Simran Lamba |

"Cpl. Simranpreet Lamba receives congratulations at his promotion ceremony on Joint Base Lewis-McChord Friday, Sept. 27. 2013." (Photo: Adam Ashton | News-Tribune)

Picture of the Day: Breaking the camouflage ceiling

September 30, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Formerly Specialist Simranpreet Lamba, the US Army’s only enlisted solider in a turban and beard was promoted last Friday to the rank of Corporal in the US Army: Lamba hopes his promotion will show “there’s nothing about being Sikh, about our turban and our beard that can stop us from excelling in the Army,” he said. Read more at The News-Tribune.

Categories: Civil Rights, Picture of the Day • Tags: Employment Discrimination, Simran Lamba, Simranpreet Lamba, United States, United States Armed Forces, US Army, US military

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Major Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi is featured by The New York Times in a story about Sikhs joining the US military. (Photo: Richard Perry | The New York Times. Source: Sikh Coalition)

“If they want to serve, we should let them do it.”

July 8, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Today’s online and print versions of The New York Times includes an article describing the challenges Sikh Americans are facing when attempting to join the US military: “Folks say, ‘If you really want to serve, why don’t you cut your beard?’ ” said Major Kalsi, a doctor who is the medical director of emergency medical services at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. “But asking a person to choose between religion and country, that’s not who we are as a nation. We’re […]

Categories: Civil Rights • Tags: Joseph Crowley, Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi, Simran Lamba, United States Armed Forces, United States Army, US Army, US military

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Simran Preet Singh Lamba graduates from U.S. Army Basic Training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, SC. He is the first Sikh enlisted soldier since the 1980s. (source: Sikh Coalition)

Sikhs have proven they can serve in the US military

May 10, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On The Daily Beast, Simran Jeet Singh examines common — and often, outdated — rationale used to deny practicing Sikh men from serving in the US military with turbans and beards intact: Concerns with placing protective masks on people with beards first emerged during World War I, but technology has developed enough over the past century to render this a moot issue. Sikhs who maintain their articles of faith are serving in the military but require specific exceptions from military […]

Categories: Civil Rights • Tags: Employment Discrimination, Simran Jeet Singh, Simran Lamba, United States, United States Armed Forces, US Army, US military

Tejdeep Singh Rattan dons a gas mask during his military training in 2010. (source: US Army)

US military lifts ban on women in combat; could Sikhs be next?

January 24, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Yesterday, it was announced that the Pentagon will be lifting its 1994 ban on allowing women solidiers from serving in combat situations: [Defense Secretary Leon] Panetta’s move comes in his final weeks as Pentagon chief and just days after President Barack Obama’s inaugural speech in which he spoke passionately about equal rights for all. The new order expands the department’s action of nearly a year ago to open about 14,500 combat positions to women, nearly all of them in the […]

Categories: Civil Rights • Tags: DADT, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Employment Discrimination, gender discrimination, Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi, Pentagon, Simran Jeet Singh, Simran Lamba, Tejdeep Singh Rattan, United States, United States Armed Forces, US Army, US military

Being all he can be: Spc. Simran Singh Lamba

March 29, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Simran Singh Lamba, one of the Sikhs who last year was granted an exemption to join the military while maintaining his uncut hair and beard, is now in training at Camp Bullis near San Antonio, Texas: “The other soldiers are following their religion, and I’m doing the same thing,” Lamba said. Lamba added the soldiers at his side treat him like any other soldier. “Anything happens, they’ll take care of me. Anything happens to them, I’ll take care of them,” […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: Camp Bullis, San Antonio, Sikh, Simran Lamba, Simran Singh Lamba, Texas, US Army

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Arguably better than an Obama visit to Amritsar

November 11, 2010 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

…is this showing up on Yahoo’s main page today on this Veteran’s Day: For US Sikhs, it was hoped that an Obama visit to our central shrine in Amritsar (commonly known as “the Golden Temple“) would have brought us some attention here in America and in doing so help educate our fellow citizens about us. However, had he reconsidered and actually visited the Golden Temple, Obama’s patronage of the site was already tarnished by the allegations that the White House feared it […]

Categories: Civil Rights, News Bits, Politics • Tags: Barack Obama, Golden Temple, Simran Lamba, US Army

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Picture of the day

November 10, 2010 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

– from msnbc.msn.com

Categories: Picture of the Day • Tags: Simran Lamba, US Army

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Enlisting the Sikhs

November 10, 2010 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Spc. Simran Lamba is the first turban-wearing Sikh in 30 years to be enlisted in the US Army and go through basic training: The 26-year-old native of New Delhi, India, says it had been a childhood dream to become a soldier. He was permitted to wear unshorn hair and a turban under a special accommodation. The exemption applies to an Army policy that effectively prevented Sikhs from enlisting since 1984. Recently, turban-wearing Sikhs have broken down barriers when it has come […]

Categories: Civil Rights, News Bits • Tags: Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi, Simran Lamba, Tejdeep Singh Rattan, US Army

Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Tag: Simran Lamba

Picture of the Day: Breaking the camouflage ceiling

“If they want to serve, we should let them do it.”

Sikhs have proven they can serve in the US military

US military lifts ban on women in combat; could Sikhs be next?

Being all he can be: Spc. Simran Singh Lamba

Top 5 Sikh American Stories of 2010

Arguably better than an Obama visit to Amritsar

Picture of the day

Enlisting the Sikhs