His nickname in family was "Chintu" while his NDA batch mates called him "Mike". In 1995, Sharma left his engineering studies to pursue his dream by joining the NDA. During his training, he excelled in swimming, boxing, and horse riding, with his favorite horse being "Indira." He became a champion in horse riding and a winner in boxing in the featherweight category. In 1998, Mohit Sharma joined the Indian Military Academy (IMA), where he was appointed Battalion Cadet Adjutant. He had the opportunity to meet President K. R. Narayanan at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. In December 1999, he was commissioned as a lieutenant, and his first posting was in Hyderabad with the 5th Battalion, The Madras Regiment (5 Madras). After three years of successful military service, he served in the 38 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), where he received the Chief of Army Staff Commendation. In December 2002, Major Mohit opted for the Para (Special Forces) and became a trained Para Commando in June 2003 after completing probation. He was promoted to major on December 11, 2005, and awarded the Sena Medal for bravery during a March 2004 operation. He later served as an instructor in Belgaum, training commandos for two years. In 2008, he was posted to Kashmir. On March 21, 2009, during an encounter in the Hafruda forest of the Kupwara sector, he killed four terrorists and rescued two teammates, despite sustaining multiple gunshot wounds. For his actions, he was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime military decoration, on January 26, 2010, in recognition of his supreme sacrifice during the Kupwara operation.