch while 62 were inducted into the ground duty branches of the IAF.
Two Flight Cadets from Vietnam Air Force also successfully completed their flying training at AFA and were presented ‘Wings’ by the Reviewing Officer.
Flying Officer Anurag Nain from the Flying branch was awarded the ‘Sword of Honour’ and President’s Plaque for standing first in overall order of merit in the Pilots’ Course, while Flying Officer Aanchal Gangwal was awarded President’s Plaque for being first in overall order of merit in the Ground Duty Branch.
Tributes to Colonel
Before reviewing the parade, the IAF chief appealed people to join him in paying tribute to Colonel Santosh Babu and his brave men who made the supreme sacrifice while defending the Line of Actual Control in Galwan Valley earlier this week.
Further, he congratulated the graduating officers and award winners while exhorting them to work hard for achieving requisite proficiency and attaining competency in their chosen field.
He also commended the instructors and teaching staff at all IAF training establishments for timely culmination of training under very difficult conditions; while respecting the strict COVID protocols. He reminded the officers that the security scenario prevailing in our region mandates that our armed forces remain prepared and vigilant at all times. Instead of going home for a break, the newly commissioned officers will be proceeding straight to their next units to shoulder their responsibilities for the task at hand.
“As the nation fights the adverse effects of COVID-19 pandemic, IAF has taken a number of proactive measures to counter the spread and disruption in our work. We have successfully preserved our combat potential and adjusted our training and operational methodology to resume full operations,” Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria said.
“You will soon join frontline flying squads and other combat units equipped with very diverse yet some of the best war fighting equipment in the world. You would need to continue to work hard for achieving requisite proficiency and attaining competency in your chosen field,” he said.
While the weapons, platforms and environment may change, our work ethos and traditions will forever guide our actions for achieving excellence in every mission, the Air Force chief said.
“Always uphold the ethos and culture of IAF, which are resting on the cornerstone of ‘People First Mission Always’, he told the newly commissioned officers.
The IAF is revolutionising the way we train and build our operational capability. “We will fight future wars in a networked and a highly automated environment, with employment of cutting-edge technology and use of modern platforms, weapon systems and sensors – most of which will be built indigenously,” the Chief of Air Staff said.