The US army has ordered two Sikh men, a doctor and a dentist to get rid of their turbans and shave off their hair and beard when they report for active duty.[CNN]

The irony?

They will recruite for your language skills if you speak Punjabi.

Uncle Sam: “No turbans”

(CNN) — For Capt. Kamaljit Singh Kalsi, a doctor, and 2nd Lt. Tejdeep Singh Rattan, a dentist, this is a hill worth fighting for.
These two U.S. military recruits of the Sikh faith are challenging an Army order that they remove their turbans and cut their unshorn hair and beards when they report for active duty in July.

The official excuse:

But the U.S. military says there are times when the military cannot accommodate certain religious practices, “such as when those religious observations would interfere with the wear of proper military headgear or protective clothing or equipment.”

That would be a valid reason, except for the little fact that these men were recruited with assurances that their religious needs would be accommodated.

The Sikh Coalition said Kalsi and Rattan had been assured that when they were recruited to join the Army’s Health Professions Scholarship that their unshorn hair and turbans “would not be a problem.”

“Both men were both recruited and commissioned — with their Sikh articles of faith — during their respective first years of medical and dental school (2001 and 2006) through the Army’s Health Professions Scholarship Program.

Kalsi and Rattan are fighting this ruling.

There is another irony to this story. The guy in the picture that the US army uses for recruiting a.k.a Uncle Sam, has a beard, unshorn locks and headgear. Maybe Uncle Sam should start with himself?

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