Son of soil to lead Indian Navy contingent during R-Day Parade

Squadron Commander Anil Raina being decorated by Commander-in-Chief.
Squadron Commander Anil Raina being decorated by Commander-in-Chief.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 25: A son of the soil has been selected to lead Indian Navy contingent at Rajpath during Republic Day Parade on January 26.
Squadron Commander Anil Raina, son of Chander Parkash Raina of Miran Sahib, will be the first officer from Jammu to lead a Naval contingent during a Republic Day Parade. He will also be the first officer from Marine Commandos to lead a Naval Contingent.
He is presently posted at Indian Naval Academy Ezhimala, Kerala as Squadron Commander.
Born in a lower middle class family, with father as a shopkeeper and mother a housewife, Anil joined Navy as Recruit after matriculation   to support the family even as he was school topper in class 10th in 1999.
While working in Navy, he completed Plus 2 in Correspondence and by his hard work, got selected in Commission Exam in Navy in 2001. He joined Navy Academy Goa in 2002 with Plus Two NDA/Naval Academy Entry Cadets.
During the three-year training at Naval Academy, Anil achieved various special awards and feats.  He  became second Cadet in history of Naval Academy to win Best Tenderfooter and Best Typhooner Awards in the rigorous Jungle Training camps (Camp Tenderfoot happens in first year and Camp typhoon happens in second year; Only one cadet is selected as best cadet of whole camp).
He was also  awarded +2 (Plus Two) grading in Parade Training, a highest grading that a cadet can achieve in his whole training of three years. Only one or two cadets in a course get this. He won Award of Best Master of ceremony for five times during Inter Squadron Dramatics Competition and remained as Chief Editor of Naval Academy’s prestigious Magazine ‘AHOY’ for three terms. He Passed out with the Chief of Naval Staff Trophy for Best Cadet in Seamanship in 2005.
Anil represented his Squadron in Inter Squadron Water Polo, Football, Hockey, Volleyball and X-Country Running. He passed out with the Degree of B Sc in Naval Sciences from Goa University.
He led Indian Navy contingent during SAIL Parade at Bremerhaven Germany in 2005, as a Sea Cadet from INS Tarangini (the SAIL training ship of Navy), along with other countries of world and the contingent was awarded the Smartest Crew Trophy.
He commanded the Passsing Out Parade of Sea Cadets On Board Naval Ship INS TIR in December 2005 and passed out as a Midshipman.
Anil Raina got commissioned in July 2006, after completion of total four years of training. He volunteered to join combat diving course of ten months at Navy Diving School Kochi, Kerala. He was got selected for course and passed out with the trophy of Best Diver of the course in November 2007. He became first Combat Diving Officer in Navy from J&K.
Thereafter, he volunteered to join Navy special forces, Marine Commandos (MARCOS) and got selected for the course in 2008. Passed out in January 2009 with award of Best Commando in physicals and became first officer in Marine Commandos from J&K. He was awarded On the Spot Commendation by Commander-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command for counter terrorist operations in Kashmir in 2013. In 2015, he was  awarded On the Spot Commendation by Commander-in-Chief Southern Naval Command for professional excellence.

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