From Rantburg:
1st Sikh in decades graduates US Army officer school: "The soldiers in standard-issue fatigues and combat boots stood side-by-side repeating their creed: "I am an American soldier. I am a warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States and live the Army values ..."
Capt. Tejdeep Singh Rattan was no different except that he wore a full beard and black turban, the first Sikh in a generation allowed to complete U.S. Army basic officer training without sacrificing the articles of his faith. He completed the nine-week training Monday after Army officials made an exemption to a policy that has effectively prevented Sikhs from enlisting since 1984.
"I'm feeling very humbled. I'm a soldier," said the 31-year-old dentist, smiling after the ceremony at Fort Sam Houston. "This has been my dream."
Go read the whole thing. Barring members of a warrior religion never made much sense to me, unless it was simply impossible to accommodate them
vis a vis equipment, duties, etc--and the article makes clear that Captain Rattan is able to wear a Kevlar helmet and a standard issue protective ("gas") mask.
2 comments:
While I welcome the contributions of this individual to the United States Army, I continue to believe that uniformity is indeed important to esprit de corps. Otherwise, what's next? Native Americans insisting on wearing long hair? Rastafarians insisting on wearing dreads? Muslim females wanting to wear hijabs instead of uniforms? Given the self-centered nature of so many of today's recruits, I don't think this is a road we should be going down. Personally, I would have told this guy to lose the turban, shave the beard (mustaches still being allowed) and fully embrace what it is to be a Soldier.
A lot of Sikhs I knew growing up wore their hair cut short and cropped close while the more religious did the top-knot in a handkerchief thing - the whole long-hair bit is a ceremonial recognition of adulthood and a man's place in Society, once Sikhs are engaged as warriors it's not (or shouldn't be) significant.
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