Second World War On 1 May 1941, Raina was attached to the 10th Battalion of the
8th Punjab Regiment, but subsequently considered the air force and briefly served as a cadet in the
Indian Air Force during July–August 1941. which became the
Kumaon Regiment in 1948. Raina initially joined 10/19 Hyderabad, then at Agra, but was posted to 2/19 Hyderabad in December 1942.
Post-Independence Over August 1949 - January 1951, Raina served as Indian Army Liaison Officer at the School of Infantry in Warminster, UK. He was the Brigade Commander at
Chushul in
Ladakh during November 1962. He was awarded the
Maha Vir Chakra for his handling of the Battle of
Chushul. He was a veteran of the
1962 war and
1971 wars. On 5 January 1965, Lieutenant-Colonel Raina was appointed Brigadier General Staff (BGS) of the
XXXIII Corps in
West Bengal. As a major general, Raina went on to become the
General Officer Commanding (GOC) of
25 Infantry Division in
Poonch. On 7 October 1971, Raina was appointed GOC of
II Corps in the Khulna sector, with the acting rank of
Lieutenant General. He raised the Corps in
Krishnanagar and commanded it during operations in the Eastern Theatre of the
Indo-Pakistani war of 1971, where it captured the important towns of
Khulna,
Jessore,
Jhenida,
Magura and
Faridpur and also the area between the rivers
Ganges and
Padma. For his contributions in the war Raina was awarded the
Padma Bhushan. He served as the Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army from 1 June 1975 to 31 May 1978. During his tenure as the COAS, the central government led by
Indira Gandhi declared a state of national emergency in
India. Before the imposition of the emergency, it is believed that the Prime Minister asked for the Army's support in the venture, but General Raina bluntly told the Prime Minister ''that the army would not be used to 'further her ends' but obey only those orders of a 'legally construed government.' '' . This was considered a crucial moment that kept the Indian Army out of politics at a critical juncture. ==Later life==