Lt Col Ramakrishnan Vishwanathan was born on 12th January 1960 in Kerala. After completing his schooling, he joined the National Defence Academy (NDA). Later, he came to the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun. He was commissioned into the Grenadiers Regiment. Lt Col Ramakrishnan also served with Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka and later with UN Peace Keeping Force in Angola.
| Service Number | IC39584M |
| Place of Birth | Kochi, Kerala |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit | 18 Grenadiers |
| Regiment | The Grenadiers |
| Award | Vir Chakra |
| Date of Martyrdom | 2nd June 1999 |
During 1999, Lt Col Ramakrishnan’s unit was deployed in J&K along the LoC. 18 Grenadiers were inducted in Drass area on 19th May 1999 under the command of 121 Inf Bde and were operating along 1 Naga and 8 Sikh battalions. 18 Grenadiers was under the command of Colonel Kushal Thakkar and was tasked to launch an attack to capture Tololing on 2nd June 1999. During the war, Lt Col Ramakrishnan retrieved the bodies of 3 comrades and got them down. He displayed courage in closing in on enemy positions under heavy automatic firing and intense shelling. Lt Col Ramakrishnan sustained many serious injuries and despite that, he kept fighting. He destroyed three enemy positions and single-handedly eliminated four intruders. Due to his efforts, the battalion could secure a foothold on Point 4590. Later, Lt Col Ramakrishnan succumbed to his injuries.
Lt Col Ramakrishnan displayed exemplary courage on the battlefield and for that, he was given ‘Vir Chakra’ posthumously.
