Air Marshal Denzil Keelor

PVSM Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (IAST: ) is a military award of India. It was constituted in 1960 and since then it is awarded in recognition to peace-time service of the most exceptional order and may be awarded posthumously. All ranks of the ...

, KC,

AVSM Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) is a military award of India given to recognize "distinguished service of an exceptional order" to all ranks of the armed forces. The award is a peacetime equivalent of Uttam Yuddh Seva Medal, which is a Wartime Dis ...

VrC Vir Chakra (pronunciation: ʋ iː ɾ a tʃ a kɾa) is an Indian wartime military bravery award presented for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy on the battlefield and is third in precedence in wartime gallantry awards an ...

(born 7 December 1933) is a retired

air officer An air officer is an air force officer of the rank of air commodore or higher. Such officers may be termed "officers of air rank". While the term originated in the Royal Air Force, air officers are also to be found in many Commonwealth nations ...

of the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct ...

and a hero of the

Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 or the Second Kashmir War was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. The conflict began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was d ...

.Sabre Killers- Keelor Brothers Denzil Keelor at Mangalorean.com
accessed June 2007 He had a younger brother

Trevor Trevor ( Trefor in the Welsh language) is a common given name or surname of Welsh origin. It is an habitational name, deriving from the Welsh ''tre(f)'', meaning "homestead", or "settlement" and ''fawr'', meaning "large, big". The Cornish lang ...

, who was also honoured for his service in the

. The brothers were both awarded the

Vir Chakra Vir Chakra (pronunciation: ʋ iː ɾ a tʃ a kɾa) is an Indian wartime military bravery award presented for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy on the battlefield and is third in precedence in wartime gallantry awards a ...

for shooting down

Pakistan Air Force , "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional) , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = ...

Sabres A sabre is a type of sword. Sabre, Sabres, saber, or SABRE may also refer to: Weapons and weapon systems * Sabre (fencing), a sporting sword * Sabre (tank), a modern British armoured reconnaissance vehicle * Chinese sabre or ''dao'', a variety ...

Early life

Keelor was born on 7 December 1933 to Elizabeth and Charles Keelor in

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and divis ...

. He attended St. Francis’ College, Lucknow.

Military career

Keelor was commissioned into the Indian Air Force on 6 November 1954. He scored a kill during the

Vir Chakra

Denzil Keelor's first award was the

in 1965. The citation for the

reads as follows: Keelor took command of the 4 Squadron in early January 1973. The squadron was based out of

Tezpur Air Force Station Tezpur Airport , also known as Salonibari Air Force Station, is a regional airport and an Indian Air Force Station serving Tezpur, Assam, India. It is located in Salonibari, which is situated 8.5 km (5.2 mi) from the city centre. The airport ...

. In 1977, he took over as the

Commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

of the

Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment or TACDE is an Indian Air Force unit for training aerial combat to its top one percent fighter pilots. TACDE is based in Gwalior. It was conferred Presidential standard in 2009. The institution evolve ...

(TACDE), the premier training establishment of the Indian Air Force which trains the best fighter pilots in aerial combat.

Kirti Chakra

The citation for the

Kirti Chakra The Kirti Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle. It may be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel, including posthumous awards. It is the ''pe ...

reads as follows: From 1980 to 1982, Keelor served as the

air attaché The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

at the Embassy of India in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, France, in the rank of air commodore. He later took over command of the

Maharajpur Air Force Station Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindhia Gwalior Airport is a domestic airport and an Indian Air Force base serving the city of Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located in Maharajpur, 10 km (6 mi) north-east of the city premises. It is one of the ...

as air officer commanding. Keelor was awarded with the

Ati Vishist Seva Medal Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) is a military award of India given to recognize "distinguished service of an exceptional order" to all ranks of the armed forces. The award is a peacetime equivalent of Uttam Yuddh Seva Medal, which is a Wartime Dis ...

on 26 January 1986 and the Param Vishist Seva Medal on 26 Jan 1989.'Sabre Killers – Keelor Brothers' from Old Martinians' UK
accessed July 2007 He retired in 1991. Following his retirement he worked as the president of the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

for ten years. He was the chairman of Special Olympics Bharat.

Awards and decorations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keelor, Denzil 1933 births Living people Indian Air Force air marshals Indian Air Force officers Indian aviators Pilots of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 La Martinière College, Lucknow alumni Recipients of the Vir Chakra Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal Recipients of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal YMCA leaders