New Delhi, April 15 : The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Friday paid tribute to Late Marshal of Air Force Arjan Singh on his 103rd birth anniversary and recalled the contributions made by him. Marshal Arjan Singh was born on April 15, 1919 at Lyallpur (now Faisalabad in Pakistan). At age 19, he was selected for training at RAF College, Cranwell, and was commissioned into the Royal Air Force as a pilot officer in December 1939. He was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for outstanding leadership, great skill and courage in the Burma Campaign during World War II. When India gained Independence, he led the fly-past of more than 100 IAF aircraft over the Red Fort in Delhi. On August 1, 1964, Arjan Singh took over as the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) in the rank of Air Marshal at age 44. In the 1965 war, the IAF gained air superiority over Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and helped the Indian Army score strategic victories. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan during the 1965 War. After retiring in July 1969 he continued serve the nation as the Ambassador to Switzerland, the Holy See and Liechtenstein from 1971 to 1974 following which he headed the High Commission in Kenya from 1974 to 1977. He served as a member of The Minorities Commission from 1978 to 1981 and as Lt Governor of Delhi from 1989 to 1990. The Indian government conferred the rank of the Marshal on Arjan Singh in January 2002, making him the first ‘Five Star’ rank officer of the IAF. To commemorate his contribution, the Air Force Station at Panagarh was renamed as Air Force Station Arjan Singh in 2016. “His dynamic personality, professional competence, leadership and strategic vision sets him apart as an icon of the Indian Air Force,” the IAF said. AO MR