The Soldiers Who Know No Fear
Chetwode Hall
In Field Marshal Philip Chetwode's speech when the IMA was inaugurated on December 1, 1932, the Academy got its credo, which is inscribed in gold in the hall named after the then commander-in-chief, India:
The safety, honour and welfare of your country comes first, always and every time.
The honour, welfare and comfort of the men you command come next.
Your own ease, comfort and safety come last, always and every time.
Chetwode Hall is a museum of India's military history, lined with portraits of the IMA's distinguished alumni. Men who laid down their lives in the prime of youth. Like Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, who was just 21 when he died fighting Pakistani troops in the 1971 war. Or Captain Vikram Batra, who was 24 when he died in the 1999 Kargil war after a heroic battle. Both brave winners of India's highest military honour, the Param Vir Chakra.
Right in front is a large portrait of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, who was part of the Academy's first batch along with photographs of India's finest generals.
On the panels of its walls are inscribed names of decorated soldiers -- from those brave men who won the Military Cross and George Cross fighting for the British army in World War I and World War II. and those officers and soliders whose courage won them the Ashok Chakra and Param Vir Chakra, keeping India safe after the nation became free.
Also See: The soldier who became a legend