IDHAR UDHAR KI BAAT 70- PATTERNS IN COMBAT Brig PS Gothra (Retd)

“Dadu, you were really stupid,” said my eight-year-old granddaughter, her head nestled snugly in my armpit.

Now, I’m used to hearing that kind of thing from my wife. But coming from my sweet little angel? That was unexpected.

“Why do you say that, darling?” I asked, summoning all my courage.

“Well, you said you had a narrow escape when terrorists fired at you while you were traveling on the boat. How often were you on that boat?”

“Almost daily,” I admitted.

She lifted her head and gave me a look that only a eight-year-old armed with logic and sass can muster. “So, you made your moves predictable! That’s just asking the terrorists to attack you. Honestly, Dadu, not very smart.”

I swallowed hard. “Uh… well, it was my job.”

“And you said you killed two terrorists when they attacked you while you were moving on vehicles. Where were you going?” she pressed.

“To return a movie cassette,” I replied hesitantly, realizing too late where this was going.

She raised her eyebrows. “Let me guess. You rented the cassette and didn’t want to pay a late fee, so you rushed back to return it?”

“Exactly,” I said, trying to sound triumphant. “But I did kill the terrorists.”

She wasn’t impressed. “And in the process, you also lost two of your soldiers. All this over a movie?”

I clamped my mouth shut. This generation is too sharp. I could fool my dimwitted seniors into writing me a citation for an award, but trying to impress my granddaughter? Impossible.

“And what about those times you almost got blown up by IEDs?” she asked, her big eyes boring into me.

“Well,” I started cautiously, “once I was heading into an STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialling) booth when it exploded. Got a few injuries, but I survived. The second time, they booby-trapped the chair I always used for road-opening parties. Luckily, your grandma’s prayers saved me.”

“Wait,” she interrupted. “Why were you at the telephone booth?”

“To call your Dadi. It was Sunday, and she was home,” I said, feeling oddly defensive.

She sighed dramatically. “And I bet you called her at the same time every week?”

I nodded reluctantly.

“So predictable, Dadu. No wonder they knew where to find you!”

I couldn’t argue with her logic. “But I survived!” I declared weakly.

“Sure, but if you’d died, what would’ve happened?” she asked, her tone casual but her words cutting deep.

I decided to say nothing. Any answer would only give her more ammunition. But deep down, I knew. If I’d died, my unit would’ve made sure I got an award. After all, there’s no shortage of heroes in my regiment willing to let their credit be sacrificed for a “fallen comrade.”

“Dadu…” she started again, but I quickly placed my hand over her lips. “Time to sleep, baby.”

She snuggled closer, her questions temporarily silenced. But my thoughts raced. I missed the simpler times when my mother would accept every word I said without question. If I’d died, she’d have fought tooth and nail to get me an award for bravery.

I remembered the targeting of Ismail Haniyeh who stayed in same place in Iran. Ahmed Yassin was killed in 2004 while returning home from his regular early morning prayers at a mosque in Gaza. Qassem Soleimani (Iranian General) was killed in January 2020 as he had a habit of using the same routes, vehicles, and airports during his travels. Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim also used  predictable routines. In the  Afghan conflict, the Taliban frequently targeted officials and NATO personnel by studying their daily routines.

I just pray my granddaughter doesn’t join the army and rise to the higher ranks. She’d see through everything in a heartbeat.

And God save anyone who tries to fool her.

 

Note:- 1. Young leaders please avoid making a pattern in your activities while operating against the enemy. The enemy may forgive you but the new generation will never.

2. Links to other combat related lessons by the author are

            (a)  https://idharudhartales.blogspot.com/2024/11/idhar-udhar-ki-baat-64-photo-ops-brig.html

            (b) https://idharudhartales.blogspot.com/2024/10/idhar-udhar-ki-baat-60-propensity-to.html

            (c) https://idharudhartales.blogspot.com/2024/09/idhar-udhar-ki-baat-57-paltan-ki-izzat.html

            (d) https://idharudhartales.blogspot.com/2024/08/normal-0-false-false-false-en-in-x-none.html

            (e) https://idharudhartales.blogspot.com/2024/08/idhar-udhar-ki-baat-51-cultural_2.html