Meet
Senior Airman Jasreen Kaur from the U.S. Air Force 69th
Reconnaissance Group, Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota! She
recently re-enlisted in the Air Force. So, we decided to again
feature her and ask some additional questions.
“I have
a Gutka sahib with me which I brought from Harmandir Sahib (Golden
Temple). Gutka sahib keeps me sane when I am having Gurdwara sahib
and family withdrawals. Internet & technology are some great
inventions!! One can listen to Gurbani anywhere at any time of the
day. I tend to listen to Japji sahib in my car on days when I’m
running late to work.”
1) Please tell us about
yourself. Why did you join the U.S. armed services?
I was born
and raised in Punjab, India to Jasbir Singh, and Paramjit Kaur. My
father moved to the United States when I was about 4 years old and my
brother was about 6 months old. I eventually moved to the U.S. in
2006 when I was 17 years old. I finished high school and started
college. I was unsure as to what I wanted to do during my freshman
year of college. I wasn’t satisfied by just going to school. I
needed to do more, and wanted to be completely independent. Since I
grew up seeing my grandfather’s picture in his Army (Indian)
uniform, military was always on the back of my mind. I finally
thought about it, spoke to a military recruiter and felt like this
was something I definitely wanted to try out. I discussed this
opportunity with my parents but they weren’t too happy about it.
They wanted me to finish my bachelor’s degree first. After a lot of
convincing, they finally agreed to let me join the Air Force on terms
that I will continue school (which I was going to do anyways).
2)
Several of your family members have previously served in the armed
services in other countries. Please tell us more about that.
My
grandfather Major (Retired) Kartar Singh was the first in his family
to branch out and do something other than farming. I don’t know
much about his career except the fact that he retired in Ladakh,
India as a second commanding officer. Following his footsteps, three
of my uncles joined the Indian Army, and retired as Majors as
well.
3) You were an athlete before moving to the United
States. Did that influence your decision to join the U.S. armed
services?
I don’t believe that being an athlete influenced
me in any way of joining the U.S. military. However, it did prepare
me physically and mentally for the upcoming challenges I was about to
face in the basic military training.
4) Do you have any
stories from basic training?
Oh there are so many stories
however I can never forget the first night away from home, in a new
room, new bed, and with having strangers as your roommates. My first
night, my heart was racing and I was missing my family. Just when I
settled into bed, I was startled by a powerful female voice asking me
to read over the instructions for the next morning. I looked at the
white piece of paper with all the instructions and then looked at the
instructor (she was half my size and had to get on top of a bed in
order to speak to me). At that moment, there was a voice in my head
that told me, “You need to go back home and forget everything about
the boot camp and Air Force.”
It was the loud and
authoritative behavior of the instructor that frightened me but
during my graduation from the boot camp, it was the same instructor
that congratulated everyone on our achievement. Everyone giggled
thinking about their first day and their scary experience with that
particular instructor.
5) Can you please tell us about
your current role?
I deploy, sustain and repair standard
voice, data, and video network infrastructure systems, IP detection
systems and cryptographic equipment. I perform, coordinate,
integrate, and supervise network design, configuration, operation,
defense, restoration, and improvements.
I am also
responsible for analyzing capabilities and performance, identifying
problems, and taking corrective action. In summary, you can call me a
computer network hardware and communication equipment specialists for
the U.S. Air Force.
6) What's been your biggest learning
experience/moment since joining the armed services?
Learning
to live on my own is definitely the greatest learning experience
because I went from being dependent on my parents to being
independent within few hours. Although I missed having my family
around, especially my mother, I learned that being independent was
something I may have never learned if I had not joined the U.S. Air
Force. I have been doing everything myself, and had to polish my time
management skills. I recently adopted a dog (her name is Willow), and
she has taught me to be more responsible, patient, and a lot
calmer.
7) Please share your thoughts on the ongoing
campaign to increase the number of Sikhs in the U.S. military.
I
think it’s a great platform and I couldn’t be more ecstatic to
see the efforts of my fellow brothers and sisters to raise Sikh
awareness including assisting sabat surat (practicing) Sikhs with the
process. Sikhs have been living in the United States for ages now,
and I believe that just like any other Americans, Sikhs have the
right to serve. They have contributed in every other sector of our
nation so why not the uniformed services?
8) Do you experience
any issues being a Sikh woman in the armed services?
I
personally have never experienced any hardships. People I work with
and my leadership are very understanding, and are always willing to
lend a helping hand, and provide good advice.
9) Please
tell us about your role as Victim Advocate in the U.S. Air
Force.
Victim advocates (VA) provide essential support,
liaison services and care to a sexual assault victim. VAs provide
crisis counseling, ongoing non-clinical support, information and
referral to assist with decisions about the case. A victim advocate
can also be present for any interview or appointment at the request
of the victim.
Also here is the link of this story our base
did a while back (I don’t have my bachelor’s yet, I am not sure
why they wrote I have
one!)
Here’s
a picture that features
me:
10)
What advice do you have for our young men and women who are
interested in joining the military?
Military isn’t for
everyone, but if you are a committed and hardworking individual than
there is nothing that can stop you. Signing that contract is a huge
deal, and not only are you going to be responsible for yourself but
for your peers and civilians. Good research is crucial, and
especially being able to talk to someone who has served or is
currently serving would assist you when you are unsure. Everyone has
different experience and emotions about joining, so it never hurts to
speak to more than one person. My experience has been positive
because joining has taught me patience, self-discipline, resiliency,
self-confidence and assisted me in becoming a detail oriented
person.
11) How do you practice your Sikh faith while being
away from your family and community on extended missions?
I
have a Gutka sahib with me which I brought from Harmandir Sahib
(Golden Temple). Gutka sahib keeps me sane when I am having Gurdwara
sahib and family withdrawals. Internet & technology are some
great inventions!! One can listen to Gurbani anywhere at any time of
the day. I tend to listen to Japji sahib in my car on days when I’m
running late to work.
12) Please share your hobbies,
interests and passions.
I enjoy do-it-yourself projects
because it allows the artist in me to be creative. Recently, I have
been making flower vases out of empty bottles which have been
appreciated by friends and family. The next few things on the list
are to re-paint my dresser myself, and learn how to knit. I love
reading and hope to have a library of all the books I have read (at
the moment it’s just two shelves in my bookcase). Dancing and music
has been my passion for the longest time. You will always find me
dancing and singing in my apartment whenever I have some free
time.
13) What do you see yourself doing ten years from
now?
My goal is to work with the FBI, and that is what I see
myself doing in ten years.