Sikh Americans In the US Military Are Still Fighting to Keep Their Turbans and Beards

“Ever since he was a kid, Simratpal Singh was fascinated by the military. His great-grandfather served in the British Indian Army in colonial India, and fought in World War I. Singh, born in the north Indian state of Punjab, grew up reading about military traditions across the world. At the age of 9, he emigrated to the U.S. with his family, but his fascination for military traditions – and the hope of being part of them someday – stayed.
But there was something missing.
“I didn’t know what it meant for someone like me to be in the U.S. military,” Singh, now 33 and a major in the U.S. Army, told VICE. “Sikhs were just not visible in the forces.”
Still, he decided to chase his dream. In 2006, he joined the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York – a four-year federal service academy that is the country’s most prestigious military university. But during the academy’s orientation session, a major raised a concern about his beard and turban.
“I was shocked. I grew up with this history of the rich Sikh military traditions across the world,” he said. “The idea that my Sikh identity would be an issue was bizarre.” ”