Tamil Nadu - Chennai   

Maj. Gen Rangaswami passes away

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: Maj. Gen.V. Rangaswami, a retired decorated Army Medical Corps officer, passed away on October 12 after a brief illness.

Lauded as a hero by his fellow men in green, Maj Gen.V. Rangaswami was Vir Chakra awardee and Bar of the Army Medical Corps.

He graduated from medical college in the early years of World War II, and was persuaded by the British and Indian Medical Service officers to join the armed forces. He joined the Indian Medical Service as lieutenant in June 1942, was trained at the Indian Hospital Corps Centre, Rawalpindi, and first posted to the Indian Military Hospital, Peshawar.

Going on to sketch a glorious career, he was posted as Regimental Medical Officer (RMO) of the 2/2 PUNJAB regiment, then stationed in South India, after serving in the military hospitals at Pune and Bangalore. During his tenure as RMO with the unit, he participated in the thick of all manoeuvres in the North Africa and Burma campaigns.

He was later posted to the Parachute Field Ambulance unit, forming part of the only Parachute Brigade functioning then. However, it was during his second tenure with the unit, in 1948, serving under Maj. Gen. (later Gen.) K.S.Thimayya in Jammu and Kashmir that he earned his first Vir Chakra.

In March 1951, he was selected as the surgeon of the Indian Field Ambulance under the American Parachute Brigade forming part of the UN forces in Korea.

His colleagues in the Armed Forces Veteran Officers' Association remember fondly about how Rangaswami and his son R. Loganathan, then a lieutenant with the mechanised infantry, made parachute jumps from the same aircraft, a C119 G Fairchild Packet, flying over Agra, in August 1964. During his later years, Gen. Rangaswami had a memorable time commanding hospitals and working as surgeon, including as the Military Advisor's Staff in the United Kingdom.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Stress on techniques to tackle `burning problems'
DMK talking to alliance partners: Karunanidhi
Left sees no hitch in sharing of posts
Fatal pond throws up disturbing questions
Competent Authority launches its website
Sri Lankan Film Festival begins
Address stigma faced by prostitution victims: DGP
Maj. Gen Rangaswami passes away
Northeast monsoon may set in shortly in State
Probe ordered against Minister and his kin
Film musicians honoured
Massive greening campaign comes to an end
Victory for money and muscle power: Vaiko
Children dissect the insect world on `Creepy Crawly Day'
NCC cadets return with medals
Women tied up, jewels robbed
Eye-opener for Exnora
Seven held, pirated CDs seized
PDMA design contest
Managemantra fair from October 27
Defence witnesses to be examined
Stars at Arthritis Day function
Pollution Control Board strives for less noisy Deepavali
Five pocket-pickers held
Blue Dart to induct third freighter
Malayalam plays to be staged on October 29
DMK planning to let loose violence: Jayalalithaa
Pay 20 per cent bonus to workers: CITU
"DMDK is a growing force"
An artificial victory, says Jayalalithaa
Broken link
Anniversary celebrations
Bonus for Civil Supplies staff
Around the City
In Chennai Today

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu