General Vishwa Nath Sharma, PVSM, AVSM, ADC, was the 15th Chief of Army Staff

Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army

The Chief of the Army Staff is the commander and usually the highest-ranking officer of the Indian Army. The position is abbreviated as COAS in Indian Army cables and communication....

 of the Indian Army

Indian Army

The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...

. He is the younger brother of the late Major Som Nath Sharma

Som Nath Sharma

Major Som Nath Sharma was the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, the highest Indian gallantry award. He was awarded the medal posthumously for his bravery in the Kashmir operations in November 1947. He died while evicting Pakistani infiltrators and raiders from Srinagar Airport during the...

, recipient of Independent India's first Param Vir Chakra

Param Vir Chakra

The Param Vir Chakra is India's highest military decoration awarded for the highest degree of valour or self-sacrifice in the presence of the enemy. It can be, and often has been, awarded posthumously....

. Both brothers were educated at the Prince of Wales' Royal Indian Military College, Dehradun

Dehradun

- Geography :The Dehradun district has various types of physical geography from Himalayan mountains to Plains. Raiwala is the lowest point at 315 meters above sea level, and the highest points are within the Tiuni hills, rising to 3700 m above sea level...

. V.N. Sharma went on to join the fifth Regular Course at the Indian Military Academy

Indian Military Academy

The Indian Military Academy, Dehradun is the officer training school of the Indian Army. IMA was established in 1932.-Demands for an Indian military training academy:...

 and he was commissioned on 4 June 1950 into the 16th Light Cavalry.

He fought in the 1965 War against Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

 in the Lahore

Lahore

Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

 Sector. He has commanded an Armoured Regiment and also a Mountain Brigade in an insurgency affected area. Awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal

Ati Vishisht Seva Medal

Ati Vishisht Seva Medal is a military award of India given to recognize "distinguished service of an exceptional order" to all ranks of the armed forces....

 for distinguished service, General Sharma took over as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command, on 1 June 1987 and was appointed Honorary Army ADC to the President on 25 July 1987. He took over as the Chief of Army Staff

Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army

The Chief of the Army Staff is the commander and usually the highest-ranking officer of the Indian Army. The position is abbreviated as COAS in Indian Army cables and communication....

 on 1 May 1988. He retired on 30 June 1990.