Captain Neikezhakuo Kenguruse was born on 15 July 1974 in Nerhema village, Kohima district, Nagaland, to Shri Neisielie Kenguruse. He completed his schooling at St. Xavier School, Jalukie, and graduated from Kohima Science College. Before joining the Army, he worked as a teacher at the Government High School, Kohima, between 1994 and 1997. His family affectionately called him "Neibu," while his comrades in the Army knew him as "Nimbu Sahib."
Determined to serve the nation, he qualified through the Combined Defence Services Examination and joined the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He was commissioned into the Army Service Corps on 12 December 1998 and was attached to the 2nd Battalion, The Rajputana Rifles for operational service in Jammu & Kashmir.
During Operation Vijay, Captain Kenguruse was appointed commander of the battalion's elite Ghatak Platoon. On the night of 28 June 1999, his platoon was tasked with capturing a heavily defended enemy machine-gun position on the Black Rock feature in the Drass Sector. While climbing a steep, exposed cliff under relentless mortar and machine-gun fire, he sustained serious splinter injuries but refused to stop. At the final vertical rock face, he realised his boots prevented him from gaining proper grip. Displaying remarkable determination, he removed his boots and climbed the cliff barefoot despite freezing temperatures and enemy fire.
After reaching the enemy position, Captain Kenguruse fired a rocket launcher to destroy the first bunker and then engaged enemy soldiers in fierce hand-to-hand combat. He personally killed four enemy soldiers before being fatally hit by enemy fire. His heroic action neutralised the enemy machine-gun position that had stalled the battalion's advance and inspired his men to capture Black Rock successfully.
For displaying conspicuous gallantry, indomitable resolve, and supreme devotion to duty beyond the call of duty, Captain Neikezhakuo Kenguruse was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra. He remains the first and only officer of the Army Service Corps to receive this distinguished wartime gallantry award, and his barefoot assault at Black Rock is remembered as one of the most extraordinary acts of courage in the history of the Indian Army.