Whole Story-WholeDude – Page 3 – Whole Dude

Whole Dude – Whole Smile

January 30, Martyrs’ Day, I smile like the Smiling Buddha

Excerpt: On January 30, Martyrs’ Day, I smile like the Smiling Buddha. At Giriraj , in 1962, when we celebrated the ‘U.N.O. DAY’, I had the opportunity to speak and publicly express my opinion about India’s relationship with the United Nations. As my father, the Principal of Giriraj, was listening to me, I told the Faculty Staff Members and the assembled student community that India should exercise its rights to develop and test the nuclear weapons. India carried out its first nuclear test at POKHRAN on May 18, 1974. The Concept of Peace and Non-violence does not exclude India’s Right to Test Nuclear Weapons.

**Whole Dude – Whole Smile: Remembering the Smiling Buddha on January 30, Martyrs’ Day**

SMILING BUDDHA AT GIRIRAJ GOVERNMENT ARTS COLLEGE, NIZAMABAD, INDIA

The Concept of Peace and Non-violence does not exclude India’s Right to Test Nuclear Weapons

**Smiling Buddha at Giriraj Government Arts College, Nizamabad, India.**

In the year 1961, my father was transferred from Government Arts College, Rajahmundry to Nizamabad upon his selection as the Principal of Giriraj Government Arts College. At age 13, I joined Giriraj as a student of the Pre-University Course. In 1962, at age 14, I joined the Bachelor of Science 3- year degree course. I started understanding the security threats that were faced by India after the brutal Chinese aggression across our Himalayan frontier. I had also started to lose my faith in the United Nations as India was not able to defend its vital national interests in the UN Security Council. India survived on account of the diplomatic support extended by the Soviet Union. At Giriraj , in 1962, when we celebrated the ‘U.N.O. DAY’, I had the opportunity to speak and publicly express my opinion about India’s relationship with the United Nations. As my father, the Principal of Giriraj, was listening to me, I told the Faculty Staff Members and the assembled student community that India should exercise its rights to develop and test the nuclear weapons. India carried out its first nuclear test at POKHRAN on May 18, 1974.

I WAS SMILING LIKE ‘THE SMILING BUDDHA’

***Whole Dude – Whole Smile: Smiling Buddha at Giriraj Government Arts College, Nizamabad, India. Till date, it is considered to be one of the CIA’s biggest failures in espionage and detection.***

**Whole Dude – Whole Smile: Smiling Buddha at Giriraj Government Arts College, Nizamabad.**

I love Giriraj , which gave me this courage to speak my mind without any inhibition or fear. Later in my life, in the year 1979 while serving in the rank of Major in the Indian Army Medical Corps, I participated in a major military exercise in and around Pokhran area of Rajasthan and I was smiling like “THE SMILING BUDDHA.”

**Whole Dude – Whole Smile: On January 30, Martyrs’ Day, I was smiling like the Smiling Buddha.**

Whole Dude – Whole Question

Half Full or Half Empty is not the Right Question – Can You Drink the Cup I Drink?

Excerpt: When I drink from the ‘Cup of my Life’; What I truly experience from my life, the reality of my condition is more important than my attitude towards existence. The man has no hope to find happiness until and unless he renounces all desires including the desire to find happiness. The man has no choice other than that of living in the moment without concern for either pessimism or optimism. The attitude of dispassion automatically excludes both pessimism and optimism.

HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY? IS THAT REALLY IMPORTANT?

I drank from that cup. Now, the cup could be described as half full or half empty. Is that really important? The cup that I drink from gives me pain and I experience suffering. What would be the right question if I have to drink from that cup? What I truly experience from my life, the reality of my condition is more important than my attitude towards my existence. The issue is not about optimism or pessimism. I need to focus on knowing the reality and I need to face the reality about what I experience when I drink from that Cup of my Life.

IS IT POSSIBLE FOR THIS CUP TO BE TAKEN AWAY FROM ME ?

I would answer this question from a reading from The New Testament of The Holy Bible. I would like to quote verses 36 to 44, chapter 26, The Gospel According to Matthew.

36. Then Jesus came with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane and said to them, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.”

37. And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.

38. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

39. He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless not as I will, but as You will.”

40. Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?

41.”Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

42. Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, may Your will be done.”

43. And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.

44. So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

Jesus had prayed three times, saying the same words. It was not possible for the cup to pass away and Jesus had to drink from the cup.

THE TEACHINGS OF GAUTAMA BUDDHA:

Whole Dude – Whole Question: Lord Gautama Buddha has laid the foundation for understanding Pain and Suffering that is implicit in Human Existence. Half Full or Half Empty? – What is the real Question? Can You Drink the Cup I Drink?

At age 29, Prince Siddhartha realized that humans are subject to old age, sickness, disability and death. He became aware of the suffering implicit in human existence. Buddha described the nature of reality and Dharma (“true law”) as the Four Noble Truths (1) life is fundamentally disappointment and suffering; (2) suffering is a result of one’s desires for pleasure, power, and continued existence; (3) to stop disappointment and suffering one must stop desiring and (4) the way to stop desiring and thus suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path- right views, intention, speech, conduct, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration.

From the hymns popularly known as Bhaja Govindam, while I drink from the Cup of my Life, I will keep contemplate on the concept of dispassion:

“KASYA SUKHAM NA KAROTI VIRAGAH”

suramandira-taru-mūla-nivāsaḥ
śayyā bhūtalamajinaṃ vāsaḥ ।
sarva-parigraha-bhōgatyāgaḥ
kasya sukhaṃ na karōti virāgaḥ ॥ 19 ॥

Living in temples or at the foot of trees, sleeping on the ground, wearing deer-skin, renouncing all possessions and their enjoyment – to whom will not dispassion bring happiness?

The verse 19 in Shankaracharya’s Bhaja Govindam questions, “Kasya sukham na karoti viragah?”, which means, “What pleasure cannot be given by dispassion?” It gives all the pleasures because you are so totally living in the moment.

The man has no hope to find happiness until and unless he renounces all desires including the desire to find happiness. The man has no choice other than that of living in the moment without concern for either pessimism or optimism. The attitude of dispassion automatically excludes both pessimism and optimism.

**Whole Dude – Whole Question: Half Full or Half Empty? – What is the real Question?**

**Whole Dude – Whole Question: Half Full or Half Empty doesn’t change the reality of the experience.**

Whole Dude – Whole Day

At Whole Foods, Ann Arbor, the Celebration of Birthday got transformed into Whole Day Celebration.

**Whole Dude – Whole Day: The Celebration of Birthday at Whole Foods**

The Whole Dude brings the Whole Self to work and hence the Birthday Celebration is named as Whole Day Celebration.

Whole Dude – Whole Day: Whole Team – Whole Congratulations – Whole Gift: To give “Whole Congratulations” to my “Whole Team” Members, Whole Dude decides to spend “Whole Dough” to offer “Whole Gift” for the very special Celebration on Whole Day. Certain Terms and Conditions apply.

Birthday vs Whole Day Celebration:

The Whole Day Celebration is unlike the routine Birthday Celebration. The following Terms and Conditions apply to the Whole Day Celebration to make the distinction between Whole Day and Birthday Celebration:

Must be an eligible Whole Team Member and receive the specially designed Celebration Card just meant for You.
Whole Team Members who want to participate in the Whole Day Celebration must sign on the Celebration Card to give the Birthday Greetings to the Whole Person who is Celebrating Birthday.
The Whole Person celebrating Birthday spends Whole Dough to offer Whole Gifts to all the Whole Team Members who sign the Celebration Card joining the Whole Day Celebration.
Whole Team Members transform the Birthday Celebration into Whole Day Celebration when they receive their Whole Gifts and the Whole Person gets no Gift on his/her Birthday.

Whole Dude – Whole Name

**Bharat Darshan – The tradition of choosing names using the Science of Light called Jyotish.**

Excerpt: The choice of my Name is predestined by the Date, Time and the Place of Birth and their relationship to the Science of Light called Jyotish. The people of Land of Bharat are extremely fond of choosing names. This fondness for selecting, using and remembering names is an important Cultural attribute which defines the Indian Identity. In my case, the choice of the Name is predestined by the Science of Light. Earthly events have celestial connections. For every name that appears in my blog post, there is a specific legend that describes the origin of that name.

The name ‘ Indian ‘ is related to the great river Sindhu which is also known as Indus. In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed westwards towards setting sun to reach the shores of India. He discovered people living on islands whom he had mistakenly named as Indians. Apart from those island dwellers, the natives of the entire American continent, the so-called New World were named Indians. In spite of concerted efforts to rename them as Native Americans, the name Indian is still in use.

Name is a very important tool to describe personal identity. The word name as a noun, describes a person, place or thing. It is also a word or words by which an object of thought is known. Indians did not choose the name India or Indian.

Kapaleeshwarar temple in Mylapore, Chennai. — **Bharat Darshan: What’s in a Name? The Making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person. The Choice of the Name is predestined by the Science of Light called Jyotish .**

The people of Land of Bharat are extremely fond of choosing names. This fondness for selecting, using and remembering names is an important Cultural attribute which defines the Indian Identity. In my case, the choice of the Name is predestined by the Science of Light. Earthly events have celestial connections. For every name that appears in my blog post, there is a specific legend that describes the origin of that name

The Tradition of Giving Names:

Bharat Darshan: The Making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person. Lord Shiva is known as Rudra, Neela Kantha, Pasupati and several other names. This fondness for selecting, using, and remembering names is an important cultural attribute which defines Indian Identity. The Choice of my Name is predestined.

The name ” Rudra ” is one of the earliest names known to humanity. According to legend, the Vedic God Rudra acquired His name from His Creator Brahma. As per the story, a boy was seen ‘crying’ and ‘wandering’. The father asked the boy the reason for his ‘howling’. The boy answered that he was ‘weeping’ for he was not given a name. So, the father created a name by bringing together two Sanskrit words which mean ‘crying’ and ‘wandering’. Thus the name Ru+dra was born. This legend is an example of our emotional dependence upon the need for names. The major Deities such as VISHNU and SHIVA that Indians worship are known by thousands of names and remembering those names is deemed as an act of devoted worship. The use of these names is a fundamental right and I understand the term religious freedom in the context of my freedom to choose the name that I want to worship. The religious experience that I gained while growing up in India relates to the use of names as an act of worship. Worship would have no meaning or purpose and would not give me a sense of direction if I do not remember the beautiful names that I have come to know.

A Personal Name and a Personal Story:

**Bharat Darshan: What’s in a Name? The Making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person. The Choice of the Name is predestined by the Science of Light called Jyotish.**

This landmark Temple of Kapaleeswara binds me to my birthplace of Mylapore, Madras(Chennai). The Presiding Diety of this Temple is chosen as my personal Protector and hence I am given the name of "RUDRA". — Bharat Darshan: The choice of my Name is predestined. This landmark Temple of Kapaleeswarar binds me to my birthplace Mylapore, Madras (Chennai). If my birthplace had been different, my Name would have been different. The Presiding Deity of this Temple is chosen as my personal Protector and hence I am given the name of RUDRA.

My personal name is very much a part of my personal story. If my birthplace had been different, my Name would have been different. My Name is chosen entirely due to the circumstances of my birth and I remain connected to the persons and the places for the rest of my life. I describe Mylapore, Madras city (Chennai) as my birth place and I describe Rajahmundry of East Godavari District as my native place.

Bharat Darshan: MY IDENTITY AND MY CONNECTION. I CALL MYSELF AS ‘REBBAPRAGADA’; MY MOTHER BELONGS TO THE ‘KASTURI’ FAMILY. THIS IS A PICTURE OF KASTURI BROTHERS. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, 1. DR. KASTURI NARAYANA MURTHY, M.D. (MY MATERNAL GRANDFATHER), 2. KASTURI. SESHAGIRI RAO (MARRIED TO MRS. RUKMINI, DAUGHTER OF DR. SARVEPALLI RADHAKRISHNAN), 3. KASTURI NARASIMHA RAO, 4. KASTURI KRISHNA RAO, 5. KASTURI SOMESHWARA RAO, 6. KASTURI RAMACHANDRA RAO, AND 7. KASTURI SIVAPRASADA RAO (FAR RIGHT).

My mother gave birth to me at my maternal grandfather’s residence 2/37 Kutchery Road in Mylapore during the month called Dhanurmasam that represents Sun’s transit in Sagittarius.

I am born on a Friday night, at 4:30 A.M or the early morning hours of Saturday as the day begins at Sunrise. My grandfather’s residence on Kutchery Road is located at a short distance from Santhome Cathedral on the East, and Kapaleeswarar Temple on the West.

The Corporation of Chennai, Public Health Department entered my birth in the Birth Register and issued a certificate which records my gender, the date and time of my birth, the place of my birth, the names of my father and mother, the registration number and it does not show my name as my parents did not give me a name while reporting my birth. Much later, while living in the United States, I contacted the City Corporation requesting the City Public Health Officer to add my name to my own birth record and my request was not granted for the City requires the signatures of two witnesses.

**Bharat Darshan – The Making of a Name by the Science of Light. The performance of Rudra Puja at Kapaleeswarar Temple, Mylapore, Madras, Chennai was predestined.**

I spent the years of my early childhood at my paternal grandfather’s mansion in Innespeta, Rajahmundry, East Godavari District of Madras Presidency and later Andhra Pradesh, India.

As per the traditional belief and the practice of Vedic Astrology known as Jyotish (Science of Light), my Birth Star Moola predicted and warned about some forthcoming inauspicious events.

**Bharat Darshan: The Making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person. The Key Themes of Birth Star Moola Nakshtra.**

The astrological calculations suggested that remedial action is needed to counter the negative aspects of the Moola Birth Star.

**Bharat Darshan – The Making of a Name by the Science of Light.**

Accordingly, my father performed a ritualistic worship popularly known as Rudra Abhishekam and worshiped Lord Shiva at the beautiful Kapaleeswarar Temple of Mylapore.

To ensure that I would always enjoy the blessings of Lord Shiva, my father decided to name me as Rudra. Hence, the name of Rudra instantly connects me to my birth place of Mylapore and to Lord Kapaleeswarar who was chosen as my personal protector.

Bharat Darshan: What’s in a name? My paternal grandfather. The family astrologer who had prepared my horoscope predicted an inauspicious event and the prediction came true five months after my birth. But the prediction did not deter my grandfather in any manner. My grandmother whose name I had acquired told me that my grandfather had loved me with all his heart without any concern about the astrological prediction.

