An Afghan cadet Hameed Abdul Majid, who joined 56 NDA with Bravo Squadron. Hameed was an extremely motivated Cadet though deceptive to the eye, maybe then, because he felt responsible about the concerns of his family and the folks back home. He would sometimes share his apprehensions about their safety and the political situation in Afghanistan during later terms in The Academy. He was a fun loving guy at heart, open hearted, smiling his white pearlies and still more often behave in a little restrained manner being difficult to break into his cocoon. He shared a warm interaction with squadron mates though he was a man of few words. He had a persona of a Warrior and his steely determination was visible in his cross country runs when like a tiger he ran with a steady pace, his head held high, with his eyes on the finish line. He excelled in PT and felt very much at home in the Academy.

Sometime around 2001/2002, Wg Cdr Hameed was posted in Kandahar as a base commander. Massoom was his 2IC, who wasn't flying those days being a Mad Cat. One night when Massoom was on duty a message came about rebels attacking a base near the AF station. Massoom informed Hameed about it who asked him to ready two aircrafts for night strike. Only Hameed flew, the other pilot could not reach the base. He pounded the rebel position several times. He flew the MiG-21 in one attempt real low to have a better strike but unfortunately his aircraft was hit by a rebel's missile. Hameed ejected but was captured by the rebels. He was shot within an hour and buried the same night. His wife and daughter with the help of relatives brought the remains from the grave a few months later for an honorable burial in Kabul.

🙏May his soul rest in peace🙏