Tejdeep Singh Rattan |

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

US Army soldier Kamaljeet Singh awarded Bronze Star

December 7, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

From the Sikh Coalition, we learn that Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi (who, last year, along with Tejdeep Singh Rattan successfully gained exemptions to serve in the US Army with their articles of faith intact), has been awarded the Bronze Star for his service in Afghanistan: In support of the award, an official recommendation from Major Kalsi’s superiors cites his resuscitation back to life of two patients who were clinically dead on arrival; his “expert” emergency care of over 750 soldiers and […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: Bronze Star Medal, Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi, Tejdeep Singh Rattan, United States, US Army

The diasporic boomerang effect: American Sikh inspires Indian Sikhs

February 24, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

While interacting with students of Khalsa College, his alma mater, Rattan said he “faced many ups and downs in life, but emerged victorious on every occasion.” He said “never say die attitude” help him to reach his goal… “Sikhs mean a lot to the world,” he said, adding that in future too he would follow the ethics of Sikhism in letter and spirit. – Tejdeep Singh Rattan describes his experience in becoming a soldier in the US Army to students […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: Amritsar, Khalsa College, Tejdeep Singh Rattan, United States, US Army

Top 5 Sikh American Stories of 2010

January 4, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Happy New Year! The end of 2010 has spawned all kinds of retrospectives on that year, mostly in the form of “Top 10” lists of various categories. An interesting exercise is to consider what were the top five stories related to Sikh Americans during 2010. Why the top five and not the top ten? The number five has a special significance to Sikhs: Sikhism originated in Punjab (now in India and Pakistan), which is the land of “five rivers” (“Punj” means “five”, “ab” means “river” or “water”). […]

Categories: Reflections • Tags: Airport security, AIT machines, Barack Obama, Bay Area Civil Rights Report 2010, Darbar Sahib, Golden Temple, Guru Singh, Harmandir Sahib, Kamaldeep Singh Kalsi, Outsourced, Sikh Coalition, Simran Lamba, Tejdeep Singh Rattan, Top 5 Sikh American Stories, TSA, US Army

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: Tejdeep Singh Rattan