My birth star also forewarned about consequences that impact my paternal grandfather. There was no easy escape from the influences and the second part of my personal name was carefully chosen as Narasimham to please my paternal grandmother, Lakshmi Narasamma. Because of the gender variation, her name Narasamma got transformed to Narasimham. This name immediately connects me to the Laws of Karma.

**Bharat Darshan: The Making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person. The choice of the Name is predestined by the Science of Light called Jyotish.**

The names Rudra and Narasimham are well-known and particularly in the southern States of India, the name Narasimham and numerous variations of that name are frequently used. As long as I remain a conscious entity, my grandparents live in my consciousness.

**Bharat Darshan – The Making of a Name by the Science of Light. Moola Star belongs to the Sagittarius constellation.**

Astrology or Jyotish may not be a perfect Science. Horoscopes may not precisely predict the future course of events in a person’s life. I exist in this world and I am known by a name which was specifically selected for me because of the predictions cast by my horoscope and the predictions came true and I find enough justification for this Indian Cultural Tradition called Jyotish.

**Bharat Darshan: The Making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person. The Rebbapragadas Group describes people related to this group of people and others connected to Rebbapragadas.**

A unique name and a unique perspective:

Bharat Darshan – The making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person: The decision to serve in the Indian Army Medical Corps was made at Kurnool and I was granted Short Service Regular Commission in the rank of Second Lieutenant after an interview conducted at the Principal’s Office in the Administrative Block of Kurnool Medical College. Dr. Bhasker Reddy, Principal conducted this interview along with a team of Army Medical Corps Medical Officers.

In 1965, I joined Kurnool Medical College after I obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Osmania University, Hyderabad. At Kurnool, a batch of B.Sc., degree students were directly admitted into the second year of the medical education program that awards the M.B.B.S degree. Professor Rama Murthy of the Anatomy Department was very fond of knowing and recognizing each of his students by their personal names. On the first day of our Anatomy class, the attendance register was not ready and Professor Rama Murthy decided to call out names from the list of selected candidates. He very solemnly announced to the class that the roll call begins with a very angry and fiery name. We were intently listening to know what that name could be. Apparently, the list of selected students was prepared according to merit and my name was placed at the top of the list. He called my name and expressed his sense of disbelief. He asked me to verify my name and told the class that it was the first time in his life that he encountered a person with the personal name of Rudra Narasimham. His statement appears to be right and I have not met any other person who may have the same name. It is one of its own kind and is unique and special and these two names were put together to establish me as a Whole Person.

Bharat Darshan: The Making of a Whole Name for a Whole Person. Socrates implored people to ‘know thy self.’ He had stated that the unexamined life is not worth living. Understanding life involves understanding personal identity and name is a word by which an object of thought is known.

The name Rudra, the first part of my first name is related to Lord Shiva who is recognized as the God of Learning. Shiva is like Socrates. Socrates of 5th century B.C. is claimed to be the father of western thought. He implores people to “know thy self.” Socrates states that the ‘unexamined life is not worth living’. Shiva guides me to reflect upon life. Shiva encourages introspection, reflecting upon your own mind and thoughts. Shiva defines that the purpose of learning is to acquire the ability to think for oneself.

Defining Indian Identity - What is in a name? — **Bharat Darshan: What’s in a Name? The Making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person. The Choice of the Name is predestined by the Science of Light called Jyotish.**

The name Narasimham represents to me a Whole Person who defends my right to choose the Name for my worship. The story about Prince Prahlad of Bhagavata Purana, the epic poem called Bhagavatam, represents the cultural importance attached to personal choice in matters of religious worship. Names of persons, places and the legends form a part of Cultural Legacy of our Land and define the Indian Identity described by the Name Bharat.

**Bharat Darshan – The Making of a Whole Name for the Whole Person by the Science of Light. Moola Star of Sagittarius constellation.**

Whole Dude – Whole Hope

On the Tenth Day of January 2024, Septuagenarian trusts in God of Hope

**On the Tenth Day of January 2024, the Septuagenarian Lives on Hope alone. When Everything Else Ceases, Love Never Fails.**

Excerpt: I am not surprised to find that people do not understand the pain that I reveal in my writing. I am not surprised to find that people do not perceive the hardships that I endure. I am not surprised to find that people cannot hear my voice filled with desperation. I seek Peace, Harmony, and Tranquility while preparing to face the challenges posed in the New Year of my life. I seek Wisdom shared by the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Bible known to Jesus during His lifetime. He cautions people about hardened hearts, spiritual blindness, and deafness that makes people unresponsive to human pain and suffering. I should not hope or desire to find people who have the heart to feel for my problems, who have eyes to see my difficulties, and who have ears to listen to my pitiable groans.

Job 19:25 — **On the Tenth Day of January 2024, the Septuagenarian Lives on Hope Alone. When Everything Else Ceases, Love Never Fails.**

On the Tenth Day of January, 2024, the Septuagenarian Discovers the Septuagint

PPT - A Time Line of Key Events in the History of the Bible PowerPoint Presentation - ID:3124561 — **On the Tenth Day of January 2024, the Septuagenarian Lives on Hope Alone. When Everything Else Ceases, Love Never Fails.**

I acknowledge the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy on the Tenth Day of January 2024. At any given place, and time, the external circumstances impacting our living conditions vary as all of us have individualistic life experiences even while sharing a common living environment. Prophet Isaiah reveals my predicament, the burden of Cross that I must carry without any choice.

I seek Peace, Harmony, and Tranquility while preparing to face the challenges posed in the New Year of my life. I seek Wisdom shared by the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Bible known to Jesus during His lifetime. He cautions people about hardened hearts, spiritual blindness, and deafness that makes people unresponsive to human pain and suffering. I should not hope or desire to find people who have the heart to feel for my problems, who have eyes to see my difficulties, and who have ears to listen to my pitiable groans.

The Septuagint helps me to secure my mental peace; by knowing the Septuagint, particularly, the ideas shared by Prophet Isaiah which guided Jesus during His very difficult Life Journey.

I am not surprised to find that people do not understand the pain that I reveal in my writing. I am not surprised to find that people do not perceive the hardships that I endure. I am not surprised to find that people cannot hear my voice filled with desperation.

I am not perturbed for I live among people whose hearts have become dull. At least for now, I must live without the benefit of healing promised by Jesus.

Jesus speaks of conversion that leads to healing of hearts. Time has healing power of its own. Both physical wounds and emotional injuries heal under the influence of time. In 2024, I need to wait with patience and ask for the blessings of perseverance for the healing process to manifest its results. My Redeemer lives. I live on the hope of meeting Him.

Simon Cyrene

Whole Dude – Whole Friend

Whole Dude – Whole Friend: Special Frontier Force Remembers the 41st US President

**Whole Dude-Whole Fight: Shoulder Badge, Special Frontier Force**

Excerpt: Both the US Government and the Central Intelligence Agency maintain their silence about the support given to the Tibetan Resistance Movement and the eventual creation of Establishment -22/Special Frontier Force, a military alliance/pact between the US, Tibet, and India to fight the military threat posed by Communist China when it occupied Tibet in 1950 and forced His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama to lead a life in exile. Indeed, that is the Whole Secret. The US, India and Tibet agreed to keep the US role in Tibet as a Secret and I signed a Declaration in Chakrata, India during September 1971 to keep the Tibet Operation as a Secret under the provisions of the Official Secret Acts of India.

**Whole Dude – Whole Friend: Special Frontier Force Remembers the 41st US President**

Special Frontier Force remembers the 41^st US President George Herbert Walker Bush for he served as the Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency. In President Gerald Ford’s final year in office, Bush was appointed Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, which was in disarray after years of scandalous revelations. Though he was only there a year, he was credited for restoring the agency’s morale, and he was well thought of by longtime hands. The main building at the agency’s headquarters in Langley, Va., was renamed in his honor in 1999.

Special Frontier Force deeply mourns the loss of President George H W Bush while acknowledging the role of the US Central Intelligence Agency in fostering friendly relationships between the people of the US, India, and Tibet.

Special Frontier Force at the White House

CIA Remembers Former Director, Former President George H.W. Bush

Statement by Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Gina C. Haspel

“We’ve lost a great champion of the Agency—an accomplished Director, faithful advocate, and dear friend—with the passing of former President George H.W. Bush. As a heroic Navy pilot in the Second World War, a skilled statesman who deftly managed the collapse of the Soviet Union and liberated Kuwait from Saddam Husayn’s aggression, and a committed citizen who remained engaged in public service throughout his later years, President Bush exemplified the virtues of patriotism, duty, and compassion. Officers here at the George Bush Center for Intelligence and deployed around the globe honor the memory of a great American. On behalf of the men and women of CIA, I extend our heartfelt condolences to the Bush family.”

A STATESMAN REMEMBERED

Clipped from: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/a-statesman-remembered/ar-BBQkdg1?li=BBnbcA1&ocid=BHEA000

George Herbert Walker Bush, whose lone term as the 41st president of the United States ushered in the final days of the Cold War and perpetuated a family political dynasty that influenced American politics at both the national and state levels for decades, died Friday evening. He was 94.

© AFP, AFP/Getty Images George H.W. Bush is pictured when he was one and a half year old. Born 12 June 1924 in Milton, Massachussetts, George Bush yale graduated with a degree in Economics in 1948, made a fortune drilling oil before entering politics in 1964. (FILM) (Photo credit should read /AFP/Getty Images)

Bush was the last president to have served in the military during World War II and the last whose worldview had been shaped by the imperative to contain Communist expansionism.

His experience in international diplomacy served him well as he dealt with the unraveling of the Soviet Union as an oppressive superpower, and later the rise of China as a commercial behemoth and potential partner.

As cautious and restrained as he was in foreign matters, Bush had an inclination for personal risk-taking that showed up early in his life, when he became a carrier pilot in the war — one of the most dangerous jobs in the military — and then stuck out on his own at war’s end, eschewing a comfortable job in New York to become an oilman in Texas.

Likewise, when his interest turned to politics a decade or so later, he was more than willing to give up his executive suite for a chance at public office.

Steeped in noblesse oblige and the importance of public service, Bush always felt the lure of political life. It finally snared him in 1962 when he was chosen to head Houston’s fledgling GOP. He spent the next three decades in the political limelight, enjoying a roller-coaster career that saw more defeats than victories yet improbably landed him in the White House.

© AP George H. W. Bush poses in his baseball uniform as a student at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. Bush was the first baseman on the Yale team that lost to California in the first College World Series in Kalamazoo, Mich. in 1947.

Bush was elected president in 1988 as the successor to Ronald Reagan, a conservative icon whom he ran against and then served as vice president. Unlike Reagan, he was a pragmatic leader guided by moderation, consensus building, and a sense for problem-solving shorn of partisan rhetoric. Like his father, who served in the U.S. Senate, he swore no allegiance to orthodox tenets. That put him at odds with a take-no-prisoners attitude of a new breed of Republicans and helped do in his reelection bid, sending him home to Houston in forced retirement.

© Tom Harvey, Admiral Nimitz Museum One of a series of photos from the George Bush Gallery at the Admiral Nimitz Museum in Fredericksburg Texas. Photo shows a young George Bush in the cockpit writing in his logbook during WWII. Former President Bush during his World War II days. For use with FLYBOYS story to run 10-18 in Houston section.

Most of Bush’s political career was spent in appointed jobs, where he demonstrated loyalty and a quick-study competence, rarely making headlines. Expectations were modest when he became president. Many in his party hoped he would simply follow in Reagan’s footsteps. Instead, he quickly distinguished himself as the postwar order began to undergo dramatic changes.

Bush was put to the test shortly after taking office. Surging movements in Eastern Europe saw opportunity to free themselves from the Soviet yoke, thanks in part to the liberalizing influence of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Bush’s measured response allowed events to unfold, including the destruction of the Berlin Wall, without triggering potentially catastrophic responses from Soviet hard-liners.

Bush again displayed his diplomatic skills in the summer of 1990 when he coordinated a multinational response to the military invasion of tiny Middle East nation Kuwait by neighboring Iraq and its dictator, Saddam Hussein. The victorious Operation Desert Storm brought high approval ratings that appeared to guarantee a second term.

© Joel Draut, Houston Chronicle 05/06/1979 – George Bush, candidate for the Republican nomination for president, addresses supporters at rally in Sam Houston Park at the start of his Texas campaign tour. Joel Draut / Houston Post

Domestic matters proved a different sort of challenge. Plagued by inherited budget deficits and a Congress under the control of Democrats, Bush was pushed into a tax increase that belied his explicit promise to allow none. He agreed to it because he recognized it was in the country’s best interest, but the political damage was severe. His reelection bid fell short, a failing that haunted him for years. Uncharacteristically, it even caused him to wonder whether history would regard him as a failed president.

© Anonymous, ASSOCIATED PRESS Republican presidential hopefuls Ronald Reagan, left, John Anderson, Howard Baker, Robert Dole Philip Crane who all showed up for a debate that was to be between Ronald Reagan and George Bush Saturday night, February 23, 1980, at Nashua Senior High School in Nashua, N.H.

It has not.

“I think over the years he fares well,” said presidential historian Henry Brands, the author of seven presidential biographies and a professor at the University of Texas. “If voters have a referendum and they vote you down, that automatically puts you down a rung. It’s unfair. Bush always was rated very highly by historians more than he was by the public. I think that is changing.”

© Anonymous, ASSOCIATED PRESS George Bush peeks around a partition which has a poster of Ronald Reagan, one of his opponents for the Republican party presidential nomination, before he speaks at Columbia, S.C., March 4, 1980.

Bush was born into privilege and reared in the cradle of America’s economic aristocracy, yet from an early age, he refused to ride the coattails of entitlement. Approaching his graduation from Yale University in 1948, he was offered a job at his family’s Wall Street investment firm, close to his native Connecticut. He turned it down. Whatever his destiny, he vowed that it would be fully earned.

© Bob Child, AP George Bush, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, watches as his grandson, George, 4, meets another child at “Bush for President” headquarters,in Hartford, Conn., March 24, 1980.

So began a remarkable journey that would lead him from the elegant estates of New England to the dusty plains of West Texas, to the leafy precincts of Houston’s nicest neighborhoods, to foreign capitals and back to America’s own, into political campaigns at the humblest level and one that ultimately netted him the White House.

