Posted on 06/14/2009 6:04:43 PM PDT by Steelfish
Sikhs Challenge U.S. Army's Ban on Turbans, Beards Sunday, June 14, 2009
NEW YORK — Military service is in Capt. Kamaljit Singh Kalsi's blood.
His father and grandfather were part of India's Air Force. His great-grandfather served in the army in India under the British. So when U.S. Army recruiters talked to him during his first year of medical school, he readily signed up.
But his plans to go on active duty in July are now on hold. An Army policy from the 1980s that regulates the wearing of religious items would mean he would need to shave his beard and remove the turban he wears in accordance with his religious precepts.
Kalsi and another Sikh man with the same concerns, Second Lt. Tejdeep Singh Rattan, are the centerpieces of an advocacy campaign launched by the Sikh Coalition as it tries to persuade the Army to let them serve without sacrificing their articles of faith.
"I'm an American, there's no reason why I can't serve," Kalsi, 32, said.
The Army has a long-standing interest in how its members carry themselves, with policies that ban exotic hair colors, long fingernails or certain colors of lipstick. Army officials declined to comment on the reasoning behind its policy that would force the Sikh men to give up their religious displays. Sikhs who were active-duty military when the policy was adopted were allowed to continue serving without shaving their beards or removing their turbans.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Give Sikhs a pass. Just my opinion.
Then act like one - shave the beard ...
Not right.
The problem is a very slippery slope.
Really appreciate your patriotism, now remove the Sikhs so we can give you a buzz cut and issue you a nice helmet.
“I’m an American, there’s no reason why I can’t serve,” Kalsi, 32, said.
He’s right, he should follow the rules like every American that wants to serve and that starts with a haircut.
Conform to military standards or get out!
the RCMP had the same issue in 1994 - They caved.
They shouldnt have to shave the beard. Sikhs are very patriotc. All the great Civil war generals had a beard. It is a modern invention that really doesn’t help or hurt one’s ability to be a soldier. They way the sikhs deal with their hair, I don’t think is really an issue as well, unless they can’t get it under a helmet.
When I was in the Army we had Sikhs. They wore their sword as a photograph. The underwear we didn’t care about. The olive drab turban fit nicely under their helmets. Beards were trimmed so that gas masks fit.
Gas masks have to seal. That can be achieved with a trimmed beard.
A beard is less disruptive than open, practicing homosexuals in uniform.
Since the latter is already supposed to be coming down, I can’t see a problem with giving into the Sikhs on this one.
Rules exist for a reason. If you can’t obey them, do not enlist.
It must have been a terrible shock to him when he found out he wouldn’t be the first soldier to be allowed to have a beard.
Gas masks, helmets fitting, all of the rules appplying to everyone equally...
And so they can be modified. Israel is doing it.
http://blog.beliefnet.com/news/2009/04/sikhs-ask-to-serve-in-army-des.php
Lamh Foistenach Abu!
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