Sunday, May 23, 2010

GOANS IN INDIA'S DEFENCE SERVICES

By Valmiki Faleiro

Goans, and Goan Catholics in particular, always had this fascination for adventure. Right from the General in a Deccani army in the 17th century, to Manuel Antonio de Souza (1835-1904), of Mapusa, who created and reigned over his own country with an army of 30,000 men, by the right bank of the Zambezi, in far away Mozambique! Down to dozens of officers in the armed forces of Portugal, Britain and any nation of domicile, even . hold your breath . now Australia-settled Wg Cdr Zuzarte of the Pakistan Air Force!

The number of Goans in independent India's defence services is a matter of pride. The tiny community produced one Chief and two Vice Chiefs of Army Staff, one Vice Chief of Naval Staff and one Chief of Air Staff. And at least 42 Generals (from three- to one-star), one VAdm, one RAdm and four Commodores, three Air Marshals, two Vice Marshals and five Air Commodores - and a legion of other officer ranks in the three services.

The Chief of Army Staff, as all know, is Gen Sunith F Rodrigues of Curtorim. The Vice Chiefs are Lt Gen Kevin L D'Souza of Mapusa and Lt Gen Stanley L Menezes of Sangolda. The Vice Chief of Naval Staff is Vice Adm John C DeSilva of Navelim. The Chief of Air Staff is Air Chief Marshal Hrishikesh Shamrao Moolgavkar of Mulgao- Bicholim. A bit on him:

One of the earliest IAF Goans (slightly junior to AVM Erlic Pinto), he was among the first four Indian IAF officers to earn a MVrC for bravery in J&K ops (and one of only three IAF Goans to be so decorated, the others being Gp Capt Sidney Noronha and Gr Capt Allan D'Costa.) A versatile fighter pilot, he flew 56 types of aircraft including helicopters, from pre WW-II vintage to "planes without propellers" (jets) like Gnats and MiGs. He was the first Indian to fly faster than sound (in a Mystere-II.) Awarded the US Congress' Legion of Merit at the Pentagon in 1978.

Goa missed counting three more Chiefs of Staff, one each of the Army, Navy and Air Force. Maj Gen Eustace W Fernandes stood, as AVM Erlic W Pinto did in the IAF, a chance for the top job. He died in 1994, like AVM Pinto in 1963, together with several senior army officers. He was inspecting weapons and explosives seized from J&K terrorists when the dump exploded. Both AVM Pinto and Maj Gen Fernandes died in J&K - and both, rather uncannily, shared the same initials, EW! (Maj Gen Fernandes' younger brother, Air Cmde Kevin Fernandes was, creepily again, killed in a helicopter crash in the 1950s - in J&K!) The appointment of then RAdm John C DeSilva to Chief of Naval Staff was a near miss.

Several times since 1947, Goans held operational commands in the three services. Lt Gen Walter AG Pinto from Santa Cruz-Calapur was GOC-in-C, Central Command, Lucknow. Vice Adm John DeSilva commanded the Eastern Fleet of the Indian Navy. Air Marshal Terence J de Sa from Sangolda was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Air Command, like AVM Erlic Pinto, AOC-in-C, Western Air Command before. Lt Gen Francis T Dias from Velcao was Chief of Staff, Southern Command.
Or get the import from another angle. In the Indo-Pak 1965 war, three vital High Altitude Passes were under Lt Gen Stanley L Menezes in Ladakh, Maj Gen Sidney Pinto at Jelep La and Maj Gen Eustace F D'Souza at Natu La. Lt Gen Eric A Vaz commanded an operational Brigade in Punjab.

During the 1971 war, Goans commanded three operational Infantry Divisions: Lt Gen Walter AG Pinto in Punjab, Maj Gen Benjamin F Gonsalves in Bangladesh and Maj Gen Eustace D'Souza in the Kashmir valley. (Lt Gen Stanley Menezes was a leading light in the 1971 ops., while Maj Gen Antonio C da Silva commanded the Artillery Regiment that thrust on Dacca.) Yes, the Army part of the 1971 war - on all three fronts - was led by Goans!

