Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Air Command receives a distinguished guest

Guest of honour: The Marshal of the Indian Air Force (MIAF), Arjan Singh, being received at the international airport here by Air Marshal S. Radhakrishnan, Air Officer Commanding in Chief, SAC, on Monday.

Thiruvananthapuram: The headquarters of the Southern Air Command (SAC) here received a distinguished visitor on Monday.

The Marshal of the Indian Air Force (MIAF), Arjan Singh, the only Five Star officer in the Indian Air Force (IAF), arrived here on a visit to the SAC.

The Marshal and his wife, Teji Arjan Singh, were received at the airport by Air Marshal S. Radhakrishnan, Air Officer Commanding in Chief, SAC and Asha Radhakrishnan, president, Air Force Wives’ Welfare Association.

Born on 15 April 1919, MIAF Arjan Singh was commissioned into the Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) in the year 1939 following pilot training at RAF Cranwell. With the escalation of hostilities during the Second World War, he got inducted into the war right from the beginning of his career.

He saw action in the North West Frontier Province and Burma.

He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for having successfully led the premier Number One Squadron in combat.

Post-Independence, he held numerous operational posts and rose to the post of Chief of the Air Staff on August 1, 1964.

MIAF Arjan Singh DFC has had the unique distinction of having flown over 60 different types of aircraft, from pre-World War II-era biplanes to the more contemporary Gnats and Vampires. He retired from the IAF in August 1969.

A recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, MIAF Arjan Singh DFC was appointed as Ambassador to Switzerland. This was followed by a diplomatic assignment in Kenya. He also had a short stint as Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.

In recognition to his services, the Government of India conferred the rank of the Marshal of the Indian Air Force on him in January 2002.

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