© Bill Ingraham, AP Using Independence Hall as a backdrop, Republican presidential hopeful George Bush addresses supporters and newsmen April 9, 1980 in Philadelphia. Bush is seeking votes in the April 22 Pennsylvania primary.

Bush’s long life encompassed the full arc of the 20th century, beginning in an era of steamships and a new ideology called communism, and ending as American spaceships explored distant planets and the hammer-and-sickle was mostly a fading emblem on old flags. He was to be the last president of his generation, which came of age during the Great Depression, participated in a cataclysmic world war, and ushered in unprecedented American power and prosperity.

© Joe Kennedy, MBR On July 14, 1980, the Republican National Convention convened at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. Former Gov. Ronald Reagan of California was nominated for president and former congressman George H.W. Bush of Texas for vice president. (Joe Kennedy/Los Angeles Times/MCT)

Turning away from the preordained comfortable life, Bush struck out for Texas and found success, first as an independent oilman and later as a young Congressman from Houston. The misfortune of bad timing hurt him at times in his pursuit of higher office, yet a string of high-profile appointed positions reflected the faith others had in his ability and kept alive his dream of fulfilling his father’s prediction that someday he would become president.

© ASSOCIATED PRESS George Bush, foreground, raises his arms as a floor demonstration erupts before speaking to the Republican Convention delegates in Detroit, Mich., Wednesday evening, July 16, 1980. Republican presidential candidate Ronald Reagan later announced Bush as his running mate.

“The world was fortunate to have his background and instincts at a turning point,” said Robert Gates, who served as Bush’s CIA director and deputy national security adviser. “The collapse and end of the Cold War look sort of pre-ordained in hindsight, but for those who were there, it was not clear how it would happen.”

© ASSOCIATED PRESS Republican vice presidential candidate George Bush reacts to applause from the assembled Republican delegates at the Republican National Convention at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Mich., Thursday evening, July 17, 1980. Bush was selected by Ronald Reagan as his running mate on Wednesday. (AP Photo)

Gates, who served in eight presidential administrations, suggested that Bush never received the credit he deserved for quietly “greasing the skids” that saw communists slide from power in the Soviet Union.

© David Breslauer, Houston Chronicle PHOTO FILED: GEORGE HW BUSH-GROUP. 07/19/1980 – George Bush, left, returned in triumph to greet his neighbors near his southwest Houston home Saturday after being tapped by Ronald Reagan for the GOP vice presidential nomination. He took time off from having breakfast at his home with Reagan and a joint appearance at a Galleria rally to shake hands with neighbors Walter and Lois Taber and their children, Keith and Tom. David Breslauer / Houston Chronicle

“There is no precedent in all of history for the collapse of a heavily armed empire without a major war,” Gates said. “He was a figure of enormous historical importance.”

© Curtis McGee, Houston Chronicle PHOTO FILED: RONALD REAGAN-HOUSTON VISIT. 07/19/1980 – The GOP nominees – George Bush and Ronald Reagan and their wives, Barbara and Nancy – make their first post-convention appearance at the Houston Galleria shopping mall. (l-r): GOP VP Nominee George H.W. Bush, Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan, GOP Pres. nominee Ronald Reagan. Curtis McGee / Houston Chronicle HOUCHRON CAPTION (07/20/1980): It was hand-waving and cowboy hats Saturday at the Galleria as the Republican Party nominees made their first post-convention campaign appearance. Ronald Reagan, the GOP standard-bearer, and George Bush of Houston, his running mate, spoke to several thousand at the shopping center. Responding to cheers are, from left, Bush, wife Barbara, Nancy Reagan and Reagan.

Though Bush came to be widely respected by foreign leaders and diplomats, his political profile at home was different. He had long been dogged by assertions that he was a bland and hazy character, aloof and dilettantish. The image baffled him and many who knew him. He was chided for a lack of apparent vision, yet it was not his nature to view himself as a visionary.

© David Breslauer, Houston Chronicle PHOTO FILED: RONALD REAGAN-HOUSTON VISIT. 07/19/1980 – Vice presidential nominee George Bush, Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan and GOP presidential nominee Ronald Reagan. The GOP nominees make their first post-convention appearance at the Houston Galleria shopping mall. David Breslauer / Houston Chronicle

“What’s wrong with trying to help people,” he once asked. “What’s wrong with trying to bring peace? What’s wrong with trying to make the world a little better?”

To some, Bush paled in comparison to his strong-willed predecessor in the White House, but he was simply a different breed of politician: a traditional Republican whose belief in limited government was in no way at odds with his view that public service was a calling.

© Jerry Click, Houston Chronicle 11/04/1980 – (L-R) Barbara Bush leads her mother-in-law, Dorothy Walker Bush, and husband, GOP Vice Presidential candidate George Herbert Walker Bush. through a hallway at the Houston Oaks Hotel in Houston. The Bushes gathered with familly and supporters at the hotel to await the 1980 presidential election results. By the end of the evening family and supporters celebrated his election as the next Vice President of the United States. Jerry Click / Houston Post

Reagan’s famous maxim that government was not the solution to a problem but the problem itself was not Bush’s view, which might explain why his single term arguably resulted in more significant legislative achievements than Reagan’s two, among them the Americans with Disabilities Act, a bolstered Clean Air Act, and an increased minimum wage.

© Bill Thompson, Houston Chronicle 11/04/1980 – (L-R) Barbara Bush and husband, George Herbert Walker Bush, celebrate his election as the next Vice President of the United States at the Houston Oaks Hotel in Houston. The Bushes gathered with familly and supporters at the hotel to await the 1980 presidential election results. Bill Thompson / Houston Post HPOST CAPTION (11/05/1980): Bush, wife Barbara celebrate victory at Houston Oaks Hotel

Bush’s career from start to finish, especially as president, was largely free of scandal or great controversy, with one troubling exception — his role as vice president in the Iran-Contra scandal.

© Hearst Newspapers **FILE** U.S. President-elect Ronald Reagan, left, and Vice President-elect George Bush share a laugh during their first news conference in which they announced their transitional team in Los Angeles, Ca., in this Nov. 6, 1980 file photo. Reagan, the cheerful crusader who devoted his presidency to winning the Cold War, trying to scale back government and making people believe it was “morning again in America,” died Saturday, June 5, 2004 after a long twilight struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was93. (AP Photo, file) (AP)

His ethical standards rarely were questioned. His judgment was the product of studied deliberation and ample give-and-take with advisers. He regularly entertained Democratic leaders at the White House and made a great effort to develop personal relationships over drinks and a game of horseshoes, just as he had in the diplomatic world over many years.

© Betty Tichich, Houston Chronicle 11/10/1980 – Vice-President elect George Bush holds a press conference in Houston before leaving for Washington, DC where he will meet with President-elect Ronald Reagan and begin work on the transition. Betty Tichich / Houston Post

“President Bush was inclined to forgive and forget past slights, defeats, and even outrages,” said longtime aide Chase Untermeyer. “Thus did he offer rides to Maine for Senator George Mitchell, make the daughter of Senator Sam Nunn the head of the Points of Light Foundation, and — to clinch the case — become buddies with Bill Clinton.”

© John Everett, Houston Chronicle PHOTO FILED: GEORGE HW BUSH-GROUP. 11/10/1980 – Vice president-elect George Bush wearing a “Luv ya Blue” vest, enjoys a laugh with NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle during Monday night football game between Houston and New England in the Astrodome.

Bush was by nature a practical manager. He believed his job was to get something done, taking incremental steps when big ones were unobtainable. He had no use for those who would sacrifice progress on the altar of philosophical purity, nor did he regard opponents as enemies.

He was defeated in an unusual three-way contest with Democrat Clinton and Texas billionaire Ross Perot — a sour coda to a stellar career. Though he had been ambivalent about even running for reelection, the loss would gnaw on him. He believed that he left the job he signed up for unfinished.

Even years later, Bush recalled the sick feeling he carried inside for having let down the people who believed in him.

“That was the sad part for me,” he told an interviewer, “and I felt very strongly about that. I still do.”

© DC, ASSOCIATED PRESS President Ronald Reagan, left, and Vice President George H. Bush don western-style straw hats presented to them by two cheerleaders at an outdoor political rally on Wednesday, July 25, 1984 in Austin, Texas. Houston Oilers? cheerleader Cathy Ludwig, with Reagan, and University of Texas? cheerleader Leslie Scott, with Bush, made the presentation. (AP Photo)

Bush was born on June 12, 1924 in Milton, Mass., to Prescott and Dorothy Bush, the second of five children, four of them boys. His was an idyllic childhood spent among the nation’s economically privileged, with numerous trips to family estates in Maine and South Carolina.

© Barry Thumma, STF President Reagan and Vice President Bush make an appearance on the North Portico of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Sunday, Jan. 20, 1985 after the President was sworn in for his second term. (AP Photo/Barry Thumma)

Although the hardships of the Great Depression did not severely affect the Bushes, his parents tried to stress that good fortune should not be taken for granted, insisting on modesty at all times, along with concern for those going through hard times. Work mattered. Life, they insisted, was no country club affair.

© Neal Ulevich, ASSOCIATED PRESS U.S. Vice President George Bush, accompanied by Chinese Vice Premier Wan Li, reviews a Chinese armed forces honor guard during a ceremony to welcome him to Peking October 13, 1985.

Bush attended Phillips Academy, a famous boarding school in Andover, Mass., where he excelled academically and athletically. He was a favorite of his classmates, often chosen to captain the teams he was on and known to call out bullies who bedeviled the less popular students.

As he grew to adulthood, he slowly soaked up the history of generations of Walkers and Bushes and began to understand the expectations for those of his class and background — a demand for service to the public good largely divorced from personal gain. It made a deep impression on him.

© MARY URECH ROBERTS, Houston Chronicle 10/12/1987 – Vice President George HW Bush officially launched his 1988 presidential campaign in the main ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Hotel. The announcement party moved from the ballroom to the hotel’s massive lobby where the elevators were decorated with lights spelling out “Bush 88.” Mary Urech Roberts / Houston Chronicle

“Bush was a figure of an older, fading order of American power,” wrote Bush biographer Jon Meacham in “Dynasty and Power,” a 2015 authorized biography. “When his family and … friends looked at him, they saw a man who could have spent his life making and spending money, but who had chosen to obey the biblical injunction, drilled into him by his parents, that to whom much is given much is expected.”

© Scott Applewhite, ASSOCIATED PRESS Vice President George H.W. Bush sits with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, prior to a breakfast at the Soviet Embassy in Washington on Thursday, Dec. 10, 1987. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Bush’s first great test came as his days at Andover were ending, graduating in the face of a world succumbing to a widening war. He might have been able to use connections for a service academy appointment or a plum job that did not place him in harm’s way. Like many of his friends and others of his class, including Joseph and John Kennedy, he chose the opposite path.

Bush enlisted in the U.S. Navy upon finishing high school in 1942 and hoped to become a pilot. He earned his wings and was commissioned an ensign before his 19th birthday. His wartime duty was spent in the Pacific flying a three-man Avenger torpedo bomber.

© Bruce Bennett, Houston Chronicle 03/08/1988 – Celebrating his Super Tuesday election night victory, Vice President George Bush holds up a “Bush ’88, Texas Victory” t-shirt at the Westin Oaks Hotel ballroom in Houston. The shirt was presented to him by GOP state co-chair, Tom Loeffler. His wife, Barbara, stands beside him. Bruce Bennett / Houston Post

Bush piloted 58 combat missions from the carrier USS San Jacinto, but one stood out. During a Sept. 2, 1944, attack on Japanese positions on Chichi-Jima, one of the Bonin Islands, his Avenger was badly hit by flak. He was able to complete the bombing run but ordered the other two crewmen to “hit the silk” as the plane headed toward the water. He did likewise and was able to haul himself into a life raft after popping up from the sea, dazed and out of breath. His crew mates were never found.

© Craig Hartley, Houston Chronicle 06/09/1988 – Vice President George Bush waves to delegates attending the Texas Republican Party convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Behind him are his wife, Barbara Bush, and Texas GOP Chairman George Strake. Craig Hartley / Houston Post

Bush was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, yet never considered himself a war hero despite the efforts of later political advertising. “They wrote it up as heroism,” Bush said late in his life of the paperwork leading to the decoration, “but it wasn’t — it was just doing your job.”

In January 1945, while on leave, Bush wed his pre-war fiancee, Barbara Pierce. The two had met at a dance when he was at Phillips and she at a tony boarding school in South Carolina. Her family, like his, came from old money, and among her ancestors were early New England settlers. A distant relative, Franklin Pierce, was the 14th American president.

© Ira Strickstein, Houston Chronicle 09/22/1988 – Pres. Ronald Reagan and Vice Pres. George Bush at the Brown Convention Center at Republican Victory ’88 fund-raiser for Bush’s campaign for US presidency. Ira Strickstein / Houston Post

After the war, Bush and his new wife moved to New Haven, Conn., where he would begin his college education at Yale, the alma mater of his father and four other relatives.

© Eric Gay, ASSOCIATED PRESS Vice President George Bush tosses a football back to members of the traveling press corps after arriving in Houston on Monday, Nov. 7, 1988. Bush, in the last full day of campaigning, returned to Houston where he will vote on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

He graduated in under three years because of an accelerated program offered to veterans eager to make up for lost time. He again excelled at sports and captained the baseball team, for which he played first base. He was just as adept in the classroom, gaining Phi Beta Kappa distinction and an economics degree. Yet, as he acknowledged, what should have been idyllic college years had been altered by the war. The class of 1948 were serious men intent on getting out and getting going.

© Carlos Antonio Rios, Houston Chronicle CONTACT FILED: GEORGE BUSH. 11/09/1988 – Vice President George Bush press conference day after election for President of the United States. HOUCHRON CAPTION (11/05/2000): None (George Bush Mug) HOUCHRON CAPTION (11/05/2000): Then-President-elect George Bush in 1988 HOUSTON CHRONICLE SPECIAL SECTION/TEXAS MAGAZINE: 100 TALL TEXANS.

As graduation approached, Bush balked at an offer to join a prominent investment bank started by his maternal grandfather. To a friend he wrote that it bothered him to take advantage of “the benefits of my social position.”

© Ed Kolenovsky, ASSOCIATED PRESS Vice President George Bush and wife, Barbara, wave to supporters that turned out in Houston, Tex., to hear him announce he was a candidate for the Republican nomination for president of the United States, Oct. 12, 1987.