Goans held key positions in strategy, in all three services, at various points of time. Among the latest instances was Gp Capt Sunil J Nanodkar, Director-Ops (Offensive/Tactical) at Air HQ in 2003.
Brig Joseph V Pinto, a telecom expert, oversaw the transition to computer-based telecom in all the three services in the 1970s. Lt Cdr John E Gomes was Asst Director-Ops at Naval HQ. Sqn Ldr Raul Silva Rodrigues was Asst Director-Ops at Air HQ.

Lt Gen Walter AG Pinto, known as "The Legend" after the 1971 war, commanded the famous Battle of Basantar, the last in that war, inside (West) Pakistan. His tactics were soon part of the curriculum for army commanders. He is writing a book on the story of Basantar.

Cmde Gilbert Menezes from Raia and Lt Joseph DeSilva from Navelim (brother of VAdm DeSilva, who left service early) were among the Navy's pioneer submariners. They were trained in Russia in 1967. Cmde Menezes commanded the foxtrot class submarine Kalvari, also the frigate Taragiri, and retired as Director of Submarine Operations at Naval HQ.

Air Cmde Walter J Fernandes, com. 1943 in the Flying Br, was a no-nonsense Flying Instructor, CO, Systems Analyst (possibly the first in the IAF), who made a name for himself with his strength of character, formidable personality, quick logical thinking, booming voice, and clear English diction - that he was nicknamed "Bull Fernandes!"

Air Cmde Sandesh P Wagle, com. 1984, himself a distinguished attack heli pilot, brought up his 104-HU squadron to exacting standards to fly one of the most lethal helicopters in the world, declared the "Best Combat Helicopter Squadron of the IAF" - thanks to his in-house innovations and leadership. Amongst the youngest (at 43) Air Commodores in IAF. Originally from Margao (his ancestral house was behind the Grace Church, last occupied by Adv. Kantak, where a high-rise stands today.)

Gp Capt Emanuel R Fernandes ("Fighter Fernandes") wrote the virtual IAF bible on maneuvering Gnats in dogfights. Commanding a SQN at Adampur-Punjab in the 1965 war, he acquitted himself well despite being allotted just 7 or 8 Mystere-IV aircraft as against the normal 16 aircraft of a full-fledged fighter squadron.
Lt Col Amrut R Nageshkar from Nagueshi, com. 1961 in the RVC, is the only Goan army veterinary surgeon I have come across. He served 31 years when the highest achievable rank was Brigadier (later raised to Lt Gen.) He took part in 1965 and 1971 wars, and on retirement, worked 10 years at Mumbai's SPCA hospital, Asia's largest. Then returned to Goa and passed away in 2005.

Lt Col John ("Jack") Desmond Dias successfully led an Army expedition to Mt. Everest - with his team's medical officer, Col Manuel Soares.

Cdr Sharad V Varik from Canacona, a Masters in Naval Architecture, helped design and innovate the craft in the Navy.

Wg Cdr Shreepad M Prabhudesai from Margao, com. 4/4/55, was perhaps the earliest Goan IAF engineers on the radar. He took early retirement some years after the 1971 war, during which he served in a frontier area near Wagah.

Sqn Ldr Owen J D'Sena from Verna was a decorated fighter pilot, an expert on flight trials of new aircraft, esp. the Sukhoi-7 - in which he died in a tech failure crash, on his wife Brenda's birthday.

Among the earliest (British-time) Goan females to join the army was Maj Magdalene T D'Souza from Vaddem-Bardez. She was with IAMC (later Army Medical Corps.) Many others followed her example, like Maj Rose Fonseca from Assagao, cousin- sister of the current Goa Archbishop.

