When it was a victory, the Cavalier claimed it outright, the Gunner boasted of his prowess, the Signalman publicised his worth but the Infantryman remained silent with victory at his feet.
This old infantry saying was never more aptly demonstrated than in the just-concluded Kargil conflict. Heavy-duty Bofors guns and state-of-the-art aircraft with their laser-guided bombs were brought in to pound the enemy, but ultimately it was left to the largely unsung foot soldier, the Infantryman, to evict the Pakistani troops from the commanding heights that they had occupied in the mountains in Kargil.