AIR CHIEF MARSHAL MUHAMMAD ANWAR SHAMIM N.I.(M).,S.J., (Retd.) Pakistan Air Force. Served as Chief of Air Staff Pakistan Air Force, 1978-1985
Died on January 4, 2013 and was buried with full military honors in Islamabad.
FORGING OF A TRADITIONAL SOLDIER:
Medals of Honor and courage are genuinely earned by
deserving soldiers who:
- Train at physical and mental levels beyond common
human endurance;
- Ready to give up life and limb for very little in return;
- Know the power and skill of a warrior lies in not just a
well protected nation, but a nation where the struggle
is to make each individual well fed, well read, and free to
pursue the fruits of liberty.
- Keep the trust of their people, and gain respect of
international colleagues during negotiations for military
needs.
- Are loath to engage in activity that can harm the very
people they trained all their life to protect.
- Show a remarkable skill and restraint during war that
differentiates them from cowards, or barbaric mercenaries.
Military is an instrument of peace. Soldiers are trained to
learn how to surgically and strategically carry out missions
with minimum damage of life, structure and resources. The
object of political governments should be to bring the parties
back to the table for diplomatic negotiations. There should be a
point beyond which the leaders decide the level of destruction is
not worth the military solution. If military was intended for
whole scale indiscriminate bombing of weaker nations, it
becomes a mass murder tool. In that case, the worst killing
machines and bombs become the object of pride, rather than
sound domestic policies, skilled diplomatic negotiations, and
strategic military defense--- starting an endless arms race.
