Colonel Prithipal Singh Gill (retd) - who turned 100 on Friday (December 11) - is a celebrated Indian military veteran with a unique service profile. He is the only officer of the Indian ‘fauj’ (armed forces) who served in the air force, navy, and finally the army.

A social media message alerted me to the ‘century’ of Gill sir – the illustrious gunner and the friendly 'fauji' network-enabled one to greet the family as the cake was being cut in Chandigarh. Not often that one is so privileged and humbled.

Born in 1920, the young Prithipal joined the Royal Indian Air Force as a flight cadet in 1942 and hoped to live his dream as a pilot but the family was not happy with this option. The second World War was raging and it was providence and the intervention of a British general who knew the Gill family that enabled the young Air Force officer,  then stationed in Karachi to transition to the RIN (Royal Indian Navy).

Sub. Lt. Prithipal Singh (known as PS) served on minesweepers and then the INS Tir and during the war, escorted merchant ships through the Indian Ocean. At the time his contemporaries were Ronnie Periera and Stan Dawson who later became naval chiefs.

Post-war, PS the naval officer was selected for a long gunnery course at the artillery school in Deolali and was qualified as an instructor. At this stage in his nascent career, Gill the sailor chose to join the army as a gunner and never looked back. His career in the army was eventful and he participated in all the major operations of his time.

As his service summary indicates, the young officer was initially posted to the Gwalior Mountain Battery equipped with 5.4-inch howitzers. For the military history buff, this unit was raised in 1865 as the 2nd Gwalior Battery and renamed in 1898 as the 5th Field Artillery. Later, after World War I where the Indian gunners displayed their professionalism and ‘bahaduri’ (bravery) this was reorganized in 1926 as the 1st Gwalior Mountain Battery.

Major PS Gill went on to serve 34 Medium Regiment and later raised and commanded 71 Medium Regt. During the 1965 Indo-Pak War, four guns of his regiment were cut off by enemy action. Lt Col Prithipal Singh Gill personally led a successful mission to retrieve the four guns. 

On promotion to the rank of Colonel,  Prithipal Singh commanded an Assam Rifles Sector in Ukhrul, Manipur. After an exceptionally eventful career in the Royal Indian Air Force, Indian Navy and the Indian Army (Artillery), Col Prithipal Singh Gill finally retired to farming the family lands at his native village Pakhi in Faridkot District of Punjab.

A farmer’s son had come full circle and from jawan, the distinguished soldier returned to become a Kisan (farmer) – a trajectory that is import laden in the current times.

Reticent to speak about his role in different operations and wars – be it mine-sweeping in World War II or the 1965 war, Colonel Gill shared his association with Field Marshal Manekshaw (whom he called Sam) and the Marshal of the Air Force, Arjan Singh.

It is indeed unique and perhaps the only instance of its kind that the military career of an officer that started as a pilot in the Royal Indian Air Force,  later sailed the high seas with the Indian Navy, and finally saw action as a gunner with the Indian Army in the 1965 war, concluded his career with the Assam Rifles in Manipur.

At a time when the Indian military is seeking to nurture an optimum degree of 'jointness', the Gill story can be inspirational.
 
An exceptional life indeed and a 'Patiala' is to be raised for Colonel Gill@100!

(The writer is Director, Society for Policy Studies - SPS. The views expressed are personal)