The death of General V N Sharma (retd), former Chief of the Army Staff, marks the end of an era. He was among the last surviving officers commissioned into the Indian Army during the early years of Independence. He received his commission in June 1950 in the 16th Light Cavalry, but how he chose the Armoured Corps is a fascinating story in its own right.Gen Sharma neither wrote an autobiography nor had a biography written about him. However, he recorded a series of detailed video interviews reflecting on his career progression. One such series was conducted by educationist and author Nivedita Mukerjee, who published the interactions on her YouTube channel.Gen Sharma recalled training for two years at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, after joining in June 1948. During his first term, he wanted to join the Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (EME)—as it was known then—driven by a fascination for aeronautical engineering and working with engines.By his second term, his preference shifted to the Regiment of Artillery, inspired by his elder sister’s marriage to an artillery officer. “I visited her at the Artillery Centre and School and was quite impressed by two brothers in the Artillery—Sartaj Singh and Hartaj Singh. Sartaj went on to become a Lieutenant General and Army Commander, while Hartaj retired as a Major General. Hartaj was at the IMA and motivated me to become a Gunner,” Gen Sharma recalled.In his third term, Gen Sharma, who was by then performing exceptionally well at the academy, was advised by his battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel S K Korla (later Major General), to join the Gorkhas. Lt Col Korla, a highly decorated officer originally from the Baloch Regiment who earned a Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and a Military Cross (MC) during World War II, had commanded 2/1 Gorkha Rifles after Independence and wanted Sharma in his regiment.Meanwhile, the Deputy Commandant of the IMA, Brigadier Man Mohan Khanna (later Lieutenant General) of the Kumaon Regiment, wanted him to join 4 Kumaon, his own battalion.“By my fourth term, I realised I had relatives all over the Army. My father was a Major General in the Army Medical Corps, my elder brother who died in the 1947 Kashmir War was from the Infantry (Kumaon Regiment), my sister’s husband was in the Artillery, and another sister’s husband was in Signals. I felt there would be immense pressure on me to perform if I joined any of their regiments or corps. So, I decided to join the Armoured Corps because I had no relatives in it,” he said.Story continues below this adGen Sharma also shared that when filling out his top three preferences for arm/service allotment before passing out from the IMA, he listed the 16th Light Cavalry as his first, second, and third choice.“The board of officers allotting regiments questioned my choices and said they were filled incorrectly. But I insisted that since I was passing out third in order of merit, I had the right to choose my regiment,” he said.The senior officers relented, and despite his father’s reservations—who did not get along with the Colonel of the Regiment of 16th Light Cavalry—a young Second Lieutenant Sharma joined the unit.Also Read | Military Digest: 100 years of Indianisation of the Army and early concerns of British officersGen Sharma’s health declined rapidly following a terminal diagnosis. In mid-July, while travelling down from Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh toward Delhi, he stopped at a roadside eatery in Una and collapsed. According to Group Captain Deepak Ahluwalia (retd), an alumnus of RIMC Dehradun (where Gen Sharma also studied), Western Command authorities promptly airlifted the former Army Chief by helicopter from Una to the Command Hospital in Chandimandir.Story continues below this adMajor Guneet Chaudhary (retd), who served in the 66 Armoured Regiment—which Gen. Sharma once commanded—and is the Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic in Chandigarh, liaised with hospital authorities during his stay. Gen. Sharma was later transferred to the Army Hospital (Research & Referral) in Delhi Cantonment for advanced care, where his terminal illness was detected.“He remained calm and composed despite the pain, strictly followed doctors’ instructions, and even with a broken upper denture, insisted on eating properly with a fork and knife,” recalled Major Chaudhary.Group Captain Ahluwalia shared that Gen. Sharma was deeply at peace with his approaching end. He even told his elder brother, Lieutenant General S N Sharma (retd), that he was looking forward to reuniting with his late wife, who had died years earlier. Requesting to spend his final moments at home, he died in his sleep on July 31.