Havildar Udham Singh was born on 16th March 1959 and hailed from Chaihadi village near Ghumarwin in Himachal Pradesh. He joined the Army and was inducted into 18 Grenadiers of the Grenadiers Regiment. In June 1999, Havildar Udham Singh’s unit was deployed in the drass sector.
| Service Number | 2669264W |
| Place of Birth | Himachal |
| Rank | Havildar |
| Unit | 18 Grenadiers |
| Regiment | The Grenadiers |
| Award | Vir Chakra |
| Date of Martyrdom | 14th June 1999 |
18 Grenadiers was tasked to capture Hump and also provide support to 18 Garhwal Rifles in its attack on Point 5140. Havildar Udham Singh became part of the team that was tasked to capture the Hump feature. On 13th/14th June 1999, Havildar Udham Singh led the company attack with his section on area Hump in the Drass sector. He along with his men kept on neutralizing the enemy’s resistance en route. The area was heavily fortified and Havildar Udham Singh’s section’s advance was impeded due to the heavy automatic fire of the enemy. He ordered his troops to keep engaging the enemy position, while he along with a small team crawled towards the enemy position from the flank. He halted his team close to enemy sangar and himself inched closer to lob a hand grenade inside. Havildar Udham Singh’s movement was however noticed by the enemy who fired at him causing severe injuries to him. Without caring for his wounds, he rushed up to the enemy sangar and lobbed a hand grenade, and fired at the soldiers inside. He succeeded in killing three enemy soldiers from close quarters and signaled his men to charge ahead. However, during this process, he succumbed to his injuries and was martyred.
Havildar Udham Singh was given the gallantry award, “Vir Chakra” for his outstanding grit, determination, devotion to duty, and supreme sacrifice.
