Courage and Conviction is a tell-all autobiography of General V. K. Singh, who served in the Indian Army for forty-two long years and retired as the Chief of Army Staff on 31st May, 2012. Summary The book is his about his journey in the Indian Army and his distinguished career, which saw him on the front lines of combat in the Indo-Pak War of 1971. The readers get a good insight and some untold stories of his experiences in the war. He was also a part of the Peace Keeping Force sent to Sri Lanka. General V. K. Singh has always been blatantly honest about his views and in the book he writes about instances when he had to take a firm stand on many issues, from deployment of the army against the Maoists to procurement of arms. V. K. Singh was trained at the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy. He has served in some of the most crucial and important regions of the country. He recalls his early days in the Army when he was appointed as the company commander on the LOC in Poonch, to his later of days when he was commanding and leading the most elite regiments in Jammu and Kashmir and the vast eastern Command. He also writes about his experiences in military operations like the Blue Star movement and Brasstacks and Trident. His life story is truly inspirational and makes an amazing read. He has been very direct, compelling and sometimes a little controversial in this book and has never been afraid to stand by his convictions. About V. K. Singh General Vijay Kumar Singh is a retired general of the Indian Army, who served as the 26th Chief of Army Staff. He was the first commando to be promoted general. He was also the first serving Indian military chief to take the Government to court. He is the first Indian armed forces officer to be inducted into the United States Army War College. He has been been honored with numerous Medals, from the Param Vishisht Seva Medal to the Yudh Seva Medal for his distinguished service during Operation Pawan.