[Watch] Odisha IAF Officer Chinmaya Patro Conferred With Vayu Sena Medal; Know The Mission

New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: Indian Air Force Wing Commander Chinmaya Patro, a native of Odisha’s Rourkela, has been conferred with Vayu Sena medal for displaying exceptional courage during Operation Triveni to rescue security personnel who sustained injuries in a Maoist attack last year.

He was felicitated by Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari at the Investiture Ceremony At Air Force auditorium in New Delhi on Thursday. Chinmaya is currently on the posted strength of a Mi-17-V5 Helicopter Unit.

A resident of Chhend Colony in Rourkela, he is the only son of Naresh Patro, a businessman, and Sabita, a homemaker. After his schooling at St.Paul’s School, he took admission in National Defence Academy in 2003. On being commissioned, he joined the Air Force as Squadron Leader in 2007 and was promoted to the post of Wing Commander in 2020.

On April 3, 2021, he lead a three aircraft Casualty Evacuation (CasEvac) mission post a deadly ambush by Maoists. This high-risk mission involved landing in an unfamiliar hostile area. He was instrumental in the initial planning and led a two-aircraft formation to the nearest nodal helipad. Soon after landing at the helipad after aerial recce, he reassessed the situation from the on-ground forces and provided valuable inputs for an “On-site Cas Evac”. He planned the launch of the third helicopter to provide aerial support at the hostile site.

During the mission, however, casualties were observed at a site that was located at a distance away from what was communicated previously. Patro took a calculated decision to continue with the casualty extraction based on the visual signal, the presence of a number of friendly troops and a thorough scan of the adjacent area.

Thereafter, he deftly manoeuvred to avoid the threat zones and landed on a small unprepared area adjacent to the encounter site. He airlifted seven casualties to Raipur and thereafter guided the second helicopter towards the landing site.

Displaying exceptional commitment and astute presence of mind, his prompt actions led to his team evacuating 18 casualties and 22 mortal remains from the ambush site. He also orchestrated the reinforcement of about 120 troops in the vicinity of the ambush site.

“By willingly accepting and executing a very high-risk mission resulting in the saving of lives, Wing Commander Patro displayed exceptional courage which acted as a morale booster to the forces on the ground,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.