Lieutenant General R.K. Swamy, Chief of Staff at the Headquarters of the Southern Command, was conferred with the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal by the President on the Republic Day for his distinguished command of a vital corps handling the operations on the LoC, as well as counter-insurgency in the Jammu & Kashmir.
General Swamy hails from Tamil Nadu. An Infantry officer in the Mahar Regiment, he was commissioned in 1971 and baptised immediately in combat during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
The General has held prestigious staff appointments at various headquarters in the Indian Army while being posted as an instructor in the premier military institutions of the Army. He commanded the Officers Training Academy at Chennai from 2006 to 2008.
The heading of a report (January 27, 2010) was “Uttam Yudh Sena Medal for Lt. Gen. Swamy”, while the text had it as Uttam Yudh Seva Medal. The text is right. The Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (UYSM) is awarded for distinguished service of an exceptional order during war/conflict/hostilities. It is for all ranks of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force including those of Territorial Army Units, Auxiliary and Reserve Forces, other lawfully constituted Armed forces, Nursing Officers and other members of the Nursing Services in the Armed Forces. The award may be made posthumously.
