Anmol Narang will complete his basic officer leadership course at Fort Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma.
Washington:
Second Lieutenant Anmol Narang will go down in history as the first Sikh graduate to graduate from the prestigious United States Military Academy at West Point on Saturday.
President Donald Trump will deliver a speech at the 2020 U.S. Military Academy graduation ceremony in West Point.
“I am excited and honored to realize my dream of finishing my studies at West Point on Saturday,” 2LT Narang said in a statement on the eve of the historic occasion.
“The confidence and support of my home community in Georgia has been deeply meaningful to me, and I am humbled that by achieving this goal, I am showing other American Sikhs that any career path is possible for anyone who wishes to take up the challenge, “she said.
Anmol Narang will complete his basic officer leadership course at Fort Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma.
After the successful completion of the BOLC, she will then travel to her first posting to Okinawa, Japan in January 2021, according to the non-profit organization Sikh Coalition.
A second generation immigrant born and raised in Roswell, Georgia, Anmol Narang had an early appreciation for military service due to her maternal grandfather’s career in the Indian Army.
After developing an interest in high school military service, she began the West Point application process after her family visited the Pearl Harbor National Memorial in Honolulu, Hawai’i.
She completed a year of undergraduate studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology before moving to West Point, where she pursued studies in nuclear engineering and pursued a career in air defense systems, the statement said.
In 1987, the United States Congress passed a law that prohibited Sikhs and several other religious communities from maintaining their articles of faith while in the military, despite a history of mixed service and simple accommodation.
The Sikh Coalition has stated that for 30 years visible Sikh articles of faith – including uncut facial hair and turbans – have been banned, although they are the basic tenets of the faith.
In response, for more than 10 years, the Sikh Coalition has been waging a campaign, in partnership with other Sikh and civil rights organizations, litigation partners and like-minded advocates, to ensure equal opportunities for American Sikhs in the United States Armed Forces.
“Although 2LT Narang has not needed accommodation for its articles of faith, its exemplary service to date underscores how diversity and pluralism remain the primary strengths of the U.S. military and the country as a whole “said the Sikh Coalition.
“I am extremely proud of 2LT Narang for having achieved its goal and, in doing so, for having crossed a barrier for any American Sikh who wishes to serve,” said US Army Captain (CPT) Simratpal Singh, a family friend of 2LT Narang.
“The wider acceptance of Sikh service members in all branches of service, as well as in high-level leadership spaces like West Point, will continue to enjoy not only the rights of persons belonging to religious minorities, but the strength and diversity of the US military, “he said.
The 2016 trial of Simratpal Singh on his own right to maintain his articles of faith in uniform triggered a critical change in army accommodation policy in 2017, which streamlined the process of accommodation for Sikh soldiers and ensures that accommodation stays with them throughout their careers.
In 2020, after providing a series of individual accommodations to Sikh airmen throughout the previous year, the U.S. Air Force implemented an equally updated policy.
Since the military and air force changed their policies, at least 60 observer Sikhs have served in these two branches of the military. Meanwhile, work continues to provide equal opportunities for Sikhs in the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, the statement said.
An estimated 500,000 Americans are Sikhs in the United States.
