Indian Army Sikhs use a "Patka" which accomodates the turban. It has a steel band.
Little things like helmets don't stop Sikh soldiers.
This photo is from WW2 - Indian Sikh soldiers storming a German trench after throwing hand grenades.
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| Afghanistan |
| Sikh Girl Patrols Streets of Afghanistan |
| 2006-05-22 |
| Earlimart, California (KP) - She slung an M 16 rifle on her shoulders for the first time when she was 17. Now at 20, she is patrolling the streets of Kabul. Ranbir Kaur of the U.S National Guards first hit headlines in 2003 after becoming the first Sikh girl to join the U.S. armed forces that consists of over 200,000 women soldiers. Presently on active duty in Afghanistan, ‘Specialist Kaur’ is on a one-and-a-half-year mission in the war-torn country. She was initially recruited to be a supply clerk during the Iraq war, as rules didn’t permit women to fight frontline. However, she says in a situation like Afghanistan, “everything is frontline”. Born in Nijjran, village of Jalandhar district, the young warrior reached the U.S as a seven year old after her father Mahan Singh secured a green card in 1990. Brought up in the isolated town of Earlimart California, her brush with the uniform dates back to 2001 when she was a freshman in high school at Delano, which was the closest city. “I would see [officers of the] army, marines, air force and the navy standing outside the career center of the school distributing fliers to students. I thought the uniform was awesome.” During the 2005 Katrina hurricane in New Orleans, the devout Sikh was instrumental in the recovery of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib after the New Orleans Gurdwara was submerged. United Sikhs, an organization, had sought her assistance and Ranbir had helped get things moving after she was told that that saroops of Guru Granth Sahib Ji ned to be retrieved from the submerged Gurdwara Sahib. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #9 "Sikhism has a concept of the Just War. It's called 'Dharam Yudh', meaning war in the defence of righteousness. In such a war: the war must be the last resort - all other ways of resolving the conflict must be tried first the motive must not be revenge or enmity the army must not include mercenaries the army must be disciplined only the minimum force needed for success should be used civilians must not be harmed there must be no looting, territory must not be annexed, property taken must be returned." The Sikh religion is as valid as christianity. Just dont ask about the underware. |
| Posted by: pihkalbadger 2006-05-22 23:36 |
| #8 Earlimart is not an isolated town. In 1955, it had about 800 pop., today it has better than 2400. Reading Saroyan brings me back to 1955. My best years as a child. Specialist Kaur, I am proud of you. Another veteran from Earlimart. |
| Posted by: Xenophon 2006-05-22 23:33 |
| #7 Earlimart is not an isolated town. In 1955, it had about 800 pop., today it has better than 2400. Reading Saroyan brings me back to 1955. My best years as a child. Specialist Kaur, I am proud of you. Another veteran of Earlimart. |
| Posted by: Xenophon 2006-05-22 23:32 |
| #6 Yay-- a fellow citizen/soldier. Show 'em how its done. U.S National Guards Good grief! this makes us sound like we are some kind of a soviet guards-type unit... hmm, actualy, that's not all that bad a thought when you think about it. Considering the typical percentges of veterans in both my and other guard units, you could say that we are a cut above average. Not flashy or high profile, but we seem to get it done, and make it look easy. At least my unit was very well spoken of by everyone. Except the enemy. The enemy hated us. I expect that by the end of her tour, the Taliban will hate SP4 Ranbir Kaur's unit as well. |
| Posted by: N guard 2006-05-22 17:08 |
| #5 Dunno what he did about a helmet - I suspect he wasn't in a combat unit. Indian Army Sikhs use a "Patka" which accomodates the turban. It has a steel band. Little things like helmets don't stop Sikh soldiers. This photo is from WW2 - Indian Sikh soldiers storming a German trench after throwing hand grenades. |
| Posted by: john 2006-05-22 16:34 |
| #4 that whole New Orleans thing, way over my head. The Sri Guru Granth Sahib is the holy book of the Sikh religion. She was informed that they were in a flooded Sikh temple there and helped recover them. The Guru Granth Sahib (also known as the Adi Granth) is truely unique among the world's great scriptures. It is considered the Supreme Spiritual Authority and Head of the Sikh religion, rather than any living person. It is also the only scripture of it's kind which not only contains the works of it's own religious founders but also writings of people from other faiths. The living Guru of the Sikhs, the book is held in great reverence by Sikhs and treated with the utmost respect. Sikhism rejects idol worship, so the Guru Granth Sahib is not worshipped as an idol, but rather emphasis is placed on respect of the book for the writings which appear within. Guru Granth Sahib is a collection of devotional hymns and poetry which proclaims God, lays stress on meditation on the True Guru (God), and lays down moral and ethical rules for development of the soul, spiritual salvation and unity with God. |
| Posted by: Steve 2006-05-22 15:42 |
| #3 Good for her. Umm... that whole New Orleans thing, way over my head. |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2006-05-22 15:10 |
| #2 Thanks for your service, SP4 Kaur. You'll go far. I remember seeing a (male) Sikh in the U.S. Army in Germany back in the early 1970's. (Don't know if he volunteered or was drafted - the draft hadn't ended yet.) Due to his religious beliefs, he was allowed to keep his beard and moustache, and wore a (khaki) turban instead of a cap. Dunno what he did about a helmet - I suspect he wasn't in a combat unit. He looked very cool. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2006-05-22 13:50 |
| #1 “I would see [officers of the] army, marines, air force and the navy standing outside the career center of the school distributing fliers to students. I thought the uniform was awesome.” Too bad some schools would ban such activity at job fairs. BTW THANK YOU Sp4 Ranbir Kaur for you service. Any sightings of Arabs joining the military? (crickets chirping). |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2006-05-22 12:12 |