The Silent Struggles Behind the Salute

Let’s not ignore the emptiness and silent battles our Army personnel face every day. Their service is not just about the rare national moments that make headlines, but the quiet, relentless grind lived out with discipline, sacrifice, and love for the nation.

Consider the realities

Mental health: Over 1,300 suicides have been reported in the Indian armed forces in the past decade. A 2019 military study found over 50% of soldiers experience severe stress, yet speaking out remains taboo.

Family sacrifice: Soldiers are posted away from home for months, missing milestones, raising children over patchy video calls. The much-touted Married Accommodation Project is still short by tens of thousands of homes, leaving families unsettled and on the move.

Life after service: Each year, nearly 60,000 personnel retire in their thirties or early forties. Most struggle to find civilian jobs that match their experience, many fighting bureaucracy for pensions or healthcare.

Civilian disconnect: Society erupts in support only during crises or on social media, but rarely stands by in the soldier’s everyday life. There is no shortage of slogans, but a shortage of empathy and structural support.

Yet, you’ll rarely see disappointment on their faces. For the soldier, the nation matters more than any fleeting display of patriotism. Who sits in government is less important than the flag they serve. Their nationalism is not about party or power. It’s a deep, apolitical selflessness, a hope that India will march forward, carrying the dreams of a billion people in peace and progress.

But the real change they hope for is not in politics, but among the people. It is society, us, that needs to evolve. Like the message in “Bharathiyudu,” if an Army officer were to fully step into the toxic, divided world we’re building, they might genuinely ask, Why am I sacrificing so much for this nation?

We must rethink how we respect and support our soldiers. Respect goes beyond shouting slogans or sharing viral posts on Independence Day. It means fighting for better mental healthcare for the forces, ensuring their families have a stable home, creating real pathways for meaningful jobs after retirement, and building a society worthy of their sacrifice.

This isn’t a movie about chest-thumping nationalism. It’s about real lives, real pain, and real hope.

I stand for the Army, not just with my words, but with my actions. Don’t ever question my integrity or my love for my country. My patriotism runs deeper than what is paraded by so-called nationalists. True loyalty is proven in how we honour the daily sacrifices of our soldiers, not in how loudly we cheer on the parade ground.

It’s time we look beyond the symbols and start building a nation that values the human beings behind the uniforms.

I have lot to talk about our army but i will save it for the next time and reach you out soo. thank you for reading.