Army Accommodates Third Sikh Recruit

According to a release yesterday by the Sikh Coalition, the U.S. Army, for the third time in less than a year, has agreed that a Sikh recruit may enlist and continue to wear his religiously-mandated turban along with unshorn hear and a beard. Simran Preet Singh Lamba was brought into the army in 2009 through the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) program-- designed to recruit non-citizens who have needed language skills.  Lamba, a native of India, speaks Punjabi and Hindi. The Army's ruling (full text) granting Lamba religious accommodation said the exemption from the Army's hair and grooming policy is granted for basic training and military occupational school, and emphasizes that accommodation requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.