A close family friend encouraged him to think of the oil business, which would take him to Texas. Oil drilling was as foreign to him as tightrope walking or fashion design, but it appealed to his taste for risk and held the promise of great wealth.

In the summer of 1948, Bush loaded up his new Studebaker, a graduation gift, and pointed it southwest, ending up in Odessa several days later. Barbara and their new baby, George, flew down after he had found lodging in a weathered duplex, their first Texas home. Their new life began. The family friend had provided an entry-level sales position with an oilfield tool company, the bottom rung on the ladder. It should be noted this was no ordinary friend — Neil Mallon was the head of Dresser Industries, a leading oilfield equipment company.

© Carlos Rosales, Houston Chronicle Vice President George Bush, right, and Indiana Sen. Dan Quayle wave to the crowd after Bush announced Quayle would be his running mate following a riverboat cruise in New Orleans on Aug. 16, 1988.

By 1950, he, Barbara, and their two young children were living in Midland, where he had formed an oil company with a neighbor, John Overbey. Financial backing came from Bush’s father and some of his father’s friends and business contacts.

With no geologic or engineering background, Bush learned the business from the ground up, “walking fields, talking to people, and trying to make deals,” Overbey later recalled in an interview. Three years later, he and Overbey joined up with two brothers, Hugh and William Liedtke, to form Zapata Petroleum. An offshore subsidiary was formed a year later.

© Ira Strickstein, Houston Chronicle 08/27/1988 – Republican presidential candidate George Bush shows his Texas stripes, displaying a pair of cowboy boots emblazoned with the state flag during a Republican Victory 88 meeting at Houston’s Stouffer’s Hotel Saturday, Aug. 27, 1988.

Zapata raised more money and gambled on an interest in a field in Coke County that skeptics claimed was played out. One of the brothers, Bill Liedtke, said years later that the young company drilled 130 wells and never had a dry hole. As for politics, there wasn’t much time for it, though Bush did later mention his modest role as a Republican precinct worker. In one particular primary, he later recalled, perhaps apocryphally, only three GOP voters showed up: him, his wife, and a drunken Democrat who wandered into the wrong polling station.

© Richard Carson, © Houston Chronicle Photographer Richard J. Carson recorded the historical significance of Bush’s acceptance speech and the lighter side of the event 11/08/1988 when Barbara Bush puts her hand over her granddaughter’s yawn as George Bush gives a speech.

Bush enjoyed his time in Midland, learning a business, tending to a growing family and making friends who would prove important later. The closeness of the city’s business community was evident when the Bush family’s life was interrupted by tragedy. The second of the children, daughter Robin, was diagnosed with leukemia in 1953, before the disease became largely curable.

© AP ** FILE ** In this Nov. 9, 1988, President-elect George H. W. Bush holds his hands up to acknowledge the crowds applause, and ask them to allow him to continue his speech during his victory rally with grandson, George P. Bush, right, and son, George W. Bush, left, in Houston, Texas. Bush trounced Michael Dukakis 426-111 in the electoral vote, but the popular vote was closer, 53 percent to 46 percent.

His fledgling business career was all but put on hold for more than six months as he, Barbara and Robin made repeated trips to Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Barbara tried to approach their new circumstances with stoic resolve, to the point of booting visitors out of Robin’s hospital room if they cried. Her husband became increasingly emotional and often was the one who had to leave the room. Robin died later in 1953.

© King Chou Wong, Houston Chronicle 11/09/1988 – President-elect George Bush, his wife, Barbara, and his grandchildren, Jenna (left) and Barbara wave to well-wishers before they board a jet at Ellington Field the day after his election victory. At right can be seen a congratulatory sign prepared by the crew. King Chou Wong / Houston Post

“I hadn’t cried at all when Robin was alive, but after she died, I felt I could cry forever,” she recalled in a 1988 interview with Texas Monthly. “George had a much harder time when she was sick. He was just killing himself, while I was very strong. That’s the way a good marriage works. Had I cried a lot, he wouldn’t have. But then things reversed after she died. George seemed to accept it better.”

The Bushes lived in Midland for almost a decade. It was where he made his first real money — his own money — and where he established his image as a true, if transplanted, Texan, one who could down to a bowl of chili at lunch and a chicken-fried steak at dinner, snacking in between on pork rinds. Everyone in town knew George Bush — “Poppy,” his childhood nickname, had been jettisoned along with the Brooks Brothers suits — but isolated West Texas was not where he needed to be.

© J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE, ASSOCIATED PRESS Former President Ronald Reagan, left, his wife Nancy Reagan, new first lady Barbara Bush and her husband President George Bush, right, walk down the Capitol steps after the inaugural ceremony in Washington, D.C., Friday, Jan. 20, 1989. President Bush was sworn in as the nation’s 41st president. The Reagans are heading to an awaiting helicopter to take them to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., and onto California. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

A disagreement over the direction of the company led Bush to buy out the other investors in Zapata Offshore in 1959, and he soon moved the company to Houston.

During the early 1960s, Bush began to feel the political itch, or to be more precise, respond to an itch that had been there for years, and waded into a successful race for Harris County GOP Chairman to make sure it did not fall into the hands of perceived extremists in the party’s right wing, many of whom were members of the conspiracy-hawking John Birch Society.

© Hearst Newspapers Barbara Bush had a reputation as a grandmotherly figure when her husband took office in 1989, but she proved that grandmothers can be fashionable in this royal blue gown with velvet bodice, square neck and diagonal dropped waist designed by Arnold Scaasi.

Perhaps because his father had just left the U.S. Senate, Bush then brashly decided to take on incumbent U.S. Sen. Ralph Yarborough in 1964.

Though little known outside of Houston and Midland, Bush campaigned vigorously as a different sort of Republican, less in step with the northeastern wing of his father and closer to the politics of Barry Goldwater and George Wallace. He went full-tilt conservative, opposing, among other socially progressive initiatives, the pending Civil Rights Act.

Yarborough portrayed Bush as an extremist and won easily, gaining 56 percent of the vote as Lyndon Johnson swamped Goldwater in the presidential race.

© Barry Thumma, ASSOCIATED PRESS President George H.W. Bush turns and shakes hand with House Speaker Jim Wright of Texas after he announced in the White House briefing room in Washington, on Friday, March 24, 1989 that he is unveiling a Bipartisan Contra aid plan as the first plank of his emerging foreign policy. Center is Secretary of State James Baker and left is House Minority Leader Robert Michel of Ill.

After his defeat, Bush struggled to reconcile his moderate views with an election that had seen him embrace, however tentatively, an anti-progressive tone and a segregationist posture.

“This mean, humorless philosophy which says everybody should agree on absolutely everything is not good for the Republican Party or our state,” Bush wrote to a friend after the loss. “When the word moderate becomes a dirty word, we have some soul-searching to do.”

© Barry Thumma, AP President George H.W. Bush lets loose of a horseshoe during the dedication of the new horseshoe pit on the White House lawn Saturday April 1, 1989 in Washington. Other people are unidentified.

In November 1966, Bush ran for Congress and won, becoming the first Republican from Houston and the star of the growing Texas GOP. He ended up with a plum appointment to the Ways and Means committee — a party nod to the importance of Texas. His voting record was predictably conservative, though not as hard right as his previous rhetoric suggested, and he ended up voting for the Civil Rights Act, as a result receiving stacks of hate mail and some death threats.

Mike Tolson is a senior Chronicle reporter who specializes in long-term projects. He can be reached by e-mail at Mike.Tolson@chron.com.

Whole Dude – Whole Trust

“In God We Trust” – Special Frontier Force trusts President Eisenhower

Whole Dude – Whole Secret: The US military support to Tibet began during Hump Airlift Operation. I served at Dum Duma (Doom Dooma, Assam). Some flights delivered weapons and ammunition to Tibet. Special Frontier Force Reviews Hump Airlift Operation 1942 – 1945.

TIBET AWARENESS – PROJECT CIRCUS. The quest for freedom in Tibet. A military training camp known as Camp Hale was established in Colorado under the supervision of CIA officers Roger E. McCarthy and John Reagan.

**Whole Dude – Whole Trust: “In God We Trust.” The Tibetan Resistance Movement trusts President Eisenhower. Mutual Trust, Respect, and Commitment formulate the US-India-Tibet Relations.**

On July 30, 1956, US President Eisenhower signs “In God We Trust” into Law. The same year, President Eisenhower initiated action in support of the Tibetan Resistance Movement which contributed to the creation of Special Frontier Force during the presidency of John F. Kennedy.

"In God We Trust." - Special Frontier Force Trusts President Eisenhower. — **Whole Dude – Whole Trust: “In God We Trust.” – Special Frontier Force Trusts President Eisenhower. Trust, Respect, and Commitment formulate Relations between the US, India, and Tibet.**

President Eisenhower signs “In God We Trust” into law
On this day in 1956, two years after pushing to have the phrase “under God” inserted into the pledge of allegiance, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a law officially declaring “In God We Trust” to be the nation’s official motto. The law, P.L. 84-140, also mandated that the phrase be printed on all American paper currency. The phrase had been placed on U.S. coins since the Civil War when, according to the historical association of the United States Treasury, religious sentiment reached a peak. Eisenhower’s treasury secretary, George Humphrey, had suggested adding the phrase to paper currency as well.

Although some historical accounts claim Eisenhower was raised a Jehovah’s Witness, most presidential scholars now believe his family was Mennonite. Either way, Eisenhower abandoned his family’s religion before entering the Army and took the unusual step of being baptized relatively late in his adult life as a Presbyterian. The baptism took place in 1953, barely a year into his first term as president.

Although Eisenhower embraced religion, biographers insist he never intended to force his beliefs on anyone. In fact, the chapel-like structure near where he and his wife Mamie are buried on the grounds of his presidential library is called the “Place of Meditation” and is intentionally inter-denominational. At a Flag Day speech in 1954, he elaborated on his feelings about the place of religion in public life when he discussed why he had wanted to include “under God” in the pledge of allegiance: “In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource in peace and war.”

The first paper money with the phrase “In God We Trust” was not printed until 1957. Since then, religious and secular groups have argued over the appropriateness and constitutionality of a motto that mentions “God,” considering the founding fathers’ dedication to maintaining the separation of church and state.

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Whole Dude – Whole Trust: The history of Special Frontier Force-Establishment No. 22: 1957 was a turning point. India had recognized that its foreign policy of political neutralism was of no use and had started depending upon the United States to address the military threat posed by China’s occupation of Tibet. But, the effort was too modest and both India and the United States had grossly underestimated the strength of the People’s Liberation Army.

Whole Dude – Whole Trust: Establishment No. 22 – Operation Eagle: This shoulder badge represents a military alliance/pact between India, Tibet, and the United States of America. Its first combat mission was in the Chittagong Hill Tracts which unfolded on 03 November 1971. It was named Operation Eagle. It accomplished its mission of securing peace in the region that is now known as Republic of Bangladesh.

Whole Dude – Whole Trust: On June 03, 1972, His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama visited Headquarters Establishment Number.22, C/O 56 APO to inspect the Tibetan soldiers who serve in the multinational military organization called Special Frontier Force. I served as the Medical Officer at this military Establishment and my duties required the verification of mental, and physical preparedness of all the men.

**Whole Dude – Whole Trust: “In God We Trust” – Special Frontier Force Trusts President Eisenhower. Trust in God is the Foundational Principle to formulate Foreign Relations.**

"In God We Trust" - Special Frontier Force Trusts President Eisenhower. Trust in God is Foundational Principle to formulate Foreign Relations. — **Whole Dude – Whole Trust: “In God We Trust” – Special Frontier Force Trusts President Eisenhower. Trust in God is the Foundational Principle to formulate Foreign Relations.**

"In God We Trust" - Special Frontier Force Trusts President Eisenhower. Trust in God is Foundational Principle to define Foreign Policy. — **Whole Dude – Whole Trust: “In God We Trust” – Special Frontier Force Trusts President Eisenhower. Trust in God is Foundational Principle to define Foreign Policy.**

"In God We Trust" - Special Frontier Force Trusts President Eisenhower. Trust is Foundational Principle to define Relations. — **Whole Dude – Whole Trust: “In God We Trust” – Special Frontier Force Trusts President Eisenhower. Trust is the Foundational Principle to define Relations.**

"In God We Trust" - Special Frontier Force Trusts President Eisenhower. Belief in God, and Trust in Leadership. — **Whole Dude – Whole Trust: “In God We Trust” – Special Frontier Force Trusts President Eisenhower. Belief in God, and Trust in Leadership.**

"In God We Trust" — **Whole Dude – Whole Trust: “In God We Trust” – Special Frontier Force Trusts President Eisenhower. Trust survived the Test of Times.**

"In God We Trust" - Special Frontier Force Trusts President Eisenhower. December 16, 1956 witnessed Trusting Relationship. — Whole Dude – Whole Trust: “In God We Trust” – Special Frontier Force Trusts President Eisenhower. December 16, 1956, witnessed a trusting relationship. Vice President Richard M. Nixon is my Witness.

"In God We Trust" - Special Frontier Force Trusts President Eisenhower. December 16, 1956. The US-India-Tibet Relation endures for it is built upon Trust. — **Whole Dude – Whole Trust: “In God We Trust” – Special Frontier Force Trusts President Eisenhower. December 16, 1956. The US-India-Tibet Relations endure reflecting Trust.**

"In God We Trust" - Special Frontier Force Trusts President Eisenhower. Relations derive Spiritual Strength from Belief in God. — **Whole Dude – Whole Trust: “In God We Trust” – Special Frontier Force Trusts President Eisenhower. Relations derive Spiritual Strength from Belief in God.**

Whole Dude – Whole Director

Excerpt: It may be noted that there is not much awareness about CIA’s covert operations inside countries like Tibet. I sincerely appreciate the dedication of CIA officers who had served in Southeast Asia to defend freedom, and democracy in the occupied Land of Tibet.

Whole Dude – Whole Director:

Special Frontier Force pays a respectful tribute to Richard McGarrah Helms (b. March 30, 1913 – d. October 23, 2002, Washington D.C.), the Chief Spymaster of the Central Intelligence Agency from June 1966 to February 1973.

Whole Dude - Whole Spy : Richard M Helms during the year 1980, in this White House ceremony received an award from President Ronald Reagan for "Exceptionally Meritorious Service." — Whole Dude – Whole Director: Richard M Helms during the year 1980, in this White House ceremony received an award from President Ronald Reagan for “Exceptionally Meritorious Service.” It may be noted that George Herbert Walker Bush who was the Vice President at that time had also served as the Director of CIA (1976-1977)during the presidency of Gerald Ford.

