Major Gurdev Singh Jaswal was born on 20th July 1942 to Jem Ladha Singh. He hailed from Deoli village in Una district of Himachal Pradesh. He was commissioned on 10th May 1964 at the age of 22 years. He was commissioned into 22 Punjab Bn of the Punjab Regiment. During the 1971 Indo-Pak War Maj Gurdev ‘s unit 22 Punjab was placed under the operational command of 39 Infantry division operating in the western sector.
| Service Number | IC-16008 |
| Place of Birth | Una, HP |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | 22 Punjab |
| Regiment | Punjab Regiment |
| Award | Vir Chakra |
| Date of Martyrdom | 10th December 1971 |
During December 1971, MajoGurdev’s unit 22 Punjab was deployed in Shakargarh Sector on the western border. Major Gurdev Singh was commanding a rifle company during that time and was tasked to capture Chak Amru railway station in the Shakargarh Sector on 7th/8th December 1971. The B coy of 22 Punjab under Major Gurdev was tasked to spearhead the attack on the night of 7th/8th December. Major Gurdev led the attack through the 600-yard-deep minefield. During the reorganization, his company came under accurate and intense medium machine gun and artillery fire. Despite this, he moved from trench to trench to encourage his men to hold their positions. While doing so, Major Gurdev got seriously injured by an enemy medium machine gun burst. He, however, refused to be evacuated and kept directing his soldiers till the company successfully captured its objective. Major Gurdev was later shifted to the medical facility where he succumbed to his injuries and was martyred.
Major Gurdev Singh Jaswal was awarded “Vir Chakra” posthumously.
