Sikhs Ask to Serve In US Army, Despite Rules On Attire

April 14, 2009

Author: Staff Writer

Source: Religion News Service

http://www.hinduismtoday.com/hpi/2009/4/14.shtml#2

Two Sikh men say they want to report for active duty in July even as they refuse to comply with the Army's demands to cut their unshorn beards and hair and remove their turbans. "I am willing to lay down my life for America," said 2nd Lt. Tejdeep Singh Rattan, one of the men who filed a complaint, on Tuesday. "In return, I ask only that my country respect my faith, an integral part of who I am. My turban and my beard are not an option -- they are an intrinsic part of me."