U.S. Army Sikh promoted to Cpl.

[The Bread Guy]

I'm sharing this not because of the "first minority x makes it to level y" angle, but to share photos of how the U.S. Army does variations on the turban, which I've never seen before now.

Simranpreet Lamba stands out when he lines up with his fellow soldiers in his Joint Base Lewis-McChord cavalry troop. He’s the bearded one wearing the camouflage turban.

As the Army’s only enlisted Sikh soldier, Lamba, 29, feels the pressure to prove himself so others of his faith can put on a uniform and serve their country. He took a step toward that goal Friday when the Army promoted him to corporal, making him the first Sikh to earn that rank in more than 30 years.

“I kind of think all my hard work has paid off,” said Lamba, whose enlistment in 2009 triggered a 10-month review in which Army officials considered whether he could serve while sporting the articles of his faith — a turban, uncut hair and a beard.

He’s one of a handful of Sikhs serving in the Army across the active-duty and Reserve forces, according to the New York-based Sikh Coalition. Two of the others are in the medical field as officers, one a dentist and one a doctor.

Each current Sikh soldier had to gain an exemption allowing him to serve despite Army policies dating back to 1984 that require soldiers to shave, keep short hair and wear standard berets. Those rules prevented Sikhs from enlisting for decades ....

News-Tribune, Tacoma WA, 28 Sept 13

Cpl. Simranpreet Lamba receives congratulations at his promotion ceremony on Joint Base Lewis-McChord Friday, Sept. 27. 2013.
ADAM ASHTON — Staff writer