011 Long Gray Lessons with Active Duty Sikh Army Officer: Simratpal Singh

011 Long Gray Lessons with Active Duty Sikh Army Officer: Simratpal Singh

Simratpal "Simmer" Singh was born and raised on a farm in Punjab, a state in the northwestern part of India. At the age of 9, he and his family immigrated to the United States, initially to the Bay Area in California, and then eventually relocated to Kent, Washington for his remaining years of middle school and high school.

At the time of his enrollment to West Point in 2006, when Sikhs were not allowed to practice their religion by wearing their articles of faith in the U.S. military, he made the devastating decision to remove his turban and have his hair and beard shaved. In the face of adversity, he resolved to one day restore his articles of faith and his identity once again. Simmer graduated and commissioned as an engineer with honors from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 2010.

Upon graduation, he rose through the ranks, earning his Ranger tab in 2012, and deployed to Kandahar Province in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. As a route clearance platoon leader, he led a team that cleared IEDs and ultimately received a Bronze Star Medal. In 2015, Simmer attended a Vaisakhi celebration at the Pentagon where he met a few other observant Sikh service members who had successfully integrated into the U.S. Army with their articles of faith. After nearly a decade, Simmer began pursuing a path once again to regain his articles of faith.

If you enjoyed this video, check out Former USMA First Captain and 160th SOAR Pilot: Lindsey Danilack's video:    • 010 Long Gray Lessons with Former USMA Fir...  ​

Timestamps:
00:00​ - 00:17​ - LGL Intro
00:17​ - 01:41​ - Simratpal Singh Introduction
01:41​ - 09:08​ - Childhood and Education
09:08​ - 12:50​ - Learning about West Point
12:50​ - 25:53​ - West Point Experience
25:53​ - 33:06​ - Ranger School, SFAS and Deployment
33:06​ - 36:06​ - CCC / Company Command
36:06​ - 48:00​ - Pursuing Articles of Faith once again
48:00​ - 50:28​ - Closing Questions

Images and videos provided by:
#SimratpalSingh
#SikhCoalition
Army Multimedia and Visual Information Directorate
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