The large number of Goan officers in India's armed forces should hardly surprise. We have seen how the spirit of adventure was ingrained in the Goan. Martial traditions continued from father to son and to his sons. More than one sibling opted for the services in a given generation. Then there were teachers and schools that fostered love for defence of the nation's honour.

A case in point is the hoary Jesuit institution of Bandra-Mumbai, St. Stanislaus High School. It groomed several Goan lads who joined the defence services. From Lt Gen Francis T Dias, Air Marshal Terrence J D'Sa, Maj Gen Eustace F D'Souza, Brig Ransom F Lobo, Wg Cdr Oscelyn Faria, Maj Leon G Fonseca, among others.

A sharper case is four batch mates from that school who joined the IAF, all fighter pilots, all heroes in the 1971 war: Flt Lt Lawrence F Pereira was martyred in FAC strafing, Wg Cdr David J de Figueiredo saw the fiercest fighting on all three fronts and safely brought back his severely damaged Hunter to base, Wg Cdr Sunith F Soares helped draw the first Pakistani blood before the actual start of the Dec-1971 hostilities, and Gp Capt Ashley M Rodrigues still carries part of an ack-ack bullet in his left leg since Dec-1971!

Sadly, there's little awareness on service life in Goa today. Few know commissioned officers start on a salary of Rs.35,000/month, forget the myriad perks. Motivated kids are discouraged by parents - who are oblivious of the fact that life is riskier on Goa's roads than in the forces. Fortunately, Goa has dozens of Retd defence officers, ready and willing to motivate youth. Hope my friend, Maj Venugopal Nair, Secretary of the Goa Rajya Sainik Board will utilise their honorary services. But please start with Parents-Teachers at PTA meets, before trying to reach the students! The last known Goan to join the services is Pilot Offr Rahul Verenkar, com. 2010, from Ponda.

Let's move over for a quick glance at Goa's Hall of Fame. Names are listed by rank alphabetically (save in IAF, where they are by rank and seniority.) A word of caution: this list is far from complete - but I'm putting it out in the hope that knowledgeable readers will fill me in with names not appearing below:

ARMY

GENERAL: Sunith F Rodrigues.

LT. GENERAL: Christopher A Barretto, Eric A Vaz, Francis T Dias, Kevin L D'Souza, Stanley L Menezes, SJ Menezes and Walter AG Pinto.

MAJ. GENERAL: Antonio C da Silva, Benjamin F Gonsalves, Eustace D'Souza, Eustace W Fernandez, Ian Cardoso, Ivan D'Cunha, Sidney Pinto and (?) Raikar.

BRIGADIER (26 one-star Generals): Alfredo IG Monteiro, Anthony RM Rebello, Arnold Rodrigues, Ashley Gomes, Christopher E Fernandes, Donald Viegas, Edward D'Sa, Edward Rodrigues, Eustace da Costa, F Reginald Campos, Frederick G Rose, George F D'Souza, George W Pinto, Gokuldas R Bhangui, Ian D'Costa, Joseph V Pinto, Kevin B Mendonca, Leo S Vaz, Michael PS Mendonca, Nevis H Braganza, Noel Barretto, Ransom F Lobo, Rui S Lobo, Stephen P Gracias, Terence Barretto and Wilfred Lobo.

COLONEL (34): Anthony L Sequeira, Apolinario XRP Ferrao, Carlos IP Gracias, Clifton Marquis, Edwin D'Souza, Emidio de Sa, Gerard Lobo, Herman J Fernandes, Irwin Extross, Joseph T Gomes, John JJ Faleiro, Joseph R Falleiro, Kevin DeSouza, MB Sawardekar, MAJ Fernandez, Manuel Soares, Mario J DSouza, Melville de Souza, Mervyn C Saldanha, Neil Martins, Neville Dias, Neville H Gracias, Noel D'Lima, G Oscar Rebelo, Ryan Lobo, Steven J Gracias, Sumer D'Cunha, Sunith A Cardozo, Teotonio Fernandes, Winston DeSouza, Xavier Pereira, (?) Colaco, (?) Saldanha and B (?)

