FORT JACKSON, S.C. -- When Spc. Simranpreet Lamba steps onto Hilton
Field today for his graduation from Basic Combat Training, he will
recite the same Soldiers' Creed as his fellow graduates, but instead of a
beret, he will wear a turban with his uniform; and his face is
distinctive by the beard he sports.
Lamba is a Sikh, whose faith requirements include having unshorn hair
covered by a turban and keeping a beard. He is the first enlisted Sikh
Soldier in at least 26 years who has been granted religious
accommodations by the Army, allowing him to adhere to his articles of
faith.
For the 26-year-old Lamba, who will also be naturalized as a citizen
today, a childhood dream has come true, he said. Lamba explained that
Sikhs are depicted in history as warriors.
"I believe that I already have the warrior ethos in me and the warrior
blood in me," he said. "That's why it's been my childhood dream to
always be in the armed forces. And I'm really happy that my childhood
dream came true. And I'm a proud U.S. Army Soldier today."
Lamba said that although he may look different, he is a Soldier like everybody else in his graduating class.
"I'm wearing the same uniform," he said. "There's nothing about my beard
and hair that would stop me from excelling as a Soldier. I can do
everything all other Soldiers do. I have the same flag on my right arm.
I'm doing the same thing, defending the same country."
Lamba, a native of New Delhi, India, came to the United States 3 1/2 years ago to finish his education.
After his January 2009 graduation from New York University with a master's degree in industrial engineering, Lamba decided to stay in the United States and started a career in the private sector. Later that year, two Sikh officers, a doctor and a dentist, were allowed to serve in the Army while wearing a beard, unshorn hair and a turban.
Lamba said he was encouraged by the two Sikhs receiving religious
accommodations for their articles of faith, and he decided to pursue a
career in the Army. Despite his education, becoming an officer was not
an option, because Lamba was not a U.S. citizen at the time, so he
enlisted in December 2009. He was recruited under the Military
Accessions Vital to the National Interest recruiting program, which
enlists legal non-citizens with critical language skills, such as
Lamba's knowledge of Punjabi and Hindi.
He then requested a waiver from the Army to allow him to keep his
articles of faith. After a 10-month review, the Army approved Lamba's
request on the condition that the religious accommodations will not
affect training, unit readiness or cohesion, individual readiness,
morale, discipline or safety and health; and as long as proper
appearance and guidelines are maintained.
Lamba, who reported for BCT in September, said he spent months exploring
options for proper head gear that would satisfy both his religion's and
the Army's requirements.
"I did a lot of research - if I'm accommodated what I can do, what
things I have to abide by, like the ACU under turban I'm wearing right
now, which is ... similar to the patrol cap the (other) Soldiers wear,"
Lamba said.
Throughout training, Lamba wore an Army Combat Uniform-patterned turban
in place of a patrol cap, which fit underneath his Kevlar helmet. In
garrison, instead of a beret, Lamba will wear a black turban bearing his
unit flash.
Lamba was assigned to Company A, 3rd Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment
for Basic Combat Training. Lt. Col. Bryan Hernandez, the battalion's
commander, said he prepared himself for Lamba's arrival by educating
himself about Sikhism and passed on his knowledge to his cadre. Lamba
was given a chance to address his fellow Soldiers on the first day of
training to eliminate any possible misconceptions about his appearance,
Hernandez said, but after that, he was treated like any other Solider in
the battalion.
"We didn't want to make Spc. Lamba stand out early. We wanted him to be
able to meld in with the Soldiers just like everybody else," Hernandez
said. "I think by us doing that, it set Alpha Company, it set the cadre,
it set Spc. Lamba up for success, because we didn't give it a large
slew of attention. He was allowed to go through training, just like
everybody else."
Lamba did not ask for special privileges, said Sgt. 1st Class Michael Hildebrand, a drill sergeant with Co. A, 3-34th.
"He wanted to be treated just like everyone else, and I told him, 'You
came to the right platoon, because I treat everyone the same,'"
Hildebrand said.
Hernandez confirmed Hildebrand's assessment.
"The key things were that Spc. Lamba had to meet all the Army standards
to graduate and do everything else for training, but there were going to
be the nuances about the hair, about the beard, and we wanted to make
sure it didn't impact any training. But there were no special privileges
given to him beside that," Hernandez said. "As far as training, he did
everything we expect every Soldier to come out of basic training to do;
and he did extremely well through the entire process."
Hildebrand said that throughout his training Lamba has fit in well with the other Soldiers.
"The other Soldiers in the platoon actually love Spc. Lamba," he said.
"Their family members have found out that we have a Sikh Soldier, and
they have asked if they could write to Spc. Lamba to find out more about
where he comes from. There has been no negativity expressed by the
Soldiers toward Spc. Lamba."
Lamba's battle buddy, Pfc. Michael Haines, said Lamba had no problem integrating with others in his platoon.
"He has good values ... He has his religious values tied closely into
his actions he takes," Haines said. "He's a good person. He does what
he's told when he's told. He shows respect to everyone, regardless if
they show him respect or not."
After graduating, Lamba will attend Advanced Individual Training as a
combat medic at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He said he eventually plans to
apply for Officer Candidate School and become a logistics officer. Lamba
said that so far, being in the Army has been a good experience.
"It has been really positive. And I'm really proud; and I'm really happy
that (the) Army allowed me to serve, that they respected my religious
beliefs, my articles of faith," he said. "I'm looking forward to having a
long career in the Army."
Religious accommodations:
-- On principle, all Soldiers must adhere to AR 670-1, Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia.
-- Soldiers may appeal to their chain of command to request a waiver for religious accommodations.
-- The Army reviews appeals on a case-by-case basis.
-- The final authority in the appeal process is the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1.