General
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
Vishwa Nath Sharma,
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
ADC
ADC may refer to:
Science and medicine
* ADC (gene), a human gene
* AIDS dementia complex, neurological disorder associated with HIV and AIDS
* Allyl diglycol carbonate or CR-39, a polymer
* Antibody-drug conjugate, a type of anticancer treatm ...
(born 4 June 1930) was the 14th
Chief of the Army Staff of the
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
, serving between 1988–1990.
He was the first Indian COAS to have begun his career in the post-Independence Indian Army.
Early life
His father, Major General Amar Nath Sharma, was also a military officer. He is the younger brother of the late
Major Som Nath Sharma
Major Somnath Sharma, PVC (31 January 1923 – 3 November 1947), was an officer of the Indian Army, and the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra (PVC), India's highest military decoration, which he was awarded posthumously.
Sharma was comm ...
, recipient of Independent India's first posthumous
Param Vir Chakra
The Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is India's highest military decoration, awarded for displaying distinguished acts of valour during wartime. Param Vir Chakra translates as the "Wheel of the Ultimate Brave", and the award is granted for "most conspicu ...
, and also
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
Surendra Nath Sharma, formerly Engineer in Chief of the Indian Army. Both brothers were educated at the
Prince of Wales' Royal Indian Military College,
Dehradun.
Military career
Sharma went on to join the fifth Regular Course at the
Indian Military Academy
The Indian Military Academy (IMA) is one of the oldest military academies in India, and trains officers for the Indian Army. Located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, it was established in 1932 following a recommendation by a military committee set up ...
,
Dehradun and he was commissioned on 4 June 1950 into the
16th Light Cavalry
The 16th Light Cavalry is a regiment of the Armoured Corps, a primary combat arm of the Indian Army. Prior to India gaining independence from the British in 1947, it was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1776 ...
. He fought in the 1965 War against
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
in the
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
Sector. He commanded the
66th Armoured Regiment and later a Mountain Brigade in an insurgency affected area. Awarded the
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal for distinguished service, General Sharma took over as
GOC-in-C of the
Eastern Command, on 1 June 1987 and was appointed Honorary Army ADC to the President on 25 July 1987. He took over as the
Chief of Army Staff on 1 May 1988.
[Page 50, Where Gallantry is Tradition: Saga of Rashtriya Indian Military College, By Bikram Singh, Sidharth Mishra, Contributor Rashtriya Indian Military College, Published 1997, Allied Publishers, ] He retired on 30 June 1990.
Honours and awards
Dates of rank
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharma, Vishwa Nath
1930 births
Living people
Chiefs of Army Staff (India)
Indian generals
Rashtriya Indian Military College alumni
Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal
National Defence College, India alumni
Recipients of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal