Leh/Jammu, Aug 7 (PTI) The 12-day Gunners’ Ladakh odyssey motorcycle expedition reached the Siachen war memorial on Friday, with the riders paying homage to soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice in defence of the nation, officials said.
As part of the Regiment of Artillery’s bicentenary celebrations, a 20-member group comprising Army officials from the units that fought in the 1999 Kargil war, veterans and members of the Hero MotoCorp expedition team reached Siachen and offered floral tributes at the war memorial, they said.
The expedition, led by Major General Arvind Yadav, Additional Director General and Colonel Commandant of the Regiment of Artillery, began from the Kargil war memorial at Drass on August 3, and is traversing nearly 2,400 km across Ladakh’s historic battlefields to commemorate the 27th anniversary of Operation Vijay and 200 years of the Regiment of Artillery, they said.
The expedition also continued its sacred soil initiative, under which ceremonial soil is being collected from historically significant gun areas, battlefields and forward locations across Ladakh. The soil will form part of the proposed ‘wall of valour’ at the School of Artillery, Deolali, to preserve the Regiment’s military heritage, they said.
“The soil will be used to nurture saplings that will later be planted at the Kargil war memorial in Drass and the National War Memorial in New Delhi as a living tribute to the soldiers who laid down their lives during the conflict”, they said.
During the latest leg of the journey, the riders also paid tributes at the Turtuk, Partapur and Shyok war memorials, while travelling through the strategically significant Nubra sector, spreading the message of patriotism, military heritage and national unity.
The expedition is being undertaken on Hero MotoCorp motorcycles as part of the company’s Hero Tiranga trails initiative, which seeks to honour the courage, sacrifice and legacy of India’s Armed Forces.
The expedition is scheduled to conclude in Leh on August 14 after covering key battlefields and forward areas in the Nubra, Shyok and Chushul valleys.
During the journey, the team will also interact with ex-servicemen and Veer Naris to acknowledge their contributions and sacrifices. PTI AB SHS
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