A Sikh and A Soldier

INGRID BARRENTINE/NORTHWEST GUARDIAN [FAMILY PHOTO COURTESY OF SPC. SIMRAN PREET SINGH LAMBA]

When U.S. Army Spc. Simran Preet Singh Lamba was a kid, he dreamed of joining the military. In the end, though, things weren’t that simple. Lamba, who is in his late 20s, is a Sikh, a member of a 500-year-old religion founded in India. Sikhism asks that its followers not cut or shave their hair, so men wear turbans and full beards. As such, they are unable to join the U.S. Army without seeking case-by-case exemptions to uniform policy.

“The granting of these accommodations is very rare,” said Amardeep Singh, director of programs for the Sikh Coalition.

Now serving with the 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington, Lamba is the first enlisted Sikh Soldier in nearly three decades. In fact, the only religious accommodations granted to Sikhs since the accommodations policy was enacted in the 1980s were granted in 2010, first to two officers and then to Lamba.

For a group with a long history of military service, this is an important step. “That’s what a life of a Sikh is. ... Our ancestors were warriors,” Lamba said.

With 20 million Sikhs worldwide, Sikhism is the planet’s fifth largest religion. It is also one of its newest. It deeply values the principles of justice, equality and truth. The monotheistic religion also emphasizes service to others, particularly in the armed forces.

Spc. Simran Preet Singh Lamba says it takes him seven minutes each morning to wrap his hair in a 5-meter-long turban. [INGRID BARRENTINE/NORTHWEST GUARDIAN]

In the United States, requests for accommodations for religious practices are granted on an individual basis and are frequently denied for reasons of unit or individual readiness, unit cohesion and issues with morale or safety.

“Obviously, this has been a point of pain for our community,” Singh said.

Lamba, originally from India, spent his childhood dressing up in uniforms and practicing the perfect salute. He wanted to join the Indian Air Force, but his parents told him to put his studies first. He came to the U.S. in 2006 to attend New York University, where he earned a master’s degree in industrial engineering.

At the time, he thought serving in the U.S. military would be impossible. But when Capts. Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi and Tejdeep Singh Rattan were granted religious accommodations for their articles of faith, Lamba thought he would give it a try.

“When I came to the U.S., I decided to make this my home, make this my country,” Lamba said. For him, there was no reason not to fight for it.

Because he was not a U.S. citizen at the time, he enlisted and was originally told an exemption would be made. When his request was formally denied, he appealed it with the help of the Sikh Coalition in New York.

Nine months later, in August 2010, he officially joined the Army. He became a U.S. citizen the day he finished basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, in November 2010. Eventually, Lamba, who speaks Hindi and Punjabi, plans to become an officer.

Lamba and his fellow Soldiers point downrange at a hand grenade range in the U.S. state of Washington. Lamba’s facial hair makes him stand out from his fellow Soldiers. But at the end of the day, he says, “I wear the same uniform. I do the same thing.” [SUSANNE KAPPLER/U.S. ARMY]

Now a combat medic, his challenge is to prove that he is exactly the same as any other Soldier, both for himself and for Sikh-Americans in the future.

“I wear the same uniform. I do the same thing. I get paid the same. I come to work at the same time. I do PT [physical training],” Lamba said. The only real difference is his turban, 5 meters of cloth that he wraps around his long hair each day. In garrison, he wears a black turban with a flash on the front, similar to Soldiers’ berets. When he’s in the field, he uses a camouflage under-turban that fits under his helmet.

He takes part in protective mask exercises just like any other Soldier, using petroleum jelly to create a seal despite his beard.

Lamba is aware that he is a pioneer. He isn’t just a Soldier; he’s representing what Sikhs can do in the U.S. military.

In fact, the Sikh Coalition would one day like to see a formal change to the uniform policy, enabling any Sikh-Americans to walk into a recruiting office and volunteer for their country as easily as their peers.

Singh is confident that Lamba, Kalsi and Rattan will demonstrate that Sikhs are capable of being excellent Soldiers, turbans or not. “At the end of the day, when Soldiers are out there in the field, on the ground, you’re looking for a Soldier who can do their job,” he said. o

Sikhism at a glance

Sikhism is a monotheistic religion based on the teachings of 10 Sikh gurus.

The community of men and women initiated into Sikhism is called the Khalsa, which celebrated its 300th birthday in 1999.

Sikhs wear five articles of faith at all times: Kesh (uncut hair), Kara (a steel bracelet), Kanga (a wooden comb), Kaccha (cotton underwear), and Kirpan (a steel blade).

Sikh men have the middle name Singh, meaning lion, because they are brave and have hair on their faces. Sikh women have the middle name Kaur, meaning princess.