The Indian Air Force (IAF) and the defence ministry seems to be apparently unaware of this statement as it has turned a deaf ear to a simple request made by one of its dead hero’s widow.
“Any nation that does not honour its heroes will not long endure” US president Abraham Lincoln had once famously said.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) and the defence ministry seems to be apparently unaware of this statement as it has turned a deaf ear to a simple request made by one of its dead hero’s widow.
Shalini Jetley, widow of former Sarang aerobatic team member Wg Cdr Vikas Jetley, who died on January 11 after being in coma for four years, has been seeking a teaching job in an IAF school to support her family.
However, this request has not met with any success as the IAF has not reacted, forcing her to write to defence minister AK Antony to look into the matter.
In her letter to Antony, Shalini, a mother of two children, says that after her husband Wng Cdr Jetley went into coma following a chopper crash at Air Force Station Yelahanka on February 2, 2007, a job was offered to her with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) Delhi liaison office.
However, she was unable to continue with the job as she found it tough to manage affairs at home, her two children and attend to the needs of her aged in-laws.
After quitting her job, Shalini says that she had approached The Air Force School (TAFS), Subroto Park, New Delhi, for a teaching job to support her family.
However, her requests for a teaching job at the primary level did not get a positive response from the school.
“I am qualified to teach high school children and have undergone my Post Graduation and BEd from Lady Irwin College, New Delhi. If I can get a job there, it will be a great help as I will be able to support my family. I hope your good offices will be able to make a difference,” the letter states.
Apart from this, she also said that Wg Cdr Jetley’s pension, gratuity, leave encasement and a part of his insurance payments have not yet been cleared.
“I am writing directly to you as I don’t have the energy left to continue pleading with IAF Officials,” she states in her letter to Antony.
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