ColonelJojan Thomas, AC (22 May 1965 - 22 August 2008) was an Indian military officer with the Jat Regiment and later the 45 Rashtriya Rifles unit.[1] He was a native of Kuttoor in Thiruvalla, Kerala and lived in Bangalore.[1] He was commissioned from the Officers Training Academy, Chennai in March 1986. On 22 August 2008, he led an operation against terrorists in the forests of Macchal sector in the Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir. In the process, he killed three terrorists, but sustained several gunshot wounds and succumbed to injuries. For his bravery, he was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra, the highest peace time military decoration in India.[1]
Colonel Jojan Thomas was born on 22 May 1965 in Kuttoor village of Thiruvalla in pathanamthitta District of Kerala. He was the son of an army officer Captain P.A Thomas and Aleyamma Thomas. He was eldest among his four siblings. His two brothers also serving in the Armed Forces. He came from a family with deep military background.[2]
Military careeredit
He was commissioned in 11 Jat Regiment from the Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai on a short-service commission as a second lieutenant on 8 March 1986.[3] Promoted lieutenant on 8 March 1988,[4] he received a regular commission as a second lieutenant on 8 March 1991 (seniority for promotion from 6 November 1986) and was promoted lieutenant from the same date (seniority for promotion from 6 November 1988).[5]
He was also a trained pilot and had served with Army Aviation corps for six years. Promoted captain on 6 November 1991,[6] he was selected for the prestigious Staff Course for Officers in the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, Tamil Nadu.[7] On 6 November 1997, he was promoted to major,[8] followed by promotion to lieutenant-colonel on 16 December 2004.[9] He was sent to 45 Rashtriya Rifles to undertake anti terrorist operations in 2008.[10]
Ashoka Chakra awardeeedit
For his bravery, self sacrifice and leadership in Kupwara Operation in 2008, he was posthumously awarded Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award.[11]
Jojan Thomas's widow receives the Ashok Chakra from president Pratibha Patil on 26 January 2009.
Referencesedit
^ abc"A determined officer's ultimate sacrifice in the service of nation". The Hindu. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
jojan, thomas, colonel, 1965, august, 2008, indian, military, officer, with, regiment, later, rashtriya, rifles, unit, native, kuttoor, thiruvalla, kerala, lived, bangalore, commissioned, from, officers, training, academy, chennai, march, 1986, august, 2008, o. Colonel Jojan Thomas AC 22 May 1965 22 August 2008 was an Indian military officer with the Jat Regiment and later the 45 Rashtriya Rifles unit 1 He was a native of Kuttoor in Thiruvalla Kerala and lived in Bangalore 1 He was commissioned from the Officers Training Academy Chennai in March 1986 On 22 August 2008 he led an operation against terrorists in the forests of Macchal sector in the Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir In the process he killed three terrorists but sustained several gunshot wounds and succumbed to injuries For his bravery he was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra the highest peace time military decoration in India 1 ColonelJojan ThomasACBirth nameJojan ThomasBorn 1965 05 22 May 22 1965Kuttoor Village Thiruvalla District KeralaDiedAugust 22 2008 2008 08 22 aged 43 Kupwara districtBuriedHosur Road CemeteryAllegianceIndiaService wbr branchIndian ArmyYears of service1986 2008RankColonel India Service numberIC 45618Unit11 Jat Regiment45 Rashtriya RiflesCommands heldCommanding Officer of 45 Rashtriya RiflesAwardsAshok ChakraSpouse s Beena Jojan ThomasChildren2 Contents 1 Early life 2 Military career 3 Ashoka Chakra awardee 4 ReferencesEarly life editColonel Jojan Thomas was born on 22 May 1965 in Kuttoor village of Thiruvalla in pathanamthitta District of Kerala He was the son of an army officer Captain P A Thomas and Aleyamma Thomas He was eldest among his four siblings His two brothers also serving in the Armed Forces He came from a family with deep military background 2 Military career editHe was commissioned in 11 Jat Regiment from the Officers Training Academy OTA Chennai on a short service commission as a second lieutenant on 8 March 1986 3 Promoted lieutenant on 8 March 1988 4 he received a regular commission as a second lieutenant on 8 March 1991 seniority for promotion from 6 November 1986 and was promoted lieutenant from the same date seniority for promotion from 6 November 1988 5 He was also a trained pilot and had served with Army Aviation corps for six years Promoted captain on 6 November 1991 6 he was selected for the prestigious Staff Course for Officers in the Defence Services Staff College Wellington Tamil Nadu 7 On 6 November 1997 he was promoted to major 8 followed by promotion to lieutenant colonel on 16 December 2004 9 He was sent to 45 Rashtriya Rifles to undertake anti terrorist operations in 2008 10 Ashoka Chakra awardee editFor his bravery self sacrifice and leadership in Kupwara Operation in 2008 he was posthumously awarded Ashoka Chakra India s highest peacetime gallantry award 11 nbsp Jojan Thomas s widow receives the Ashok Chakra from president Pratibha Patil on 26 January 2009 References edit a b c A determined officer s ultimate sacrifice in the service of nation The Hindu Retrieved 1 October 2014 Colonel Jojan Thomas Thank You Indian Army Part I Section 4 Ministry of Defence Army Branch PDF The Gazette of India 14 November 1987 p 1559 Part I Section 4 Ministry of Defence Army Branch PDF The Gazette of India 5 May 1990 p 640 Part I Section 4 Ministry of Defence Army Branch PDF The Gazette of India 15 August 1992 p 1351 Part I Section 4 Ministry of Defence Army Branch PDF The Gazette of India 18 September 1993 p 1660 Col Jojan Thomas The Brave Son of India Humans of Thiruvalla 23 August 2020 Archived from the original on 23 May 2021 Retrieved 26 August 2020 Part I Section 4 Ministry of Defence Army Branch PDF The Gazette of India 7 March 1998 p 308 Part I Section 4 Ministry of Defence Army Branch PDF The Gazette of India 6 August 2005 p 1363 Colonel Jojan Thomas AC Honourpoint Col Jojan Thomas Gallantry Awards nbsp This Indian military related biographical article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jojan Thomas amp oldid 1198663666, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
