The military fraternity have expressed grief over the passing of Lieutenant General Vijay Oberoi, remembering him as a soldier’s soldier who turned battlefield adversity into a lifelong template for resilience.Lieutenant General Vijay Oberoi, a former vice-chief of the army staff, passed away at the Command Hospital in Chandimandir on June 14 following a brief illness. He was 84. (File photo)Former army chief and Union minister General VK Singh (retd), who is now the governor of Mizoram, expressed his condolences on social media, highlighting his indomitable spirit. “Deeply saddened by the passing away of Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, former VCOAS. A legendary soldier who did not let a battle casualty stop his climb to the highest ranks of the Indian Army. His tireless work for the welfare of disabled veterans through the War Wounded Foundation will always be remembered. Sincere condolences to the family. May his soul rest in peace. Om Shanti.”Panchkula-based General VP Malik (retd), former chief of army staff and a peer from their National Defence Academy days, echoed this sentiment: “Despite being a battle casualty and losing a leg in the 1965 war, he climbed the ladder through sheer determination and professional excellence. He inspired generations of soldiers.”Fellow officers from the Maratha Light Infantry recalled him as a strategic mastermind who refused any special concessions for his physical disability, consistently outperforming peers in demanding operational commands.Lt Gen Oberoi, a former vice-chief of the army staff, passed away on June 14 at the Command Hospital in Chandimandir, near Panchkula, following a brief illness. He was 84. He was cremated with full military honours at the Sector 25 cremation ground in Chandigarh. The solemn ceremony was attended by senior serving defence officers, members of the veteran community, and his family. He is survived by his wife, Daulat Oberoi—who remained his steadfast anchor throughout his decades of service and post-injury recovery—and his daughter, Rashmi Oberoi.Defying limitationsCommissioned into the 1st Battalion of the Maratha Light Infantry (Jangi Paltan) in June 1961, Lt Gen Oberoi’s career spanned over four decades of active service. In 1961, he participated in the military operations that liberated Goa from Portuguese rule. In the Indo-Pak War of 1965, he was grievously wounded during an engagement with Pakistani infiltrators in the Dachigam forest of Jammu and Kashmir. The battlefield injury resulted in the amputation of his right leg.Refusing to accept a desk profile, he fought his way back to active field service. He rose through competitive selection to command an active infantry battalion, an infantry brigade, an armoured division, and a corps. He later served as the director general of military operations (DGMO), general officer commanding-in-chief of the Army Training Command (ARTRAC), and GOC-in-C of the Western Command, before retiring as the vice-chief of army staff (VCOAS) on September 30, 2001.Active post-retirement yearsFollowing the 1999 Kargil War, Lt Gen Oberoi was credited with reshaping and rewriting the Indian Army’s conventional war doctrines to match modern geopolitical realities. His post-retirement years were equally impactful. He served as the founder-director of the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), establishing it as India’s premier land-war strategic think tank. As the founder-president of the War Wounded Foundation, he became a fierce advocate for the financial independence, honour, and long-term rehabilitation of war-disabled veterans.To visually demonstrate that determination overrides physical limitations, he successfully ran the Mumbai Marathon at the age of 72 using his prosthetic limb.