--Sikh recruit was allowed to keep articles of faith
during Army basic training--
(WASHINGTON, DC)– Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney and Gregory Meeks celebrated the graduation of Spc. Simran Lamba from Army basic training class in Ft. Jackson, SC this week. ”It's a sign of the armed forces' increasing awareness and tolerance of special cases such as this that they agreed to the exemption for Spc. Lamba," Rep. Maloney said. "At a time when we need recruits with his skills who wish to serve in the U.S Armed Forces, the Army's wise religious exemption has resulted in a graduate of basic training-- and a new Army Combat Medic."
“I am thrilled that Mr. Lamba, the first Sikh to join the Army as an officer in decades, has completed his basic training,” Rep. Meeks said. “As our nation celebrates Veterans Day, I am also proud of our Armed Forces for strengthening their diversity by allowing an honorable solider to serve his country in accordance with his religious beliefs. The Army’s religious exemption for Mr. Lamba is heartening, and it is my earnest hope that this experience encourages other brave, capable individuals to join the hundreds of thousands of men and women in the Armed Services who protect our country each day.”
Maloney and Meeks spearheaded the effort to grant an exception to uniform rules for Mr. Lamba by circulating a letter to Defense Secretary Gates and Secretary of the Army McHugh last April. They were joined on the letter by eight other Members of Congress.
Spc. Lamba, a 26-year-old immigrant from Mumbai who became a naturalized U.S. citizen, enlisted under a special program that recruits dual-language speakers. He is the first enlisted Sikh to be permitted to maintain his articles of faith-- turban, unshorn hair and beard-- under the tenets of his religion.
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