Voicing concern at the ongoing Kargil conflict, the ex-servicemen said they wanted another chance to serve the nation. "We are all well acclimatised to Kashmir and request you to give us another chance to serve the country," the letter said.

Meanwhile, yet another young man from the Garhwal region has laid down his life in Kargil. Bharat Singh, a jawan of the Naga Regiment, belonged to Kurkhyal village near Lansdowne and his body was brought home on June 19.

He was cremated with full military honours on Sunday. Bharat Singh leaves behind his widow, a seven-year-old son, a four-year-old daughter and an old mother.

A cheque of Rs five lakh was presented by the district authorities to Banita, the widow of Bharat Singh. Meanwhile, Brig Nautiyal of the Indian Military Academy (IMA) has said here that the relevance andsignificance of military education and training has increased, after the Kargil conflict started.

Addressing cadets of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) at the conclusion of a twelve-day attachment camp of the NCC at the IMA, he expressed hope that the young cadets would have been inspired by their stay at the IMA.

Brig Nautiyal, speaking on behalf of IMA commandant Lt Gen Yuvraj Mehta, said most of the young officers who had laid down their lives in Kargil were from the army and had passed out from the IMA during the past few years.

Group commander of the NCC (Dehradun) Col Nirmal Mahajan said it was a great honour for an NCC cadet to be selected for an attachment camp at the IMA.

The cadets received training in firing, swimming and horse riding besides witnessing the academy's passing out parade on June 12. The camp concluded on June 19.