Behera from Tagilo village under Narsinghpur block in Cuttack district lost parts of his limbs while fighting Pakistani soldiers at the Banar post in Siachen Glacier. Since then, every day has been a struggle for survival for him and his family as his monthly pension of Rs 1,075 is barely adequate to feed his family, comprising his parents, wife and two sons. But, there is no trace of bitterness on Behera's face. He says, life on the frontier is something one must experience.

He joined the Bihar Regiment in May 1982 and was sent to Danapur in Patna for training. After serving in Pithuragarh, Sikkim, Jammu and Leh for overeight years, he was posted at Banar Post on the Siachen Glacier. "Life on the glacier at a height of 22,500 feet, with temperatures at minus 15 degree Celsius, is extremely difficult. But fighting Pakistani soldiers and surviving the continuous shelling is an adventure one must experience," he says.

February 15, 1991, proved to be Behera's last day in the Army. Recalling that day, Behera says, "A volley of bullets suddenly started pouring on to our post at about 3 am, killing six soldiers. Seconds later, a missile fell near our post and a part of the glacier cracked. I was trapped inside and found myself in the hospital when I regained consciousness."

He was taken to the Leh Army Hospital and then to the Army Command Hospital in Chandigarh. The impact of frostbite was so deep that the doctors had to amputate his wrists and half his feet. A month later, he returned to his village.

"I can still work. But men in the administration consider me handicapped and of no use," he says. Financial problems havedoubled his worries. He says he is thinking of stopping his eldest son's education to ward off monetary difficulties. "I have no other expectation from life. I am ready to die at the front. But I am worried about my family, my kids future," he says.

Banar Post, captured by Pakistan during the 1971 war, was recaptured by India in 1985.

Meanwhile, 120 Infantry Battalion commanding officer Colonel Jai Prakash Janu has written a letter to the State Government, requesting a job for Behera.