Camel Warriors celebrate golden jubilee

Chandigarh, Nov 1 : Officers and air warriors of city based 48 Sqn, Indian Air Force, which flies Russian built An32 medium lift tactical transport aircraft , conducted a successful cycling expedition today.

Comprising of 100 cyclists, led by the Commanding Officer Group Captain SC Chafekar, a Shaurya Chakra awardee, the 48 Squadron cycling team enthusiastically pedaled a distance of around 30 kilometers.

Earlier the expedition was flagged off by the Air Officer Commanding Air Commodore SRK Nair from the war memorial of 12 Wing, AF Station, Chandigarh The cycling expedition is the first of many events planned to commemorate the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the squadron also known as the Camel Warriors. The members of the expedition team distributed Air Force Flight Safety banners and poster among the citizen of Chandigarh.

Enthusiastic as ever even after 30 kilometers of cycling, the CO Gp Capt Chafekar who was in high gear all throughout the expedition and led from front, has requested all the ex-Camels who are retired and settled in Chandigarh, to be a part of the series of celebrations and attend in maximum numbers.

The aim of the cycling expedition apart from commemorating the Golden Jubilee of 48 Sqn, was to interact with the general public and spread awareness about the IAF, the achievements of the Squadron and its role. People flocked at the three refreshment stalls which had been set up at various points on the route, which also served as distribution points of IAF merchandise: posters, stickers, calendars, key rings.

People were made aware of the role of the Squadron and that of the IAF and the mode of entry through lively interaction at these distribution stalls. Traffic was coordinated by the UT Traffic Police and IAF policemen. The route followed by the cyclists was from the AF station, to the intersection of 36, 37 sectors turning on to Udyan Path, Uttar Marg, Sarovar Path and back to the Air Force Station.

The expedition was incident free and was conducted with clockwork precision due to excellent coordination between all agencies involved. All through the route the cyclists cheered their Squadron and were enthusiastically cheered on by the accompanying traffic on the road.

It is the first in as series of events lined up in 48 Sqn’s itinerary for the coming fortnight.

--UNI

(c) 2009 Published with permission from United News of India.
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