Until 1974 Sikhs were allowed to serve in in the U.S. military with unshorn hair and beards. They are renowned warriors, and there had never been any problems. In the 1980s, however, the military decided to be more strict about appearance, and Sikhs had to petition to serve. Most were denied. The sad thing is that Sikhs want to serve because of their traditions and because they want to show that they are loyal Americans.z
One excuse was that the helmets wouldn’t fit over the hair, and gas masks wouldn’t work with beards. Both of those are bogus.
Major Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi is working to change the policy. Major Kalsi, who received a bronze star for his actions in Afghanistan, has some street cred. You can read about his effort in today’s Times at <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/08/us/taking-on-rules-so-other-sikhs-join-the-army.html?_r=0>.
I have a personal interest in this. When we lived in San Jose, I had a number of Sikhs in my classes. One of them, Mohinder Mann, became a close personal friend. I was invited to a Sikh religious ceremony, and I thought it was wonderful. Part of the ceremony involves the partaking of a meal. How cool is that?
Since the British, Canadian, and, of course, Indian, armies allow Sikhs to serve with beards and uncut hair, it would seem to be a no-brainer that the U.S. would also accept them in the armed forces. I was unaware that we had so many recruits that we could turn away people who want to serve.
Gas masks do not work with beards. Facial hair breaks the seal that is required for the mask to be able to keep you alive.
ReplyDeleteI have a beard, but I'll take your word on that. I'm not about to test it. I was going by what the Times said, and they have been known to be wrong. But even if that's correct, Sikhs should still be allowed to serve.
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