(In addition, there are 39 Lt Colonels, 22 Majors, 10 Captains, 3 Lieutenants and 3 others whose ranks are not known.)


NAVY

ADMIRAL: None.

VICE ADMIRAL: John C de Silva.

REAR ADMIRAL: DRF Pinto (Faust Pinto do Rosario).

COMMODORE: Emile da Costa-Joshi, Gilbert Menezes, Henry Menezes and John Carneiro.

CAPTAIN: Aniceto Pereira, Edwin Pinto and Socrates Furtado.

(In addition, there are 14 Commanders, 6 Lt Cdrs, 4 Lieutenants and 3 others whose ranks are not known.)


AIR FORCE (by Rank & Seniority)

AIR CHIEF MARSHAL: Hrishikesh S Moolgavkar.

AIR MARSHAL: Terence J de Sa, Dinanath R Nadkarni and Gordon P D'Souza.

AIR VICE MARSHAL: Erlic W Pinto and Loretto P Pereira.

AIR COMMODORE: Walter J Fernandes, Angelo R Lobo, Kevin Fernandes and Sandesh P Wagle. Seniority of Giles Gomez not known.

GROUP CAPTAIN (19): Sidney B Noronha, Emanuel R Fernandes, Allan A D'Costa, Trevor J Fernandes, Norbert J Misquitta, Kevin Braganza, Deryck Fernandes, Ashley M Rodrigues, Leyland Fernandes, Peter D'Souza, Christopher Fernandes, Conrad A Dalton, Sunil J Nanodkar and Tony D'Cruz. Seniority of Colville de Souza, EJF D'Silva, PV Karapurkar, SC Fernandes, Vinita Valerie Gomez not known.

(In addition, there are 32 Wg Cdrs, 23 Sqn Ldrs, 12 Flt Lts, 6 Fg & Pilot Offrs, and 8 others whose ranks are not known.)

A total of 300 officer ranks, and still counting!

I'll sign off with the incredible story of Air Cmde Angelo Reginald Lobo. Hailing from Bodiem-Bardez, the man peers describe as "sweet-natured" flew Packet transport aircraft as a young Sqn Ldr. Unmarried, he was on his first dance-date with the pretty Anglo-Indian who'd be his wife, when, after dropping her home on his motorcycle near midnight, he was hit by a truck that ran over his leg. Bleeding profusely, he was found at daybreak, still alive, leg almost severed, hanging by its tendons.

After seven months in hospitals, the IAF, at the instance of then Air Chief Marshal Subroto Mukherji, shifted him to London. There too, doctors tried their best and finally decided to amputate his leg. His wife was a woman of immense faith. Gwen asked the docs to let her take her husband out for a few days before the amputation. She took him to the shrine at Lourdes in France. Despite his wails, she pleaded of him to dip his hope-less leg in the waters. Then they returned to London.

Preparations began for the amputation. Then something inexplicable happened. Doctors asked the wife where she had taken their patient. She told them where. Tissue culture tests, preparatory to the amputation, revealed that body tissue at the affected part had suddenly begun regenerating - when modern therapies had failed to induce just that, for months together, in India and the UK!

Sqn Ldr Lobo and Gwen returned to India. He resumed flying, was Commander of IAF's Paratroopers Training School, in time promoted to Wg Cdr, Gp Capt, Air Cmde and was cleared for promotion to AVM, when he decided to quit and join Civil Defence as its Dy Director General. He was in the thick of flying during the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. Despite risks of radiation, he flew in to get victims airlifted to hospitals across India. He died of cancer before the age of superannuation.

This is just one poignant story of the quintessential Goan courage and compassion, which often went together. There are more. We shall visit some in the concluding part of this series next Sunday.

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First published in the Herald, Goa - May 23, 2010