Major James Thomas was born on 6th September 1976 to Shri P T Thomas and Smt Mary Kutty Thomas. He hailed from Bikaner in Rajasthan. He was commissioned into 10 Sikh LI of the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment. During 2005-2006, Major James Thomas’s unit was deployed in the J&K area and was engaged in a counter-insurgency operation.
| Service Number | SS 39680F |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | 10 Sikh LI |
| Regiment | Sikh Light Infantry |
| Award | Kirti Chakra |
| Date of Martyrdom | 28th January 2006 |
On 27th January 2006, the unit received information from the intelligence sources about the infiltration attempt by the militants in its area of responsibility. Maj James Thomas was tasked to lead the operation to neutralize the threat of infiltration. On 28th January at wee hours, Major James observed a group of terrorists attempting to skirt the ambush and infiltrate towards the right flank. Realizing the impending danger to own troops in the rear, Major James moved forward to intercept the infiltrating terrorists, lobbed grenades, and engaged them in a fierce firefight. In a display of raw courage and determination, Major James succeeded in killing four terrorists single-handedly. However, during this heavy exchange of fire, Major James also sustained grave splinter injuries. Meanwhile, Major James observed two more terrorists closing in from the other flank. Despite being seriously injured, he crawled towards the terrorists to lob grenades and fired at them with his weapon. Major James managed to kill both the terrorists, before succumbing to his injuries.
Major James Thomas was given the nation’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award, “Kirti Chakra” posthumously.
