Siachen miracle: Lance Naik Koppad 'highly motivated and fit soldier', says Indian Army

New Delhi: Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad, the 33-year-old soldier who was rescued from an avalanche on the Siachen glacier, has been described by the Indian Army as a “highly motivated and physically fit soldier”. [caption id=“attachment_2618356” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Lance Naik Hanamanthappa. Sameer Yasir/Firstpost[/caption] Enrolled in the 19th Battalion of the Madras Regiment on October 25, 2002, he has displayed high degree of initiative and has served 10 years in difficult and challenging areas out of 13 years of total service, the army said. During his career, he was posted in Mahore in Jammu and Kashmir from 2003 to 2006 where he was actively involved in counter-insurgency operations. He again volunteered to serve with the 54 Rashtriya Rifles (Madras) in Jammu and Kashmir from 2008 to 2010 where he displayed indomitable courage and gallant in fighting terrorism during his tenure. The lance naik also volunteered to serve in the northeast from 2010 to 2012, where he actively participated in successful operations against NDFB and ULFA. He was serving in the high-altitude areas of Siachen glacier from August 2015 and was chosen for deployment on one of the highest posts at an altitude of 19,600 feet since December 2015, encountering temperature below minus 40 degrees Celsius and winds of speed up to 100 km per hour. As an individual, Koppad is known as an ever-smiling personality who shares a cordial relationship with peers and subordinates. He is married to Mahadevi Ashok Bilebal and has a two-year-old daughter, Netra Koppad. IANS