Former Indian Air Force chief Norman Anil Kumar Browne stressed upon the selfless nature of work that defence personnel undertake. “They do not seek anything else than a little respect and grace from fellow citizens,” he said.
Delivering an address after presenting the Rotary Vocation Excellence Awards here on Wednesday, a day before the Republic Day, Mr. Browne said, “Service in the armed forces is voluntary. There is no forced conscription... They never seek higher pay or extra privileges. They have a deep understanding of what they do. They expect to be honoured and respected which is not a tall demand.”
Recalling the rescue operations during the Uttarakhand floods,which were carried out by the air force under his stewardship, he said they were the largest heli-lift operations anywhere in the world. Remembering that five men and 12 passengers died in a helicopter crash during rescue operations, he said the incident did not deter the forces from the rescue operations.
Thanking the Rotary Club of Hyderabad Deccan for honouring defence personnel, Mr. Browne said he could not think of another occasion of similar nature.
He presented awards announced posthumously to Major Tahir Husain and Lance Naik Mohd. Firoz Khan to their respective wives, Naseem Sultana and Nasreen Khan. Also felicitated with awards were Lieutenant Colonel A. Balakrishna, Colonel C.M. Thimmanna, Dushyant Singh Chauhan from College of Defence Management, and Director of the Department of Sainik Welfare, Telangana State, Colonel P. Ramesh Kumar.