Richard M Helms – The Intelligence Professional:

Whole Dude - Whole Spy: Richard Helms was appointed as the eighth Director of CIA on June 30, 1966. In a function held in the East Room, White House, President Lyndon B. Johnson is seen speaking to Dennis Helms, son of the newly sworn in CIA Director. — Whole Dude – Whole Director: Richard Helms was appointed as the eighth Director of CIA on June 30, 1966. In a function held in the East Room, White House, President Lyndon B. Johnson is seen speaking to Dennis Helms, son of the newly sworn in CIA Director.

Whole Dude - Whole Spy: This World War II era letter from Richard Helms to his young son Daniel reveals the long history of meritorious service rendered by Helms since the time he served in the wartime Office of Strategic Services. — Whole Dude – Whole Director: This World War II era letter from Richard Helms to his young son Dennis reveals the long history of meritorious service rendered by Helms since the time he served in the wartime Office of Strategic Services. This letter is most interestingly written on Adolf Hitler’s private stationery.

Richard Helms was the chief architect of the legislation, National Security Act of September 1947 that created the Central Intelligence Agency replacing the wartime Office of Strategic Services. CIA came into existence during the presidency of Harry S Truman, 33rd President of the US (1949-1952). The National Security Council that is chaired by the President was formed in 1949, CIA was established in 1951.

Whole Dude - Whole Spy: The Original Headquarters Building(OHB) reflects the vision of Allen Welsh Dulles, the 5th Director of CIA. CIA is the principle Intelligence and Counterintelligence agency of the US Government. It is organized as 1. The Intelligence Directorate, 2. The Directorate of Operations which includes espionage, 3. The Directorate of Science and Technology, and 4. The Directorate of Administration. — Whole Dude – Whole Director: The Original Headquarters Building (OHB) reflects the vision of Allen Welsh Dulles, the 5th Director of CIA. CIA is the principle Intelligence and Counterintelligence agency of the US Government. It is organized as 1. The Intelligence Directorate, 2. The Directorate of Operations which includes espionage, 3. The Directorate of Science and Technology, and 4. The Directorate of Administration.

The entrance to the Central Intelligence Agenc... — Whole Dude – Whole Director: The entrance to the Central Intelligence Agency Headquarters. In a world of sovereign nations, information is a prime element of national power. Intelligence is best defined as evaluated information, is the vital and pivotal foundation for national decisions. The Director of CIA is Adviser to the National Security Council which is chaired by the President. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Richard Helms was commissioned into US Naval Reserve during 1942 and served as Lieutenant Commander. He served with Office of Strategic Services and its successors from 1943 to 1947. He held various appointments within the CIA. He was the Deputy Director of Plans from 1962 to 1965. He was the Deputy Director of the CIA from April 28, 1965 to June 1966. Intelligence in service to Liberty found an unsurpassed Champion in Richard Helms who served two presidents, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard M. Nixon.

Whole Dude - Whole Spy: June 30, 1966 The White House. Richard Helms replaced CIA Director William F. Raborn who served from 1965 to 1966. The 5th Director of CIA, Allen Welsh Dulles attended this swearing in ceremony. — Whole Dude – Whole Director: June 30, 1966 The White House. Richard Helms replaced CIA Director William F. Raborn who served from 1965 to 1966. The 5th Director of CIA, Allen Welsh Dulles attended this swearing-in ceremony.

Allen Welsh Dulles, the 5th Director of CIA told US Congress, “The CIA should be directed by a relatively small but elite corps of men with a passion for anonymity and a willingness to stick at that particular job.” Helms truly depicts the qualities demanded by Allen Welsh Dulles. Helms said, “Intelligence was not merely a job but rather a calling.” He asked his employees to “Make Intelligence a profession, not just an occupation.”

Whole Dude - Whole Spy: During the presidency of Richard Nixon, the CIA Director was placed under tremendous pressure to accomplish the political agenda of the President without real concern for national interests. — Whole Dude – Whole Director: During the presidency of Richard Nixon, the CIA Director was placed under tremendous pressure to accomplish the political agenda of the President without real concern for national interests.

Whole Dude-Whole Spy: The National Security Council briefing by CIA Director Richard Helms. It must be noted that Dr. Henry Kissinger had used his position to undermine the importance of Central Intelligence Agency. Kissinger had also undermined the role of the Secretary of State before he became the Secretary of State. Kissinger's foreign policy initiatives are not based upon analysis of Intelligence. — Whole Dude – Whole Director: The National Security Council briefing by CIA Director Richard Helms. It must be noted that Dr. Henry Kissinger used his position to undermine the importance of Central Intelligence Agency. Kissinger also undermined the role of the Secretary of State before he became the Secretary of State. Kissinger’s foreign policy initiatives are not based upon analysis of Intelligence.

Between 1950 and 1973, the CIA had also carried on extensive mind-control experiments at universities, prisons, and hospitals which included the use of LSD and other mind-altering drugs on unwitting test subjects. However, there is a huge concern about CIA tactics to prevent Salvador Allende from winning the 1970 elections in Chile and later when CIA worked to topple him from power. CIA had tried to assassinate several foreign leaders, including Fidel Castro of Cuba. But, the CIA had not acted on its own and was only trying to serve the political bosses of their times.

Whole Dude-Whole Spy: Richard Helms got ensnared in US Congress's investigation because a successor, William Colby released a trove of documents, nicknamed "The Family Jewels" detailing the misdeeds of the Agency. Helms testified in Congressional hearings. — Whole Dude – Whole Director: Richard Helms got ensnared in US Congress’s investigation because a successor, William Colby released a trove of documents, nicknamed “The Family Jewels” detailing the misdeeds of the Agency. Helms testified in Congressional hearings.

Whole Dude - Whole Spy: Apart from the Congressional hearings, Richard Helms had faced news media during April 1975 and spoke to reporters who had very little understanding of Agency's great performance in other countries. — Whole Dude – Whole Director: Apart from the Congressional hearings, Richard Helms had faced news media during April 1975 and spoke to reporters who had very little understanding of Agency’s great performance in other countries.

Whole Dude-Whole Spy: Damage was done to the personal reputation of Richard Helms and he was painted as a dangerous CIA Director while he tried his best to serve the President and the country without any political bias. — Whole Dude – Whole Director: Damage was done to the personal reputation of Richard Helms and he was painted as a dangerous CIA Director while he tried his best to serve the President and the country without any political bias.

Whole Dude - Whole Spy: The CIA celebrated its 50th Anniversary during 1997 and the former Director Helms was most warmly received and was acknowledged for his great contribution to the Organization in a variety of capacities. — Whole Dude – Whole Director: The CIA celebrated its 50th Anniversary during 1997 and the former Director Helms was most warmly received and was acknowledged for his great contribution to the Organization in a variety of capacities.

It may be noted that there is not much awareness about CIA’s covert operations inside countries like Tibet. I sincerely appreciate the dedication of CIA officers who had served in Southeast Asia to defend freedom, and democracy in the occupied Land of Tibet.

Whole Dude – Whole Director: TIBET AWARENESS – PROJECT CIRCUS. The quest for Freedom in Tibet. A military training Camp known as Camp Hale was established in Colorado under the supervision of CIA officers Roger E. McCarthy and John Reagan.

Whole Dude – Whole Director: The history of Special Frontier Force-Establishment No. 22 can be traced back to 1957-58 when the CIA launched Operation ST CIRCUS. This Commemoration on September 10, 2010 was the first time that US had officially acknowledge the CIA operation with the Tibetans and it includes the Mustang(Nepal) Operation.

Whole Dude-Whole Spy: The CIA covert operations inside Tibet led to the creation of a military organization called Establishment Number. 22, or Special Frontier Force which was formed in 1962 during the presidency of John F. Kennedy. — Whole Dude – Whole Director: The CIA covert operations inside Tibet led to the creation of a military organization called Establishment Number. 22, or Special Frontier Force which was formed in 1962 during the presidency of John F. Kennedy.

I would like to recognize Richard M. Helms as a Cold War Era Hero who did his best to support and encourage the cause of political freedom, liberty, and democracy in the world in very difficult times.

**Whole Dude – Whole Director: Special Service Award presented by all Officers D Sector, Establishment – 22 on 19 January 1973.**

Whole Dude-Whole Spy: The Spirits of Special Frontier Force recognizes CIA Director Richard Helms as a Cold War era Hero. — Whole Dude – Whole Director: The Spirits of Special Frontier Force recognizes CIA Director Richard Helms as a Cold War Era Hero. Helms was skeptical about the likely success of large-scale covert actions meant to manipulate political and economic events abroad. CIA should not try to bite more than what it can chew.

I say Richard Helms is the greatest Spymaster who had ever served the Central Intelligence Agency and what do you want to say?

English: Official work by the Central Intellig... — Whole Dude – Whole Spy: The Central Intelligence Agency must become the Champion of Freedom and Democracy in the rest of the world. In its entire history of existence, the CIA’s work in Tibet truly reflects the ideals of Human Rights, Peace and Liberty.

Whole Dude – Whole Champion

EXCOMM meeting at the White House Cabinet Room... — Whole Dude – Whole Champion: A special tribute to Spymaster John Alexander McCone, the 6th CIA Director who played a leading role during the Cuban Missile Crisis. EXCOMM meeting at the White House Cabinet Room during the Cuban Missile Crisis on October 29, 1962. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Excerpt: Establishment – 22 is the child of CIA’s Secret War in Tibet and it will be correct to recognize CIA as the ‘Mastermind’ of this operation to defend Freedom, and Democracy in the occupied Land of Tibet. Special Frontier Force take this opportunity to pay a special tribute to its ‘Master’, John Alexander McCone (b. January 04, 1902 – d. February 14, 1991) who served as the Director of CIA from November 1961 to April 1965.

Special Frontier Force – The Great Spymaster:

Whole Dude – Whole Champion: A special tribute to Spymaster John Alexander McCone, the 6th CIA Director who played a leading role during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Special Service Award presented by all Officers D Sector, Establishment -22 on 19 January 1973.

Establishment No. 22 is a military establishment that represents a military pact/alliance between the United States, India, and the Tibetan Government -in-Exile. It came into existence during November 1962 and during 1966, this organization was named Special Frontier Force. Between the Central Intelligence Agency and the members of Special Frontier Force there has been a Master-Student relationship. Establishment – 22 is the child of CIA’s Secret War in Tibet and it will be correct to recognize CIA as the ‘Mastermind’ of this operation to defend Freedom, and Democracy in the occupied Land of Tibet. Special Frontier Force take this opportunity to pay a special tribute to its ‘Master’, John Alexander McCone (b. January 04, 1902 – d. February 14, 1991) who served as the Director of CIA from November 1961 to April 1965.

Whole Dude-Whole Master: This is a special tribute to Spymaster John Alexander McCone who served as CIA's 6th Director from November 1961 to April 1965. — **Whole Dude – Whole Champion: This is a special tribute to Spymaster John Alexander McCone who served as CIA’s 6th Director from November 1961 to April 1965.**

John A. McCone obtained a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of California at Berkeley. He built his career in the steel, construction, shipping, shipbuilding, and aircraft production industries. He founded the Bechtel-McCone Steel Company and his role in shipbuilding, and military aircraft production had attracted the attention of President Harry S. Truman who had appointed him to the Air Policy Commission in 1947 to develop strategy for American military airpower. During 1948, he was appointed as the Special Deputy to the Secretary of Defense. In 1950, he was appointed as Undersecretary of the Air Force. President Dwight Eisenhower appointed him as the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission during 1958 and held that position until 1961.

Whole Dude-Whole Master: In this photo taken during 1958, John A. McCone, Chairman of the World Affairs Council is seen with General Lauris Norstad, Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers in Europe. — Whole Dude – Whole Champion: In this photo taken during 1958, John A. McCone, Chairman of the World Affairs Council is seen with General Lauris Norstad, Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers in Europe.

Whole Dude-Whole Master: U.S. delegates to the Fourth General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria 1960. Left to Right:- Ambassador John S. Graham, Vice Admiral Paul F. Foster, US Navy(Retd), the Permanent U.S. Representative to the IAEA, and John A. McCone, Chairman of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. — Whole Dude – Whole Champion: U.S. delegates to the Fourth General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria 1960. Left to Right:- Ambassador John S. Graham, Vice Admiral Paul F. Foster, US Navy (Retd), the Permanent U.S. Representative to the IAEA, and John A. McCone, Chairman of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.

During his tenure as the Chairman of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, John McCone made very significant disclosures about Israel’s nuclear capabilities. After the disaster of the Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba, President Kennedy forced the resignation of the CIA director Allen Welsh Dulles and Richard Bissell, the Deputy Director for Plans and Operations who had a major role in making the plan for this CIA’s Black Operation. In a very surprising, and sudden move, President Kennedy called John McCone, a Republican to take charge of the Central Intelligence Agency disregarding the fact that McCone had no prior experience in Intelligence.

Whole Dude-Whole Master: President John F. Kennedy's selection of Spymaster during 1961. Left to Right:- Allen Welsh Dulles, 5th Director of CIA, Richard Bissell, Deputy Director of Plans/Operations, President John F. Kennedy, and the newly selected 6th Director of CIA, John A. McCone. — Whole Dude – Whole Champion: President John F. Kennedy’s selection of Spymaster during 1961. Left to Right:- Allen Welsh Dulles, 5th Director of CIA, Richard Bissell, Deputy Director of Plans/Operations, President John F. Kennedy, and the newly selected 6th Director of CIA, John A. McCone.

