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{{copy edit|date=June 2022|for=Main operations section is not [[WP:MOS]] complaint. Needs significant rework.}}

{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name=69 Medium Regiment
|image=
|caption=
|dates= 1963 – present
|country={{flag icon|India}} [[India]]
|allegiance=India
|branch= [[File:Flag of Indian Army.svg|24px]] [[Indian Army]]
|type= [[File:Regiment of Artillery Insignia (India).svg|20px]] [[Artillery]]
|role=
|size= Regiment
|command_structure=
|equipment=

|Past Commanders=
|ceremonial_chief=
|colonel_of_the_regiment=
|notable_commanders=

|identification_symbol=69 Med Regt
|identification_symbol_label=Abbreviation

|nickname= ''69 Very Fine''
|patron=
|motto= Sarvatra, Izzat-O-Iqbal<br/>(Everywhere with Honour and Glory).
|colors= Red & Navy Blue
|march=
|mascot=
|battles=
|anniversaries=1 February – Raising Day
|decorations=
|battle_honours=
}}
The '''69 Medium Regiment '''is part of the [[Regiment of Artillery (India)|Regiment of Artillery]] of the [[Indian Army]].

== Formation ==
The regiment was raised on 1 February 1963 at [[Jalandhar Cantonment]] as the '''69 Field Regiment'''. The first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel P K H Chand. The regiment was subsequently converted to a medium regiment in April 2010.<ref name="69MedAPOcover">{{cite web|url=https://samsshopping.com/product/69-medium-regiment/|title=69 Medium Regiment Golden Jubilee APO postal cover|date=2013-02-01|access-date=2022-03-07}}</ref>
==Operations==
The regiment has taken part in the following operations:<ref name="69MedAPOcover"/>

=== Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 ===
The regiment took part in Operation Ablaze and Operation Riddle during the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|war]]. It was part of the 14th Infantry Division and saw action in Punjab.<ref>{{cite book|last=Singh|first=Harbaksh |title=War Despatches: Indo-Pak Conflict 1965|date=2012|publisher= Lancer Publishers LLC|isbn=978-8170621171|page=}}</ref>

=== Nathu La clashes ===
The regiment provided effective artillery fire during the [[Nathu La and Cho La clashes|clashes]] with the [[People's Liberation Army|Chinese]] in 1967. The gun area of the unit was visited by then prime minister [[Indira Gandhi]] in May 1968.

=== Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 ===
The regiment was part of 54 Artillery Brigade of the [[54th Infantry Division (India)|54 Infantry Division]]. It was deployed in the western sector around [[Samba district|Samba]] during [[Operation Cactus-Lilly|Operation Cactus Lily]].<ref name="Jagjit1">{{cite book|last=Singh|first=Jagjit|title=Indian Gunners at War: The Western Front 1971|date=1994|publisher= Spantech & Lancer|isbn=978-1897829554|page=131}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last= Praval|first= K. C.|title= Valour triumphs: a history of the Kumaon Regiment|date=1976|publisher=Thomson Press|page=343}}</ref>

It won the following gallantry awards:
*[[Sena Medal]] – Captain Madan Mohan Sharmrao Gadagkar, and Captain Asit Chaudhuri.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/1974/O-1253-1974-0010-55496.pdf|title=Gazette of India, No 10, page 286|date=1974-03-09|access-date=2022-03-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Singh|first=Jodh|last2=Khera|first2=P.N.|title=Indira's India|publisher=Indian School Supply Depot, Delhi|year=1972|page=457}}</ref>
*[[Mentioned in dispatches]] – Major Gopal Kartic, Captain Mela Ram Sharma, Subedar Ramchand Shinde, Lance Naik Kalla Venkata Ratnam, Lance Naik Ram Bapu Pawar, and Naik Sitaram Deshmukh.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/1974/O-1253-1974-0019-55503.pdf|title=Gazette of India, No19, page 534|date=1974-05-11|access-date=2022-03-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/1974/O-1253-1974-0019-55503.pdf|title=Gazette of India, No19, page 536|date=1974-05-11|access-date=2022-03-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/1974/O-1253-1974-0019-55503.pdf|title=Gazette of India, No 36|date=1972-09-02|access-date=2022-03-08}}</ref><ref name="Jagjit2">{{cite book|last=Singh|first=Jagjit|title=Indian Gunners at War: The Western Front 1971|date=1994|publisher= Spantech & Lancer|isbn=978-1897829554|page=134}}</ref>

=== Operation Blue Star ===
The regiment provided aid to the civil administration in maintaining law and order in [[Punjab, India|Punjab]] during [[Operation Blue Star|operations]] in 1984 to flush out terrorists from the [[Golden Temple]].

=== Operation Brasstacks ===
The regiment was able to deploy in the western sector at very short notice for [[Operation Brasstacks|operations]] in 1987.

=== Operation Falcon ===
In Operation Falcon during the [[Sumdorong Chu standoff]], the regiment was deployed between 1987 and 1990 in the Eastern sector.

During this tenure, Captain (later Major General) Virender Kumar Yadav of the regiment was awarded the [[Shaurya Chakra]] for an act of bravery. On 11 November 1989, while traveling by train, he displayed conspicuous courage under grave threat to his own life and rescued many people when a large mob set fire to the [[North East Express]] at [[Phaphund]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gallantryawards.gov.in/awardee/996|title=Captain Virender Kumar Yadav|date=|access-date=2022-03-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/1991/O-0506-1991-0017-21052.pdf|title=Gazette of India, No 17, page 379|date=1991-04-27|access-date=2022-03-09}}</ref>

=== Operation Rakshak and Operation Vijay ===
During and after the [[Sanjay Chauhan (soldier)|incident in Lachimpora]], the regiment has taken part in [[Counterinsurgency|counter insurgency operations]] in [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] and has successfully completed three tenures in the state (1994, 1999 and 2007). It was also mobilized in the [[Kargil War]].

=== Operation Parakram ===
The regiment was deployed in the [[Northern Command (India)|Northern Command]] area during [[2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff|the 2001-2002 India-Pakistan standoff]] in 2001. It lost a young officer, Lieutenant Abhay Pareek on 10 June 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.honourpoint.in/profile/lieutenant-abhay-pareek/|title=Lieutenant Abhay Pareek|date=|access-date=2022-03-07}}</ref> On 31 July 2002, the regiment also lost Captain Rapolu Veera Raja Reddy at [[Rajouri]] in anti-militancy operations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Captain-Rapolu-Veera-Raja-Reddy/tributeshow/53467179.cms|title=Captain Rapolu Veera Raja Reddy|date=2016-07-31|access-date=2022-03-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rediff.com/news/2002/aug/02captain.htm|title=Army captain's death in Rajouri leaves family shattered|date=2002-08-02|access-date=2022-03-07}}</ref>

==Honors and achievements==
The regiment has been awarded the following awards<ref name="69MedAPOcover"/> –
*Shaurya Chakra – 1
*Sena Medal – 3
*Mentioned in dispatches – 6
*COAS Commendation Cards – 3<ref>{{cite web|url=https://indianarmy.nic.in/writereaddata/documents/COAS140121%20.pdf|title=COAS Commendation Card|date=2021-01-15|access-date=2022-03-09}}</ref>
*GOC-in-C Commendation Cards – 5
==See also==

* [[List of regiments of the Indian Army#Artillery|List of artillery regiments of Indian Army]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Indian 69 medium regiment}}
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1963]]
[[Category:Artillery regiments of the Indian Army after 1947]]

69 Medium Regiment India - Revision history

Bot at 15:12, 28 October 2022