On the 22nd November 1971 at 1450 hours an order was given to intercept four Pakistani aircraft, which had intruded into our territory near Boyra in West Bengal. Flight Lieutenant Roy Andrew Massey who was leading a formation of four Gnat aircraft proceeded to intercept the enemy. He skillfully positioned his section, got behind one of the Sabre jets and shot it down. His accurate judgment and skillful maneuvering of the formation resulted in the shooting down of two more Sabre jets. After ensuring that no other intruder was in our territory, he brought his formation back safely.

In this action, Flight Lieutenant Roy Andrew Massey displayed gallantry, professional skill and devotion to duty of a high order.

On 22nd November, 1971, at about 1450 hours order was given to intercept four Pakistani aircraft which had intruded into our territory. Flight Lieutenant Mandepanda Appachu Ganapathy who was detailed to fly as No. 3 in a formation of 4 Gnat aircraft proceeded to intercept the enemy. On sighting the enemy aircraft, he skillfully maneuvered his section and got behind one Sabre Jet and shot it down.

In this action, Flight Lieutenant Mandepanda Appachu Ganapathy displayed gallantry, professional skill and devotion to duty of a high order.

During the operation against Pakistan in December, 1971, Flying Officer Donald Lazarus was serving with a Fighter Bomber Squadron. On 22nd November 1971, Flying Officer Lazarus was detailed to fly as No. 4 in a formation of four Gnat aircraft. The formation was ordered to intercept four hostile aircraft which had intruded into our territory. The formation leader maneuvered the formation to an advantageous position and engaged the introducing Sabre Jets. In the ensuing air Battle, Flying Officer Lazarus maintained his stations as number four ensuring the safety of his element leader. At one stage, when Flying Officer Lazarus noticed that one of the Sabre Jet was becoming a threat to his element leader, he maneuvered his own air craft with great skill and got behind the Sabre Jet and pressed home his attack till the Sabre Jet disintegrated in the mid air.

In this action, Flying Officer Donald Lazarus displayed gallantry, professional skill and devotion to duty of a high order.

Flight Lieutenant Pradeep Kumar Tayal was on the strength of a fighter bomber squadron during the Operations in December, 1971. He carried out a number of operational sorties deep into enemy territory. On the 10th December, 1971, he led a formation of aircraft to attack on the Brigade Headquarters at Kushtia. Undeterred by the heavy ground fire he made two attacks and destroyed this nerve centre of the enemy in the sector. During the attack his aircraft was hit by ground fire which punctured the aircraft's main fuel tank. With his aircraft streaming fuel, he climbed up to gain height while heading towards base. He ran out of fuel when 10 nautical miles short of base. Though the airfield was partly obscured by cloud, he displayed great flying skill in carrying out a safe landing. Undeterred by this incident, on the same day he led another mission over Khulna and in the face of heavy ground fire positively destroyed one enemy tank and put another out of order. He also disrupted a convoy of enemy troops proceeding towards Khulna.

Throughout, Flight Lieutenant Pradeep Kumar Tayal displayed courage, professional skill and devotion to duty.

Corporal George Chacko, Airframe Fitter joined the Air Force on 26 June 1963. His professional knowledge as a Non-commissioned Officer, of aircraft systems, snag rectifications, the numerous modifications, Special Technical Instructions and other Technical Orders is outstanding.

During the period February-March 1976, when all fighter aircraft were grounded for special checks, Corporal George, with a small gang of technicians, worked relentlessly for long hours, unmindful of his personal comfort. During these special checks on the aircraft he came across a number of difficult technical problems. With his superior theoretical and practical knowledge, professional skill and determination, he devised a number of jigs and rigs to solve the problems. He thus made a number of these aircraft serviceable within the shortest possible time.

Corporal George Chacko has an excellent record of achievements in the past. For his distinguished service of a high order, the President is pleased to award him Vishisht Seva Medal.