First Enlisted Turbanned Sikh Soldier Successfully Completes Basic Training in Two Decades

Recruit Accepted by Fellow Soldiers and Excels During Training

(Columbia, SC)  November 10, 2010 – Another major barrier fell today in the campaign to end the U.S. military’s ban on turbaned Sikhs.  To great fanfare, Simran Preet Singh Lamba became the first enlisted Sikh soldier in more than two decades to complete basic training while maintaining his religiously-mandated turban and unshorn hair.

The past year has now seen Sikhs graduate as both an enlisted soldier and as commissioned officers. Enlisted soldiers are the U.S. Army’s “new recruits” who are below the rank of an officer.  All the Sikh graduates were represented by the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP and the Sikh Coalition.

“I am thrilled to serve with my fellow soldiers and serve the United States of America,” said Simran Preet Singh Lamba. “I humbly believe I was able to excel in all aspects of my training. Most importantly, I was overwhelmed by the support and camaraderie I felt with my fellow soldiers and base leadership. I thank them all and look forward to my service.”

Recruited by the Army in 2009 through the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) program for his language skills in Punjabi and Hindi, Mr. Lamba was initially advised by an Army recruiter that his Sikh articles of faith would likely be accommodated. Subsequently, in March 2010, his formal request for a religious accommodation was denied. Lamba appealed the decision, and his appeal was accepted in September 2010.

Contrary to the concerns of some, Mr. Lamba was able to meet all the requirements of a soldier during basic training.  He wore a helmet over a small turban during field exercises. During gas mask exercises, he successfully created a seal. He also enjoyed deep bonds with fellow soldiers and his superiors.

Present Army policy still excludes Sikhs who maintain their turban and beard. Sikhs in the U.S. military may maintain their religiously-mandated turban and unshorn hair only if they receive an individual exemption to do so.

In 1981, the Army banned “conspicuous” religious articles of faith, including turbans and unshorn hair, for its service members.  The ban was enacted despite a long and storied history of Sikhs serving in the U.S. military with their religious identity intact. Sikh soldiers served in the U.S. Army as far back as World War I. Thousands of Sikh soldiers helped liberate France in WWII. Today, Sikhs serve in the militaries of England, Canada, India and Austria, among others, often alongside American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Nevertheless, the past year has seen welcome progress in the campaign to restore Sikh service in the U.S. military.  In March, Captain Tejdeep Singh Rattan, a dentist, became the first Sikh commissioned officer to complete basic training in more than two decades. In September, Captain Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi, a physician, became the second Sikh commissioned officer to complete basic training.  The addition of Mr. Lamba to the group of Sikh military graduates is a critical step forward in proving that Sikhs can successfully serve in the U.S. military.

“To be an American is to be able to serve his or her country in the defense of the justice and equality we all enjoy as citizens.  We appreciate the U.S. Army’s willingness to consider the overwhelmingly positive experiences of Captains Rattan and Kalsi – as well as the success of dozens of Sikhs who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces over the past century – in giving Mr. Lamba the opportunity to serve the United States,” said Amandeep Singh Sidhu lead counsel for McDermott Will & Emery LLP.  “We hope that his success in enlisted basic training continues to dispel misconceptions about the ability of a Sikh solider to conform to the Army’s standards for neat and conservative uniformity, safety, military readiness, and unit cohesion.”

“We are grateful to the U.S. Army and its forward thinking here. We are hopeful that the success Mr. Lamba enjoyed during basic training will impress upon the U.S. military the necessity of ending its general policy of Sikh exclusion,” said Amardeep Singh, Program Director, Sikh Coalition. “Over the past year Sikh service in the U.S. Army has been successfully tried and tested. We know it works. All Sikhs should now be welcome in the military. We look forward to working with military leadership to make that happen. Our military and the United States of America will be stronger for it.”

To learn more, please visit our Campaign Media Center or email us at media@sikhcoalition.org.