Terrorists attacked an army camp in Jammu while an officer's wife and 3 year old daughter were asleep inside. He went out to fight them. For almost ten hours his wife did not know he was already dead.
His name was Major Akshay Girish, an army officer from Bengaluru and the son of a retired Wing Commander.
In 2009 he proposed to Sangeeta on one knee with a red pen drive because he had forgotten the ring. They married and had a daughter, Naina. Sangeeta chose to move with him from posting to posting instead of staying back in Bengaluru.
In 2016 they were living inside the army camp at Nagrota.
On 29 November 2016, at 5.30 am, Sangeeta woke up to gunshots. She thought it was training.
At 5.45 a junior officer told Akshay that terrorists had attacked the artillery regiment. Akshay left with the quick response team.
At 8.09 am he texted the family group that he was in the firefight.
The women and children were moved to a safer place. At 11.30 Sangeeta called him. His team said he had gone to a different location.
At 6.15 pm his commanding officer told her that Akshay had been killed around 8.30 that morning.
He was 31. Naina was 3. Seven soldiers died at Nagrota that day.
Sangeeta later told Naina that her papa is a star in the sky. She still wears his regimental jacket when she misses him.
His family believed he had been recommended for the Shaurya Chakra. On 15 August 2017 his name came on the list under Mention in Dispatches. His mother Meghna asked for a review and said an unsung hero is better than an insulted hero.
Sangeeta wrote their whole story on Facebook, and the post went viral.
The last thing Akshay had said to her that morning was "You must write about this."
When i think about this my eyes red This operation one paratrooper take 15 bullets close range encounter 5 terrorists you can't even what they went through sadly many Indians won't know .Credits 12 doom
When LIEUTENANT COLONEL SAGAR SINGH SALARIA came in full uniform to lay wreath to his only son
2nd LIEUTENANT GURDEEP SALARIA
who was immortalized fighting terrorists in J&K in 1996.
Both father & son served in the 23rd Batallion of the PUNJAB REGIMENT of #IndianArmy.
#FreedomisnotFree
His father bought him NDA preparation books but never lived to see him in uniform. 8 years after losing him, Lieutenant Gurkeerat Hora received OTA Chennaiโs Sword of Honour with his mother watching proudly.
When he was 14, his father, Inderjeet Singh Hora, a teacher and NCC officer at Indoreโs Daly College, began guiding Gurkeerat towards the armed forces.
In 2018, days before Gurkeeratโs Class 10 boards, his father died. He was only 15, with a grieving mother and a toddler brother.
Following that, the journey wasnโt kind either. He couldnโt clear the NDA entrance in three attempts. He went on to pursue computer engineering at Medi-Caps University, graduating with an 8.9 CGPA.
Alongside college, he kept trying for the Combined Defence Services exam, and gave tuitions and worked part-time at a software company to support his family.
In 2025, his eighth SSB attempt brought a recommendation through NCC Special Entry. But the medical examination revealed gallbladder stones.
He decided to undergo surgery, cleared the medical again, and joined OTA Chennai in September 2025.
After 11 months of gruelling training, he graduated on September 5, receiving the Sword of Honour for the best all-round graduating officer cadet.
His mother, Jasmeet Kaur Hora, and other family members watched him receive it with pride.
โTo finally stand there in uniform and have them watch me receive the honour was very special. I was happy I could make them proud,โ Gurkeerat told TOI.
The ceremony fell on Teachersโ Day and his fatherโs 8th death anniversary.
He couldnโt share the moment with the man who gave him the dream. But he shared it with the family who stood by him through every attempt.
#Defence #IndianArmy