Whole Dude-Whole Master: September 27, 1961. President Kennedy with CIA Director Allen Dulles and his new pick, John A. McCone. — **Whole Dude – Whole Champion: September 27, 1961. President Kennedy with CIA Director Allen Dulles and his new pick, John A. McCone.**

Whole Dude-Whole Master: November 29, 1961. President John F. Kennedy with outgoing CIA Director Allen Dulles. — **Whole Dude – Whole Champion: November 29, 1961. President John F. Kennedy with outgoing CIA Director Allen Dulles.**

Whole Dude-Whole Master: November 29, 1961. President John F. Kennedy welcomes the 6th Director of CIA, John Alexander McCone. — **Whole Dude – Whole Master: November 29, 1961. President John F. Kennedy welcomes the 6th Director of CIA, John Alexander McCone.**

Whole Dude-Whole Master: John Alexander McCone gets the task of "rebuilding" CIA after the Bay of Pigs debacle. — **Whole Dude – Whole Champion: John Alexander McCone gets the task of “rebuilding” CIA after the Bay of Pigs debacle.**

Whole Dude-Whole Master: A new chapter in the history of CIA. John Alexander McCone became the "Government's principal foreign intelligence Officer" and he would work the heads of all departments and agencies, such as the State, Defense, the Attorney General, and the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, that have responsibilities in the foreign intelligence field. In this photo McCone is seen with Robert Kennedy, the Attorney General. The DCI would coordinate and direct the total intelligence community. — Whole Dude – Whole Champion: A new chapter in the history of CIA. John Alexander McCone became the “Government’s principal foreign intelligence Officer” and he would work the heads of all departments and agencies, such as the State, Defense, the Attorney General, and the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, that have responsibilities in the foreign intelligence field. In this photo McCone is seen with Robert Kennedy, the Attorney General. The DCI would coordinate and direct the total intelligence community.

John McCone played a leading role in strengthening the intelligence gathering abilities of CIA by launching a technological revolution. On August 05, 1963, he created the Directorate of Science and Technology.

Whole Dude-Whole Master: May 01, 1964. Presidential candidate, New York State Governor, Nelson a. Rockefeller gets Intelligence briefing. Left to Right:-John McCone, DIC; Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller; Robert S. McNamara, Defense Secretary; Dean Rusk, Secretary of State. Photo credit: Francis Miller/Time & Life. — Whole Dude – Whole Champion: May 01, 1964. Presidential candidate, New York State Governor, Nelson A. Rockefeller gets Intelligence briefing. Left to Right:John McCone, DIC; Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller; Robert S. McNamara, Defense Secretary; Dean Rusk, Secretary of State. Photo credit: Francis Miller/Time & Life.

McCone was responsible for a number of covert operations in Vietnam, Laos, Cuba, Ecuador, and Brazil. John McCone was present in the meeting held at The White House on November 19, 1962 to enter into an agreement/pact with India, and the Tibetan Government-in-Exile to formulate Establishment No. 22/Special Frontier Force to address the military threat posed by People’s Republic of China’s military occupation of Tibet. This operation that involves India and Tibet remains a secret. McCone was a key figure during the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. He predicted that the Soviet Union would place offensive nuclear weapons in Cuba. However, he had differences with President Lyndon B. Johnson and had resigned from his post during April 1965 and was replaced by Admiral William F. Raborn. President Ronald Reagan during 1987 presented John McCone with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

I say that John McCone was one of the best managers that CIA ever had. I call him a Whole Champion. What do you want to say?

**Whole Dude – Whole Champion: Spymaster John Alexander McCone created the Directorate of Science and Technology on August 05, 1963 and launched technological revolution in Intelligence**

Whole Dude – Whole Spy

English: DCI Richard Helms, in the White House... — Whole Dude – Whole Spy: The Spymaster of Special Frontier Force. The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Richard Helms, in the White House Cabinet Room. His famous quote: “God did not give prescience to human beings.” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Whole Dude – Whole Spy:

Richard M Helms – The Intelligence Professional:

**Whole Dude – Whole Spy: Special Service Award presented by all Officers D Sector, Establishment – 22 on 19 January 1973.**

I say Richard Helms is a great Spymaster who had ever served the Central Intelligence Agency and what do you want to say?

Whole Dude – Whole Flame

Indira Gandhi – 25 Years after the Assassination of the Spirit of an Indian Army Officer:

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: **The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life.** **The Nation remembers its beloved leader 25 years after her assassination.**

25 years ago, on October 31, 1984, Mrs. Indira Gandhi was brutally assassinated by her own bodyguards. The Nation has recently mourned her death and has also celebrated her 92nd Birth Anniversary.

**Whole Dude – Whole Flame: On September 18, 1983, a tiny flame got extinguished; a spirit got crushed at South Block, the Secretariat Building, New Delhi.**

A year before her assassination, on September 18, 1983, Srimati. Indira Gandhi was unaware of the fact that a tiny flame got extinguished; a spirit got crushed at the Ministry of Defence Headquarters, South Block, the Secretariat Building in New Delhi. The Prime Minister’s office is also in the same building. I would like to share that story; the story about a young Medical Officer who joined the Army Medical Corps with a spirit to serve the Nation. The top bureaucrat of the Army Medical Corps chose to use his power and position to kill the spirit of this Junior Officer in broad daylight. The story begins and ends during the years Srimati. Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India.

This story narrates events in the course of my life’s journey and it does not mean that it pertains to past. These events belong to the life of the Nation. The entity called Nation has a life and has an existence of its own. As long as this entity known to us as Bharat or India exists, this story remains relevant and it cannot be buried as the remains of an individual’s past life. As long as I am alive, I would keep my memory alive and I will ask the Nation to read pages from its own life.

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life.THE NATIONAL SPIRIT – A TINY FLAME GOT EXTINGUISHED. This Flame represents the ‘National Spirit’ of a Junior Officer who was serving in the Indian Army Medical Corps.This Flame got extinguished not because of Enemy Action.

The top bureaucrats in 1983 were not able to grasp any ethical considerations. A sense of objectivity got lost and only the sense of self-preservation characterized the actions of top ranking officials. Srimati. Indira Gandhi paid a very heavy price because of the trust she had placed in some of these career opportunists who had no real interest in serving the Nation.

The Spirit of Indian Nationalism:

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life. I grew up in the post-independence era of a newly born Nation and was inspired by the Father of the Nation to seek National Identity and National Individuality.

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life. I grew up as a kid drawing inspiration from India’s First Prime Minister to express my sense of loyalty and allegiance to a Nation called the Republic of Bharat or India.

On November 14, 1958, I was a student at Danavaipeta Municipal High School, Rajahmundry when we first celebrated the Children’s Day. The School had received a brand new Public Announcement System and I gave a very inspired and eloquent speech during the School Assembly and had expressed my love and a sense of attachment to Prime Minister Nehru. During 1962, Prime Minister Nehru visited Nizamabad District to inaugurate the irrigation project at Pochampadu on the banks of River Godavari. Government Giriraj Arts College, Nizamabad had declared a Holiday. Myself, my father R. Suryanarayana Murthy who was then the Principal of that college, many of Staff Members and students converged at that venue in show of our love and admiration for Prime Minister Nehru.

This story narrates events in the course of my life’s journey and it does not mean that it pertains to past. These events belong to the life of the Nation. The entity called Nation has a life and has an existence of its own. As long as this entity known to us as Bharat or India exists, this story remains relevant and it cannot be buried as the remains of an individual’s past life. As long as I am alive, I would keep my memory alive and I will ask the Nation to read pages from its own life. THE CHINESE AGGRESSION AND THE INDIAN ARMY’S DEFEAT IN 1962. I RECOGNIZED THAT INDIA MUST GET UNITED TO OPPOSE FOREIGN INVASION AND CONQUEST.

During 1962, in the wake of massive brutal attack by Communist China across the Himalayan frontier, I developed a wish to serve in the Indian Army which had experienced a very humiliating defeat. I was a student at Government Giriraj Arts College, Nizamabad. From 1962 to 1965, I had participated in the National Cadet Corps training, but I was not sure as to how I can to get into Army Service.

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life. On January 24, 1966, Indira Gandhi became the First Woman Prime Minister of India heralding the Dawn of a New Era in India’s National Life.

I was a second year M.B.B.S. (First M.B.B.S. Part III) student at Kurnool Medical College, Kurnool when Srimati. Indira Gandhi was chosen as the third Prime Minister of India. She had symbolized the spirit of Indian Nationalism. She had transcended the limitations imposed by deriving identity based upon region, religion, caste, and language. I was instantly attracted by the charisma of her personality which portrayed my vision of National Unity.

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life. The Charisma of Indira Gandhi – She had portrayed my vision of National Unity. Image by Bettmann/CORBIS

I sent her a letter in my hand writing expressing my sense of pleasure for her appointment as the Prime Minister. She had graciously sent me a reply. In the year 1967, I met her at her official residence in New Delhi along with a batch of Student Delegates attending a National Student Seminar on National Integration. This four-week long Seminar was sponsored by Vishwa Yuvak Kendra, International Youth Center, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life: The National Student Seminar on National Integration organized by Vishwa Yuvak Kendra during June 1967 gave me the opportunity to declare that Indian people must come together and foster National Unity based upon a sense of devotion to the Nation and must not get distracted by an Identity that could be derived from a sense of social affiliation or association that is related to a person’s attachment to a particular region, religion, language, and caste. I had advocated that men must seek marital social relationships based upon National Identity and not that of Caste Identity.

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life. Srimati. Indira Gandhi – A symbol of National Unity and a call for National Integration.

National Integration represents the idea of people of all regions and religions coming together, to work together, and to participate in National Affairs as equals. During 1969, a team of Army Medical Corps Officers had arrived at Kurnool Medical College, Kurnool to conduct interviews for selection of Final Year M.B.B.S. students for the grant of Short Service Regular Commission. Myself, and another student by name Ahmad Vali Jan got selected in the interview but he opted out. I was granted the rank of Second Lieutenant. I made this deliberate choice to join the Indian Army Medical Corps to serve the Nation and to take part in National Affairs to the fullest extent that could be possible.

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life: The decision to serve in Indian Army Medical Corps was made at Kurnool and I was granted Short Service Regular Commission in the rank of Second Lieutenant after an interview conducted at the Principal’s Office in the Administrative Block of Kurnool Medical College. Dr. Bhasker Reddy, Principal conducted this interview along with a team of Army Medical Corps Medical Officers.

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life: The Flag of Indian Army Medical Corps. I made a deliberate choice to join the Army Medical Corps to serve the Nation.

**Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life**: I will give the entire credit to Dr. Sripada Pinakapani, M.D., who served as Professor of Medicine and the Superintendent of Kurnool Government General Hospital until his retirement during August 1968, for his initiative to Extinguish the Spirit of Nationalism that I displayed while I was a student at Kurnool Medical College. He opposed my idea of ignoring my Brahmin Caste Identity to formulate a marital social relationship based upon a National Identity. He influenced my paternal uncle, Dr. R. Anjaneyulu, M.D., D.G.O., Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, B.J. Medical College and Sassoon Hospitals, Pune and he directed him to use his social contacts with Senior Army Medical Corps Officials at Armed Forces Medical College, Pune to defeat my intention to have a marital relationship with a person who does not belong to the Brahmin Caste. This threat was communicated to me verbally and in a personal letter that was sent to my father who was asked to deliver the threat to me. I had to relent and delayed my plans for marriage in a bid to avoid this confrontation. I was allowed to join the Indian Army during July 1970 after obtaining my M.B.B.S. degree with the expectation that I would not compromise my Brahmin Caste Identity.

On Saturday, July 26, 1970, I reported for duty at Officers Training School, Army Medical Corps Centre & School in Lucknow to attend the BMOC 20/70 Training Course. I completed my medical internship training in Military Hospital, Ambala Cantonment in July 1971 and was fully ready for my role as a Medical Officer to provide medical care and support to our troops. Indeed, the opportunity to serve the Nation came to be true to my desire and my expectations.

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life. The Prime Minister whom I knew. The first posting of my Indian Army Career took me to the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Secretariat.

Special Frontier Force – Operation Eagle 1971 -Liberation War of Bangladesh – Gallantry Award:

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life. OPERATION EAGLE 1971 – A HISTORICAL MILITARY ACTION TAKEN BY PRIME MINISTER INDIRA GANDHI

This retired Indian Air Force Officer Parvez Jamaszi knows about my association with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her battle plan code-named Operation Eagle that initiated the Liberation of Bangladesh during 1971. He was awarded the Gallantry Award of Vir Chakra for his participation as a helicopter pilot.

Operation Eagle – Gallantry Award: Flight Lieutenant Parvez Rustom Jamasji, Indian Air Force Helicopter Pilot provided airlift to the battle casualties in the conduct of Operation Eagle, Bangladesh Ops in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Operation Eagle – Gallantry Award: Service Number IC-22805 Major Survendra Singh Negi, The Grenadiers, served as a Company Commander, South Column, Operation Eagle, Bangladesh Ops, the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

During 1971, I joined Special Frontier Force on deputation from Indian Army. I was sent to work at Headquarters Establishment No.22 and as my service was supervised by the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Secretariat, I got an opportunity to know and to carry out Srimati. Indira Gandhi’s decisions in furtherance of her Foreign Policy initiatives. During the conduct of India-Pakistan War of 1971, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi approved the military operations in the Chittagong Hill Tracts which initiated the Liberation of Bangladesh from Pakistani military dictatorship.

Lieutenant Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands(December 1985 to December 1989) – Lieutenant General(Retd) TS Oberoi, PVSM, VrC., former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Headquarters Southern Command, Pune, former Inspector General, Special Frontier Force, former Commandant, Headquarters Establishment No. 22. He is the tall person in this photo wearing dark brown turban. I knew him since 1971. Under his able leadership, the Liberation of Bangladesh had commenced in the year 1971 during the Indo-Pak War.Apart from his military wisdom, he took a good care of all men under his Command. While I was proceeding to Chittagong Hill Tracts, he had individually greeted all the members of my team and had delayed the departure of aircraft to ensure that a hot breakfast was served to all the men boarding the aircraft. He paid personal attention to all the aspects of the military mission to ensure the wellbeing of men apart from achieving success in accomplishing the military task. The sense of warmth he radiated is easily felt when we meet him in person. His grandson provided me the link to this photo. Photo Credit – Trishna-Ajay-Picasa Web Album.

The remarks made by Lt Col B K Narayan on May 13, 1972 in my Annual Confidential Report for 1971-72 are as follows:”A very conscientious and Tough MO who worked hard during the Bangladesh OPs. He did very well and showed Maturity which was beyond the call of duty. I have recommended this Officer for a gallantry award for which he deserves eminently. He is physically Tough and cheerful. Is a fresh entrant with less than 2 years of Service and yet he displayed capability and confidence.

**Remarks of Lieutenant General T S Oberoi, PVSM, VrC, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief,Headquarters Southern Command Pune 411001.He had remarked about my participation in the Indo-Pak War of 1971.**

**Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life.** MS-8466 CAPTAIN R.R. NARASIMHAM,AMC/SSC. During the 1971 War, at a critical juncture, as the Unit waited for Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s decision, this Medical Officer acted with decisive Courage inside the enemy territory and had accomplished his military Mission. The Medal Known as ‘POORVI STAR’ symbolizes India’s victory in Indo-Pak War of 1971.

**Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life.** **Poorvi Star 1971. It is the evidence of my participation in the Indo-Pak War of 1971.**

The Sweetest Moment of my Military Service:

The Sweetest Moment of my Military Career – I experienced a very Sweet moment called “MADHURYA” when I medically evacuated my battle casualties from the helipad at Borunasury (BONAPANSURIA), a Border Security Force Post in Mizo Hills after capturing the first enemy position during the 1971 War.

The Medical Directorate at the Indian Army Headquarters had failed to process the citation that was forwarded to them by my South Column Unit which took part in the Chittagong Hill Tracts military operation. I was recommended the Gallantry Award of ‘VIR CHAKRA’ and I was the only Officer in my Unit who had not received the Award for which the Unit had submitted a citation. However, I had enhanced the prestige of Army Medical Corps and for the first time in the history of the Army Medical Corps; I had performed the duties of a Medical officer, a Nursing Assistant, and an Ambulance Assistant while medically evacuating critically wounded soldiers; marching in a remote, roadless, forest terrain for over forty miles and I had maintained the patients in a stable condition throughout the difficult land journey. I was overjoyed by this uplifting experience. My patients had survived their battle injuries. I narrated this story to the Director General of Armed Forces Medical Services in an interview that was held in September 1972 at the Headquarters Ministry of Defence, New Delhi and I was granted Direct Permanent Commission in the Army Medical Corps just based upon the powerful story that I had narrated to the DGAFMS.

This Medal known as Sangram Medal symbolizes my transition from Short Service Commission to that of Direct Permanent Commission. President V.V. Giri under his signature granted me the Short Service Regular Commission. President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy signed and proclaimed the grant of Permanent Commission. I was connected to these two National Leaders from my early childhood days spent in Madras before the formation of the State of Andhra and later Andhra Pradesh.

The Proudest Moment of my Military Career:

**Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life**: Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Walong War Memorial

“The Sentinel Hills that round us stand

Bear witness that we loved our Land;

Amidst shattered rocks and flaming Pine,

We fought and died on Namti Plain.

O’ Lohit gently by us glide,

Pale stars above us softly shine,

As we sleep here in Sun and rain.”( Poem composed by Bernard S Dougal, Deputy Commissioner )

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life. This Medal known as ‘Sainya Seva Medal’ with ‘NEFA’ clasp speaks of the time I spent serving in the North East Frontier Agency, now known as Arunachal Pradesh.

**Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life. Special Service Award presented by all Officers D Sector, Establishment 22**

During 1962, Indian Army resisted the Chinese aggression and the men gave their lives defending Walong. During 1972, I had the good fortune to visit the War Memorial and filled up my heart with a sense of pride. There is Dignity and Honour in fighting for the Nation and in resisting the enemy. I received the 25th Independence Anniversary Medal during the 25th year of my life’s journey and I received the Medal as a Blessing. Pride is not defined by Victory or Defeat in the Battle. I display PRIDE in resisting the enemy and in defending my territory; victory and defeat are shaped by forces beyond my control.

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life. 25th Independence Anniversary Medal symbolizes my desire to serve the Nation with DISCIPLINE, DIGNITY, AND HONOUR.

India Enters the Nuclear Era:

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life. During 1974, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi made the bold decision to test a nuclear device at Pokhran, Rajasthan.

I fully support India’s decision to test a nuclear device and defend our National interests, and our territorial integrity. During 1979, while taking part in a military exercise, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit the test site at Pokhran in Rajasthan State.

The Unholy Brahmin Alliance in Pune: I was backstabbed at Armed Forces Medical College, Pune:

THE UNHOLY BRAHMIN ALLIANCE AT PUNE: I attended ‘The Advanced Training in Paediatrics Course at Armed Forces Medical College, Pune from December 1975 to April 1976. At that time Major General B D P Rao was the Commandant of AFMC Pune. To my personal misfortune, the Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Pune University was also a Brahmin. The Unholy Brahmin Alliance buried my career in the Indian Army Medical Corps without giving any further chance to improve my professional qualification.

**Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life**: This is the photo image of the letter that was sent to Pune University communicating the fact of my disqualification (Advanced Training in Paediatrics Course) in a Screening Examination that was held at AFMC Pune during April, 1976. I am not blaming Lieutenant Colonel S P Kalra, the Chief of the Department of Paediatrics for this disqualification. He had disqualified me in one component of the Screening Examination, the Oral test he had given. He had no control or jurisdictional power over the results of the other two components (Written Examination and Practical Examination) of the Screening Examination. He had simply reacted to the rudeness displayed by the Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Pune University to a simple request that I had communicated to the Dean on behalf of Naval Army Medical Corps Officer Captain Sachdeva, the Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, AFMC Pune.

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life. Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College Pune – The Unholy Brahmin Alliance at Pune : The Disgraceful, Dishonest, and Infamous Phone Conversation between two Brahmins of Pune recorded during April, 1976; 1. The Commandant of AFMC Pune, and 2. The Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Pune University, the Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, B. J. Medical College and Sassoon Hospitals Pune. I heard this Phone Conversation at my paternal Uncle’s Office in the Sassoon Hospitals. Both parties of this phone conversation had agreed to share lies about the results of the Screening Examination that was held at AFMC Pune during April 1976 and both had agreed not to further investigate the matter and ascertain the real facts about the assessment of my performance in the Written and Practical Components of this Screening Examination. Both the parties knew the reason for Lieutenant Colonel S P Kalra’s displeasure and had decided not to intervene and provide him with a reasonable response to a simple, verbal request that he had asked me to communicate to my Uncle, the Dean of Faculty of Medicine, Pune University.

Major General B D P Rao was the Commandant at Armed Forces Medical College, Pune while I attended the ‘Advanced Training in Paediatrics Course from December 1975 to April 1976. He had literally backstabbed me by falsifying my performance sheet and had lied about the results of my performance in the Screening Examination. Group Captain Krishnamurthy, the Additional Professor of Medicine who acted as the Chief Examiner for the Screening Examination had personally expressed his sense of utter remorse and he was shocked beyond belief that I was not allowed to continue my ‘Advanced Training in Paediatrics’ Course. I was most unceremoniously got kicked out of Armed Forces Medical College, Pune and was posted out. Group Captain Krishnamurthy was not only satisfied with my performance, but also he had actually communicated the results of my performance to my paternal uncle (Dr. Rebbapragada. Anjaneyulu, M.D. Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, B.J. Medical College, and The Sassoon General Hospitals, Pune) who was then serving as the Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Pune University. In my presence, as I was closely listening to the phone conversation, my uncle had called Major General BDP Rao and had questioned him about his decision to disqualify me from the Advanced Training Course in Paediatrics. The General made a statement about my performance over the phone and stated that I had failed in the written examination, practical examination, and the oral test. Group Captain Krishnamurthy, the Additional Professor of Medicine who had actually evaluated my performance in the written examination, and had conducted my practical examination had directly admitted to me that there was no justification to disqualify me in those areas where he was responsible for the evaluation work. I was hurt, the wounds did not kill my spirit to continue in Service. I did not demand a Court of Inquiry to prove the guilt of Major General BDP Rao who belonged to my South Indian Brahmin community. I have very specific reasons to call him a ‘BACKSTABBER’. Major General B D P Rao’s daughter (Captain Uma Ramachandran) had also attended the same Advanced Training Course in Paediatrics and she was present when Group Captain Krishnamurthy openly announced to the entire batch of AMC Officers claiming that I scored the highest marks in the Written part of the Screening Examination. Before this Screening Examination, while serving at the Military Hospital Wing of Headquarters Establishment no.22, I performed the duties of the Medical Specialist, and later also of the Surgical Specialist when these Specialist Officers availed their two months annual leave. When these Specialists proceed on casual leave, I used to provide cover at their respective departments. The Units where I served have immensely valued my professional service and the appreciation was duly recorded in my Annual Confidential Reports. Prior to the Screening Examination, the Department of Medicine conducted an Interim Test and I stood first in the entire batch of AMC Officers getting trained by the Department of Medicine at AFMC, Pune.The results of this Interim Test were publicly announced in the class room by Major Kalipatnam Seshagiri Rao AMC, a Staff Member of the Department of Paediatrics. Captain Uma Ramachandran, was also present in the class room during this announcement. All this Record of Service and performance did not help me to receive a fair chance to complete my Advanced Training. General B.D.P.Rao may have never believed in serving the Nation and was a mere career opportunist who got promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General . His departure from Armed Forces Medical College, Pune gave me an opportunity to show and to prove my academic merit. My failure in the Screening Examination and the Disqualification in the Advanced Training in Paediatrics Course 76 is entered into my Record of Service and hence this information is Private and is Confidential. However, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune chose to dishonour this Rule of Confidentiality and has openly communicated my Failure in the Screening Examination to The Registrar, University of Pune, Ganeshkhind, Pune-7 by sending him Letter No. 3410/Gen/76 dated 11 May 76. The Registrar, University of Pune has no Right to this Private and Confidential information about my Performance in a Training Program conducted by Indian Army. Armed Forces Medical College, Pune has acted in a reckless manner causing a Breach of my Privilege. I have not given permission to Armed Forces Medical College to disclose the information from my Record of Service. Hence, I would openly demand and ask the Government of India, Ministry of Defence to remove the information that pertains to the Advanced Training in Paediatrics Course 1976 from my Record of Service. Armed Forces Medical College, Pune must be suitably warned and be directed to avoid such violations in the future.

On 11 May 1976, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune has violated the Rights of Indian Army Medical Corps Commissioned Officers. Officers have the Rights to keep information in their Record of Service as Private and Confidential. I would openly demand Government of India, Ministry of Defence to exclude this information about my Performance in the Screening Examination from my Record of Service. Armed Forces Medical College, Pune must be warned and be directed to avoid such Violations in the future.

The Award of The Director General of Armed Forces Medical Services Silver Medal in 1976:

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life. I attended the Medical Officers Junior Command Course (MOJC) No. 67/76 at Armed Forces Medical College, Pune from June to September 1976.

I was posted to First Armoured Division after my disqualification in ‘The Advanced Training in Paediatrics’ Course in April 1976. In June 1976, I again went back to Armed Forces Medical College, Pune to attend the Medical Officers Junior Command Course (MOJC 67/76). Major General Daryao Singh was the Commandant at AFMC, Pune. He awarded me Grade ‘A’ for my performance in this Course. Later, Lieutenant General R.S. Hoon, the Director General of Armed Forces Medical Services invited me to come to Pune and receive the DGAFMS Silver Medal. I attended the Awards Function held at AFMC, Pune along with my wife and daughter and received this Silver Medal. My name as a recipient of the DGAFMS Medal in 1976 is displayed both at AFMC, Pune and at AMC Centre and School in Lucknow.

**Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life. THE DGAFMS MEDAL AWARDED BY ARMED FORCES MEDICAL COLLEGE, POONA**

Apart from awarding this DGAFMS MEDAL in the Medical Officers Junior Command Course-67 held in 1976, The Commandant, the Professor of Medicine, the Professor of Pathology, and the Professor of Social & Preventive Medicine at Armed Forces Medical College, Pune gave a written recommendation that I should be allowed to undergo Training in Paediatrics. Based upon this strong written recommendation, I reapplied for Advanced Training in Paediatrics during 1977 and my application was rejected by Lieutenant General BDP Rao.

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life. 67 Medical Officers’ Junior Command Course Report from Armed Forces Medical College, Pune.

Major General Daryao Singh, AMC, Commandant of Armed Forces Medical College, AFMC Pune had strongly recommended my name on 11 October 1976 for attending Advanced Training in Paediatrics. Professor of Medicine, Professor of Surgery, Professor of Pathology, and Professor of Preventive Medicine had remarked that I would do well as a Specialist and had noted my interest in Paediatrics. They had personally interviewed me and had evaluated my performance during the MOJC Course.

I applied for Advanced Specialist Training in Paediatrics during 1977-79. My application was Strongly Recommended by all Reviewing Officers along the entire length of the Chain of Command. My application was rejected. On 22 October 1977, I submitted a Non-Statutory Complaint against this decision. On 8 December 1977, the Director of Medical Services, Army Headquarters had simply informed me that my Complaint was rejected. No reason was stated. I had no answer about my non-selection for the Specialist Training Course. While rejecting my Complaint, the Director of Medical Services (Army) also made a very surprising decision. The Director also disallowed MR-3363 Captain K VAIDYA from attending the Advanced Specialist Training in Pathology Course 1977-79 after selecting him for that Course. Captain K Vaidya’s name also appears in the letter dated 11 May 1976, the letter sent by Armed Forces Medical College, Pune to The Registrar, University of Pune informing that he had failed in the Screening Examination held in April 1976. I never wanted to harm Captain K Vaidya. The action to reject my Complaint was validated by disallowing Capt K Vaidya from attending the Pathology Training Course. Lieutenant General BDP Rao and Brigadier VVS Pratap Rao during 1977 conspired to exclude my name during the Selection process and obstructed me from attending the Training Course in Paediatrics and Captain K Vaidya became a victim of this Conspiracy.

The Political Eclipse and the Triumphant Return of Mrs. Indira Gandhi:

**Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life. The Political Eclipse and the Triumphant Return of Indira Gandhi.**

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life. This Nine Years Long Service Medal was awarded to me after Indira Gandhi’s triumphant return to power in 1980 .

During my military service, Srimati. Indira Gandhi lost her political power for a period of three years from 1977 to 1980. From 1976 to December 1978 I served in First Armoured Division under the command of Major General K S Sundarji and have known his personal qualities as a military Commander.

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life. The ambition for promotions and the career oppotunism of this Military Commander may have played a role in the sad killing of Mrs. Indira Gandhi. She made a mistake in choosing him for execution of ‘Operation Blue Star’.

During December 1978, I was posted to Army Ordnance Corps Centre, Secunderabad at the end of my tenure at First Armoured Division. I witnessed the tragic loss of Mrs. Padma Sundarji and shared my comments in a different blog post. While I was posted at First Armoured Division, I again tried to attend ‘The Advanced Training in Paediatrics Course’. Lieutenant General B.D.P. Rao, a fellow South Indian Brahmin continued to delight himself by denying me an opportunity to improve my professional qualification. I had filed a ‘Non-Statutory’ Complaint and it was rejected by the Chief of Army Staff based upon a recommendation given by the Director of Medical Services (Army) who had acted after consulting with the Director General of Armed Forces Medical Services about my Non-Statutory Complaint. I did not bring this problem to the attention of the Defence Minister and had silently endured this insulting and prejudicial conduct to keep my Spirit alive to Serve the Country.

