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"Quartered in snow, silent to remain, when the bugle calls, they shall rise and march again." The words are engraved on the stone memorial at the Indian Army base camp in Siachen.
Siachen Glacier, 71km long and one of the world's largest glaciers is situated in the north of the disputed region of Kashmir.
Siachen, which ironically means the place of wild roses, is the highest battlefield in the world. The Indian and Pakistani forces have fought against each other many times in the Karakoram Range since 1984.
Image source:Bytes of India - Broadcasting Platform
The inhospitable climate and avalanche prone area has claimed more lives than any gunfire. In view of harsh weather, Army can deploy one soldier in Siachen for a period of three months only.
Listed below are some chilling facts about the inhospitable climate that our soldiers deployed there face:
In winters, temperature can fall to minus 50 degree Celsius. At such a low temperature touching any metal object with bare hands can lead to deadly frostbites. The soldiers posted there use guns and other artillery only after wearing anti-frostible gloves
Machine guns are dipped in boiling water to keep them from jamming
Every six months deployment of Army unit is rotated
Image source: Mythical India
Bone-chilling winds sweep the area and sun can cause burn on the skin. The over all atmosphere of thin air and sub-zero temperatures also induces acute depression
In the high-risk areas of the glacier such as Bana Post, deployment period is limited to 30 days
Over the years, soldiers have lost their limbs to frostbite and have died due to pulmonary edema
Winds of up to 160km an hour can come without any warning
Image source: Academia.edu
Siachen experiences very short summers, those are the only months when military helicopters bring fresh supplies before another long and bitter winter starts
Continuous use of oxygen masks lead to a plethora of problems for our jawans that ranges from hearing problem to eyesight and memory loss. Apart from this, speech problems, nausea, sleep deprivation and depression are also some of the common problems which they face
Fresh food is something that is a luxury for our soldiers deployed there. Fresh fruits like apple and oranges tend to freeze like a rock quickly, at the altitude of 5,400 metres
Image source: BlogQpot
Some Indian soldiers live in igloos made of fiber glass panels. Troops huddle around small kerosene stoves. Sweat turns into ice in a soldier's gloves and socks resulting into frostbite
The soldiers have to not only protect the territory from enemies but also maintain their post with the help of shovels and light machinery, which would otherwise be gutted in snow
The Indian Army in Siachen has built the world's highest helipad. It is located at a place called Sonam, which is approximately 21,000 feet above sea level. This pad is used to bring in supplies all year round
Image source: latestnews360.com
Taking bath is a luxury for the soldiers as they could die by freezing. They can take bath only once a month, that too in specially designed commodes by DRDO
They have to make efforts for simple things in life that we take for granted like drinking water. They get drinking water only by melting ice on stove. Since washing is also a rare practise, as many as 14 pairs of thermal socks are allotted to a soldeir on a 90-day posting.
Despite such difficulties, the Indian Army holds two-thirds of the glacier and controls two of the three most important passes, which includes the highest motorable pass in the world called Khardungla Pass.
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