Lt Gen Mohinder Puri was commissioned into the Third Gorkha Rifles in June 1966. An alumniof the National Defence Academy and Indian Military Academy, he had held various command and staff appointments in the field and at the Army Headquarters. In the Kargil War 1999, he commanded 8 Mountain Division which spearheaded the Indian counter offensive against Pakistan, capturing Tololing and Tiger Hill which became household names during the War. He superannuated in April 2006 as the Deputy Chief of the Army Staff. He has written a book Kargil: Turning the Tide which is a first hand account of the War.