The summers of 1999 witnessed the betrayal of Pakistan. Pakistani Army soldiers disguised as terrorists crossed the Line of Control (LoC) during the winters and occupied the Indian posts in Kargil. India launched a massive military operation – Operation Vijay — to flush out the infiltrators. The Indian Army soldiers displayed extraordinary valour in the 1999 Kargil War.
We have heard stories of exemplary bravery shown by Indian Army officers and soldiers, including Captain Vikram Batra, Captain Manoj Pandey, and Captain Anuj Nayar, who inspired generations to come. There is one officer who fought the war on two fronts – as a mother and as a soldier. Captain (Retd.) Yashika Hatwal Tyagi was pregnant with her second child when the Kargil War broke out. Her pregnancy did not stop her from fulfilling her national duty.
Captain (Retd.) Tyagi, now 51, was in her second trimester during the Kargil War. She was posted in Ladakh’s Leh in May 1999. While speaking to The Times of India, Capt (Retd.) Tyagi recounted how she decided to stay at her post despite being pregnant.
Who is Captain (Retired) Yashika Hatwal Tyagi?
She was born into a military family in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun. Her father was a Colonel in the Indian Army and was a veteran of the 1962, 1965, and 1971 wars. He died while still serving. Inspired by her father, Captain (Retd.) Tyagi wanted to don the olive green. She was the first lady officer of the Indian Army to be posted at snowbound high-altitude areas of Leh/Kargil.
“I have participated actively during Operation Vijay (commonly known as the Kargil War) (1999) and successfully supervised the security of logistic installations, ammunition dumps, and other sensitive areas with no untoward incident of a security breach of any kind,” Capt (Retd.) Tyagi wrote in her LinkedIn bio.
As per a report by The Economic Times, she cleared the Services Selection Board (SSB) interview and joined the Officers Training Academy, Chennai, in 1994.
In 1995, she married a fellow Army officer, and in 1996, Capt (Retd.) Tyagi gave birth to a baby boy, Kanhav. In 1997, she became the first female logistics officer to be posted in Leh. When her two-year stint in Leh was close to an end, the Kargil War broke out. Showcasing extraordinary courage, Capt (Retd.) Tyagi remained on duty and performed her responsibilities.
Notably, her younger sister also served in the Indian Air Force (IAF), while her elder sister served as a doctor affiliated with the Indian Navy, reported The Economic Times.
Now, Capt (Retd.) Tyagi is a motivational speaker. She runs a YouTube channel, ‘Shaurya Tales’, where she narrates the stories of bravehearts of the Indian Armed Forces. As per her LinkedIn bio, she also regularly conducts SSB boot camps for defence aspirants through her social media channels.
Defence Stories 
Leave a comment