Sports personalities M.S. Dhoni and Abhinav Bindra were commissioned as Honorary Lieutenant Colonel and Deepak Rao as Honorary Major in the Territorial Army on Tuesday.
At a brief function here, Chief of the Army Staff General V.K. Singh pipped the three, completing the formal induction into the force.
Dhoni and Bindra were bestowed the honour for their outstanding contribution to sports and their commitment to the Army on various occasions.
Deepak Rao is the first Indian to specialise in modern Close Quarter Battle Training. He has imparted his expertise for 17 years to soldiers from various forces of the country. He has also been an Instructor in Reflex Shooting and Deep Sea Diving. Despite his outstanding achievements he remains committed, selfless and has dedicated his life to the Army as an organisation.
“For his yeomen service to the nation and specifically providing assistance to training of the Armed Forces in Close Quarter Battle, Advanced Commando Combat System and Combating Terrorism, Dr. Rao has been bestowed with the honour”, a release said.
The three honorary officers have now become brand ambassadors of the Army. They join Col. (Hon) Anil Habbu, Lt. Col. (Hon) Kapil Dev and Lt. Col. (Hon) Mohanlal.