Telugu People Value Self-Respect and Dignity:

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: The Burning Spirit of Nationalism was instrumental in all the major decisions of my Life. N.T.R. Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao became the 10th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh in January 1983.

I am not one of those Fan Club members. Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao was an advocate of the Cultural Identity of Telugu people and he had demanded the restoration of Self-Respect for Telugu people. I was amongst those people who had voted in favour of Telugu Desam Party which he created. My single vote did not put N.T.R. into the seat of power. My vote may have only symbolized a desire to take part in National Affairs while upholding the principle of Self-Respect and Personal Dignity. I was acutely aware of my own ill-treatment and I was deeply offended by the behaviour of the top bureaucrat of the Army Medical Corps. My applications for Study Leave were getting rejected without any reason.

A FLAME THAT GOT EXTINGUISHED AT SOUTH BLOCK, THE SECRETARIAT BUILDING, NEW DELHI:

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: My first application dated January 17, 1983 to relinquish my Permanent Commission got rejected. While I was in New Delhi waiting to meet the Defence Minister, Lieutenant General Banerjee, the Director of Medical Services contacted me and had asked me to submit a fresh application. Fortunately, the Commandant of Army Ordnance Corps Centre, Secunderabad was also camping in New Delhi to attend a meeting at this Secretariat Building.On September 17, 1983, on the front foot steps of this South Block Building facing Rajpath, the Commandant of Army Ordnance Corps Centre signed my application to relinquish my Permanent Commission in the Army Medical Corps. This application dated September 17, 1983 was directly submitted to the Director of Medical Services and was not processed through the normal Staff Channels. Next day on September 18, 1983, I had a personal interview with the Union Minister of State for Defence.

On January 17, 1983, while serving as the Senior Regimental Medical Officer at Army Ordnance Corps Centre, Secunderabad, I submitted an application to Brigadier A M Bhattacharya, the Commandant of AOC Centre and sought his permission to relinquish my Permanent Commission in the Army Medical Corps. At that time, Lieutenant General V.V.S. Pratap Rao was the Director General of the Armed Forces Medical Services. General Rao had visited Military Hospital, Secunderabad during the 1982 AMC Day Celebration and had openly assured all the AMC Officers that he would support all Officers who would seek to relinquish their Commission. He did not view the job of AMC Officers in terms of a patriotic duty. I was personally frustrated as he would not allow me to improve my professional qualification and made me ineligible to seek any future Specialist Appointment in AMC. On the basis of his public assurance and his attitude about rendering Service to the Nation, I decided to quit this hopeless struggle of serving without any Self-Respect or Dignity. Meantime, AOC Centre had also received a transfer order that posted me to serve as a Medical Officer in a Medical Battalion, a Unit located in Mizoram. People at the AOC Centre who had known my Record of Service had immediately recognized that the posting order was issued to specifically undermine my ability to seek advancement in the military career and to deny an opportunity to give me substantial Service Experience. At its face value, the posting order intended to insult me for it shows no concern for my length of service and experience. The Commandant, AOC Centre, Secunderabad refused to serve me that unfair and unjust posting order and he did not ask me to move to the new station. AOC Centre, Secunderabad had simply refused to issue a ‘Movement Order’ and did not relieve me from my duties and responsibilities as the Senior Regimental Medical Officer. The Centre Commandant had very firmly insisted that the Medical Directorate must first decide on my application to leave army service. During 1983-84, Army Ordnance Corps Centre, Secunderabad was my bastion of support and the Officers at the Centre united behind me and resisted the implementation of a transfer order which displayed all the characteristics of a foul play.

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: Recommendation of Brigadier AM Bhattacharya, Commandant AOC Centre, Secunderabad dated 19 January 1983. During September 1983, he served as the Commander of Central Ordnance Depot, Delhi. He personally briefed Lieutenant General Banerjee, Director of Medical Services (Army) about my personal interview with the Defence Minister on 18 September 1983 and he made arrangements to deliver my second application dated 17 September, 1983 direct to DMS (Army) Office in New Delhi.

Service With Pride and Honour:

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: Brigadier J Verghese, Commandant AOC Centre, Secunderabad was in New Delhi on 17 September 1983. He signed this document while standing in front of Ministry of Defence at South Block, the Secretariat Building in New Delhi.

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: Shri.Rebbapragada Ramananda Rao. He served as an Officer in the British Royal Navy and had Commanded British Naval Vessels during the Second World War and had taken part in Allied Forces Naval Operations in the Indian Ocean particularly attacking German submarines and escorting mercantile vessels from the Port of Aden to Bombay. He believed in Service with Pride, Dignity, and Honour. He helped me to resist the undignified behaviour displayed by General V.V.S. Pratap Rao, the Director General of Armed Forces Medical Services during the year 1983. He had written letters and spoke to the Union Cabinet Ministers and to the Member of Parliament to support my application to relinquish my Permanent Commission in the Army Medical Corps.

General V.V.S.Pratap Rao refused to grant me permission to relinquish my Permanent Commission and had started demanding AOC Centre to implement the posting order that was issued to me. I decided to bring this issue to the attention of the Union Minister of State for Defence. Before I could get a chance to seek a formal interview with the Defence Minister, General Rao submitted my application to the Defence Minister and recommended to him to reject my resignation application. My request to leave Army Service got rejected and AOC Centre was again asked to implement my posting order to that Medical Battalion. In an effort to uphold my personal dignity, and with help and support of my uncle (Shri. Rebbapragada. Ramanand Rao, Industrial Consultant), I contacted Shri. Kotla Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy who was then the Union Cabinet Minister for Shipping and Transport, Shri. Pendekanti Venkata Subbaiah who was then the Union Minister of State for Home & Parliamentary Affairs, and Shri. R. Prabhu who was the Member of Parliament (7th Lok Sabha Member during 1983). All of them had strongly supported my view that I should demand to uphold my Self-Respect and personal dignity and asked me to oppose the illegal harassment that I was facing. Shri. Pendekanti Venkata Subbaiah had also personally demanded General V.V.S. Pratap Rao to cancel the posting order that was issued. General Rao asked Lieutenant General Banerjee who was the Director of Medical Services (Army) during 1983 to cancel the posting order issued to me and at the same time he insisted that I should be reposted to the same Station in Mizoram but in a different capacity. The Director of Medical Services was not allowed to deal with my situation in any other manner. I was then posted to the Border Roads Organisation Task Force (CE Project Pushpak) located in Mizoram. Army Ordnance Corps Centre, Secunderabad had again refused to issue a ‘Movement Order’ in compliance with this new posting order. The Director of Medical Services had openly expressed his remorse about this interference in his duties and responsibilities and communicated his feelings to Brigadier A M Bhattacharya. Then, I decided to travel to New Delhi and speak directly to the Defence Minister about my application that I submitted on January 17, 1983. Shri. Kamakhya Prasad Singh Deo was the Union Minister of State for Defence. Shri. Singh Deo’s younger brother was serving as the Adjutant at 125 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army) located at Trimulgherry, Secunderabad. This Territorial Army Unit was attached to the Medical Inspection Room of Army Ordnance Corps Centre, Secunderabad. As the Medical Officer of this Territorial Army Unit I had provided them medical support and Lieutenant Colonel Ranjit S Grewal, the Commanding Officer of the Unit was very pleased with my services. Shri. Singh Deo’s younger brother helped me to plan my visit to New Delhi.

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: My personal interview with Shri.Kamakhya Prasad Singh Deo, Union Minister of State for Defence took place on September 18, 1983 in his office at Ministry of Defence, New Delhi. The Minister’s younger brother was serving as Adjutant at 125 Infantry Battalion (TA) in Secunderabad. This letter was issued to me by Lt Col Ranjit S Grewal, Commanding Officer, 125 Infantry Battalion (TA) on February 27, 1983 several months before my personal interview with the Defence Minister.

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: Shri.Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy, the Union Cabinet Minister for Shipping and Transport had arranged for my personal interview with the Union Minister of State for Defence on September 18, 1983.

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: Shri.Pendekanti Venkata Subbaiah, the Union Minister of State for Home and Parliamentary Affairs arranged for my personal interview with the Union Minister of State for Defence on September 18, 1983.

Whole Dude – Whole Flame: Shri.PRABHU, R, the Member of 7th Lok Sabha spoke to Shri. K P Singh Deo, the Union Minister of State for Defence in support of my application to relinquish Permanent Commission.

The Assassination of the ‘Spirit’ of Indian Army Medical Corps Officer:

K.P. Singh Deo - A Flame got Extinguished in September 1983 in South Block. — **Whole Dude – Whole Flame: Shri. K P Singh Deo, the Union Minister of State for Defence granted me a personal interview in his office on September 18, 1983 setting aside the Service Protocol.**

My personal interview with Shri. K P Singh Deo was very frank and I made my case very clear. He did not suggest to me that I should continue to serve in the Army with a sense of patriotism. He did not speak about any National Spirit or Nationalism. He did not say a word to justify the actions of General V.V.S. Pratap Rao. Prior to this interview on September 18, 1983, Shri Singh Deo had specifically directed General V.V.S Pratap Rao to change the rules that had made me ineligible to seek Study Leave, and to seek Specialist Appointments. General Rao did not act upon the ruling in spite of very clear and specific instructions given by the Minister. General Rao had kept that ruling as a secret and did not communicate the orders issued by the Defence Minister to the Director of Medical Services. At the time of my personal interview, the Defence Minister was not aware of the fact that General Rao had deliberately concealed information that pertains to my application. General Rao had apparently desired to keep both of us in darkness at the time of this interview. I went to the interview with the assumption that the Defence Minister had failed to act upon my application. Shri. Singh Deo met me under the assumption that he had already taken action to resolve my concerns about Study Leave and Specialist Appointments and my professional growth in the Army Medical Corps. The Defence Minister may have believed that I have other personal reasons for relinquishing the Commission. I did not state any personal reasons in my first application but I illustrated some of them in my second application dated September 17, 1983 and I had emphasized the fact that I want to serve with a sense of Pride and Honour and uphold the principles of Service Discipline. I joined the Army Medical Corps as a Final Year M.B.B.S. student with a spirit to serve the Nation and to participate in National Affairs with a sense of Pride and Self-Respect. It was not my intention to support myself or my family without upholding my dignity to wear Uniform and serve with a sense of Honour. The Minister accepted my request and I was granted the permission to relinquish my Permanent Commission and I was relieved of my duties on January 10, 1984 and I had lost no time and left Secunderabad immediately and departed from India. General V.V.S.Pratap Rao could not move me to Mizo Hills and I served at AOC Centre, Secunderabad until the morning of January 10, 1984. All of my statements could be verified from documents that are archived at Medical Personnel Records Section (Officers), Headquarters Ministry of Defence, New Delhi.

The Assassination of the Prime Minister:

**Whole Dude – Whole Flame: I received the tragic story of assassination of the Prime Minister while I was working in the Land Forces of Sultanate of Oman.**

Srimati. Indira Gandhi had unfortunately trusted her top bureaucrats. I had known the personal qualities of Lieutenant General T S Oberoi who was serving as the General Officer Commanding- in – Chief at Headquarters Southern Command, Pune during 1983. General Oberoi had also served as the Inspector General of Special Frontier Force after sucessfully Commanding the troops during the Indo-Pak War of 1971 in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The Operation Blue Star had involved the participation of Commandos of the Special Frontier Force. General T S Oberoi had deeply cared for his men under his Command. He would have executed that kind of difficult military mission with due care and concern for his men and also the civilians. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had failed to seek guidance from Lieutenant General T S Oberoi about the execution of Operation Blue Star. She did a mistake in not showing adequate trust and confidence in a senior Army Commander. Sikh Officers serving in Indian Armed Forces are members of a National Service and we take pride in serving the Nation. During my service, I have not seen any Sikh Officer or other rank displaying a clan mentality or a sectarian attitude.

This is a picture taken at Headquarters ‘D’ Sector, C/O 99 APO during 1972 before I had appeared in the AMC Examination of 1972 for the grant of Direct Permanent Commission in Army Medical Corps. At that time, I was serving in Assam and North East Frontier Agency(Arunachal Pradesh).This photo symbolizes National Unity. We are all partners in defending our Nation. Sikh Officers of Indian Armed Forces treated me with Love, Affection, and Respect. The ‘FLAME’, the Spirit to serve the Nation got Extinguished by a person who belonged to my clan and my Telugu Speaking, South Indian Brahmin Community.

Lt Gen T S Oberoi is seen wearing helmet in a picture taken in 1982. As Commander of Headquarters Establishment No. 22, he had served the Nation with great distinction during Indo-Pak War of 1971. He was promoted to the rank of Major General. He then replaced Major General Sujan Singh Uban,AVSM and became the Inspector General of Special Frontier Force while I had served there. I knew him well. As a Commander he had belonged to the men he had Commanded. He does not belong to a ‘sect’ or a ‘clan’. He belongs to the Nation. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi made a fatal mistake. If she had reposed her trust and confidence in General Tirat Singh Oberoi, the Story of Operation ‘Blue Star’ would have been different.

Indira Gandhi – A Flame that got Extinguished : The Spirit of Nationalism that I have nurtured as a student at Kurnool Medical College got extinguished during January 1984 and I had left India. The same year, Dr. Sripada Pinakapani, M.D. who had directly opposed my desire to serve the Nation received the award of PADMA BHUSHAN from India’s President Zail Singh.

The Flame got Extinguished – The Heart has given place to Lord Rama:

**Whole Dude – Whole Flame: After departing from India in 1984, my heart is now filled with the image of Lord Rama to guide me in my life’s journey.**

After leaving India in 1984, I could not get a chance to revisit the country. Now, I continue my life’s journey with a new spirit guided by the image of Lord Rama.

THE SPIRITS OF SPECIAL FRONTIER FORCE:

Service Numbers: MS-8466 AMC/Short Service Regular Commission & MR-03277K MAJOR AMC/Direct Permanent Regular Commission

Medical Officer South Column Operation Eagle 1971-72

Headquarters Establishment Number 22 C/O 56 APO (1971-74)