I'm a news junkie and was reading this report from Fallujah when I came across a tres Desi surname - Lt. Neil Prakash.

Did some googling and it turns out that Lt. Prakash is a recent neuroscience major from Johns Hopkins whose hope as he joined ROTC was to be in the tank corp and see some action. Like many Desi's, he was on a path to med school -

1st Lt. Neil Prakash is the platoon commander, in the lead tank. Prakash was born in Bangalore, India, and came to the U.S. as a baby. His parents are both dentists and he was planning a career in medicine like his siblings when he enlisted in ROTC and discovered his true passion. Prakash doesn’t smoke, but he’s having a cigarette now. While waiting for the order to go in, he’s just gotten word of video images from an overhead drone. They indicate that squads of insurgents are on many rooftops armed with machine guns and RPGs...

While I'm working on my facial tan from the glow of the CRT on my desk, Lt Prakash is perhaps 25 yrs old and is the platoon commander leading 4 70-ton tanks crewed by 16 soldiers through the streets of Fallujah. Sure makes me feel like a slacker...

Suffice to say, Prakash survived the RPG fire and had a prominent role in yesterday's Telegraph report on the fighting in Fallujah-

"Guys with short brown hair, dark pants and carrying AK-47s were moving in groups of between two and five across the road to a yellow building," said Lt Neil Prakash, the tank commander. "Then some started throwing Molotov cocktails and pouring gasoline on the road to create a smokescreen."

...Lt Prakash was asked to provide a grid co-ordinate.

(warning - somewhat gory details ahead)

... "[Remote artillery] landed on the left side of the building and I saw three bodies fly into the air," he said. "It was awesome."

Lt Prakash radioed that the rounds were right on target and requested 10 more to ensure maximum killing effect.

..."One of the men was in a sniper position on the building," said Lt Prakash. "I saw him fall off, hit the ground and bounce up. There were about five bodies that went three, four, five storeys up in the air. I'd already counted between 40 and 50 men going into that building. There were men running out, coughing and doubling over. The second lot of rounds took them out and all those who had been crossing the road.

Belated Veteran's day honors from Sepia Mutiny - Lt. Neil Prakash.