Former Army commando Havildar Mohd Khan's home - in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district - was damaged by artillery shells fired across the Line of Control by Pakistan early Wednesday.
Three civilians were killed and several injured in the firing by the Pak Army.
During his career Havildar Khan had been posted to the 6 Para Special Forces unit.
"There was some firing first... it began 1 am. At first it was sporadic and distant. Then, by 2.30 am it became louder and the artillery shelling began," Havildar Khan told NDTV.
"When my house was damaged I took my children and my wife, and took them outside. I knew firing was still going on, so I told them to lie down on the ground to be safe. I also lay down."
"Then the whole house began shaking," he said, pointing to damaged sections of his house.
The shelling was the Pak Army's immediate response to the Indian military's precision overnight strikes on nine terrorist bases and training camps in Pak and Pak-occupied Kashmir, or PoK.
The attack - codenamed Operation Sindoor - was retaliation for the terror attack by the Lashkar-e-Taiba in J&K's Pahalgam last month, in which 26 people, mostly civilians, were killed.
Sources said 70 terrorists were killed and 60 injured in the synchronised, 25-minute op that took out terrorist camps linked to the Lashkar, the Jaish-e-Mohammed, and the Hizbul Mujahideen.
Pakistan also confirmed the death of some civilians. India said it regretted that innocent bystanders had also died, but stressed it had chosen targets based on credible intelligence and ensured it attacked early in the morning, when civilian movement would have been minimal.
India said earlier it had proof the Pakistan Army and deep state had planned the attack.
The Indian military strike began at 1.15 am and lasted for 25 minutes, within which time precision weapons like the SCALP missile and HAMMER bomb were fired 24 times.
Hours later Pakistan resorted to the "arbitrary and indiscriminate" firing across the border.
