The award celebrates outstanding contributions in military reconnaissance, exploration and adventure for the years 2023 and 2024.
Five military personnel were on Wednesday conferred the MacGregor Memorial Medal by Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan for outstanding contributions in military reconnaissance, exploration and adventure for the years 2023 and 2024.
The awardees for 2023 included Wing Commander D. Panda from the Air Force and Electrical Artificer (Radio) Rahul Kumar Pandey from the Navy. For 2024, Chief Electrical Aircraft Artificer (Radio) Ram Ratan Jat of the Navy and Sergeant Jhumar Ram Poonia from the Air Force were honoured with the medal. Colonel Ranvir Singh Jamwal, Director of the National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports in Arunachal Pradesh, was also awarded. However, the officer was not physically present to receive the award on as he is on a mountaineering expedition to Mt. Kangchenjunga.
The medals were presented to the four personnel at a ceremony held at the United Service Institution of India (USI).
Instituted on July 03, 1888, the MacGregor Memorial Medal commemorates Major General Sir Charles Metcalfe MacGregor, founder of USI (established in 1870). Originally intended to recognise the acts of military reconnaissance and exploratory journeys, the medal’s scope was expanded in 1986, post-Independence, to include military expeditions and adventure activities, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.
“While military reconnaissance and exploration remain the foremost criteria, the medal is open to all ranks (serving and retired) of the Armed Forces, Territorial Army, Reserve Forces, Rashtriya Rifles and Assam Rifles.”
To date, 127 medals have been awarded, including 103 prior to Independence. Among the notable recipients are Captain F.E. Younghusband (1890), Major General Orde Charles Wingate (1943), Major Z.C. Bakshi (1949), Col. Narinder Kumar for Siachen Glacier exploration (1978–81) and Cdr Dilip Donde and Lt. Cdr. Abhilash Tomy for their solo global circumnavigations.
The event also featured the launch of the book Bravest of the Brave, a chronicle of the life and heroic journey of Naib Subedar Chunni Lal, authored by Lt. Gen. Satish Dua (retd.), former Chief of Integrated Defence Staff.
source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)