Living a very comfortable life, we often forget that this life doesn't come to us for free. There are some men in uniform giving their sweat and blood 24x7 for us to live that way. Here are 10 stories of such brave men, who not only saved the lives of many with their gallantry but also showed us the true meaning of bravery. For their supreme acts of bravery, cold courage and devotion to duty, they were also decorated with the Param Vir Chakra, the highest Indian gallantry award.

Major Som Nath Sharma

Major Sharma was awarded the medal for his bravery in the Kashmir operations in November 1947. Even though his right hand was cast in a plaster, he insisted on being with his comrades in battle.

While he was busy fighting the enemy, a mortar shell exploded on the ammunition near him. His last message to Brigade HQ was received a few moments before he was killed. He said, "The enemies are only 50 yards from us. We are heavily outnumbered. We are under devastating fire. I shall not withdraw an inch but will fight to our last man and our last round."

The brave soldier gave his life fighting, but prevented the fall of Srinagar and perhaps the Kashmir Valley to Pakistan.

Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria

When a civil war-like situation developed in Congo after the Belgians quit the country, the United Nations opted for military intervention to retrieve the situation in which India contributed by sending an army of around 3000 men to the UN Force.

Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria, who was commissioned in the 1 Gorkha Rifles in June 1957, prevented the enemy from going to the roundabout, saving the UN Headquarters in Elizabethville from encirclement. He was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra for his extraordinary leadership and devotion to duty.