One of America’s newest Marines made history Friday as the first Sikh to complete boot camp without having to shave his head or beard or give up the “articles of faith” that Sikhs consider sacred.
Private First Class Jaskirat Singh, 21, completed training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego after a federal judge ordered the military service in April to accommodate the recruit’s religious practices. The order came nearly a year after three Sikhs and Jewish and Muslim recruits sued the Marines seeking religious accommodations.
The Army and Air Force accommodate Sikh recruits, attorney Giselle Klapper with the Sikh Coalition said, while the Navy offers more limited accommodations. The Marines were the most restrictive of the services.
The court order covered only Pfc. Singh, but Ms. Klapper said the group hopes the Marine Corps will extend the accommodation to all Sikh recruits.
“The Army has figured this out. The Air Force has figured this out. And so our hope is that the Marine Corps will figure this out,” she said.
The recruit, who hails from Houston, appeared at a video news conference wearing a Sikh turban to which the Marine Corps emblem was affixed as well as an “expert” badge indicating his prowess as a marksman. Early in his recruit training, he was selected as a squad leader, a coalition spokesman said, and remained one throughout the training period.
The new Marine said he expects to serve in the infantry.
“I’m proud to demonstrate that wearing a turban or a beard does not make me any different or less of a Marine and I intend to prove that in the future,” Pfc. Singh said. “My personal hope is that today’s events can show other young Sikhs that if they want to pursue a career in the military, they can do so while staying true to their faith.”
Pfc. Singh said his understanding of the Sikh faith’s principles “overlaps with my decision to serve my country” as a Marine. He said “many” of his fellow Sikhs served in the military.
“I want other Sikhs to know that their turbans, beards and other articles of faith don’t have to be an obstacle to any career, including one like mine,” he said.
The “articles of faith” that Sikhs wear include: kesh, or unshorn hair; kanga, a small comb; a steel bracelet called a kara; the kirpan, which resembles a small knife; and underwear known as kachera.
He credited his fellow recruits with supporting him during the struggle.
“They did ask questions” about his articles of faith, Pfc. Singh said, “I didn’t really mind explaining it to them. But it wasn’t like they were bullying me or anything. They were pretty much like, ‘Yo, that’s pretty cool, that’s dope.’ They were very supportive.”
He said his drill instructors “went into it with open minds” and “treated me no different than the other recruits.”
Pfc. Singh said he received “incentive training” assignments — essentially exercise tasks in response to minor infractions — “as much as anybody else.”
• Mark A. Kellner can be reached at mkellner@washingtontimes.com.