Right HERE.
The US military is slowly opening up to the idea of allowing Sikhs to serve and wear beards, long hair and turbans. I can see both sides of the arguement… the military likes conformity, and turbans don’t really fit that well under helmets and beards play hell with gas masks. But on the other hand, Sikhs kick substantial ass, seem to have no trouble whatsoever co-existing peacefully in and with the West, and take precisely no crap from Islamists. A few divisions of American Sikh Special Forces and Marines could do wonders in Afghanistan.
Of course, if Sikhs are allowed this, then other religions will demand the same. While Jewish troops wearing the yarmulka under their helmets wouldn’t seem to be a problem, Muslim female soldiers in full burkha getup would seem to be problematic (a camo burkha? With all rank and ID insignia on the outside?). Heathen soldiers might demand full beards and long hair as well. Of course, prior to roughly WWI, American soldiers (and probably pretty much all soldiers) seem to have been able to style themselves largely as desired, so long as they wore the basic uniform. And of course you had your General Custer and Colonel Roosevelt types who had their own uniforms made up special. One is left to shudder at the thought of some future US military where soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are allowed to make up their uniforms pretty much as they wish… *and* DADT has gone by the wayside.
9 Responses to “The Best Camo Turban You’ll See All Day”
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Long time back, I saw an aged Sikh gentleman at a gas station up in Grand Forks; pure white turban, pure white robes, pure white beard, dagger on his belt.
And I’m wearing a pair of bluejeans, tennis shoes, and a T-shirt.
I took one look at him and thought: “Fuck this noise; that’s _exactly_ the way real men should dress…you look in the mirror in the morning and _that’s_ looking back at you, and you are going to think that there is _nothing whatsoever_ you might not be able to accomplish by around 2 PM without even breaking a sweat.” 🙂
It’s true the East Indians are tough fighters they even have the 14 year old girls as mercenaries but I don’t remember the name of the group
if they even exist anymore.
I was in from ’79 to ’85, served with Sikhs who were in Canadian and British military, and they were the epitome military professionalism.Never really saw the problem, other than gas mask use. Served with several Gurkalis, too, and they were models of military professionalism. And scary quiet in the bush. Saw them in action in Honduras a few times and they are DAMNED impressive. Thats the kind of diversity I can scan!
Interesting underlying assumptions in your post.
Other military forces are able to make accomodation for cultural matters. Sikhs wear turbans in Commonwealth forces. Jews are provided with special dietary allowances as are Hindus and Ghurkas. So why can’t the US Military?
Why is that someone like yourself feels the need to disparage people who hail from different cultural/religious backgrounds? It appears that there is an underlying, implied racism there. Perhaps its naivety but you appear to unselfconciously questioning “why can’t everybody be the same, like me?”
I’ve served with and known Sikhs and they were gentlemen all. If they joined up to the US military, they would be a great asset, if for no other reason why’d bring a bit of style to the establishment.
You may take pride in your unwillingness to resort to what you disparage so foolishlessly as “political correctness” but I am unsure what sort of society you’ve been raised in but suggesting because someone is different that they are inferior is just downright rudeness where I come from and when associated with the issues of race/religion/etc. invariably considered racism. Perhaps you should remember the old adage – “Better to keep your mouth closed and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt”?
> Other military forces are able to make accomodation for cultural matters….. So why can’t the US Military?
Because the US military likes conformity.
> Why is that someone like yourself feels the need to disparage people who hail from different cultural/religious backgrounds?
Why is it that someone likes you chooses to see such disparagement where none exists? Where do you see me talking smack about Sikhs, for example? that’s right, you don’t. But you *choose* to, and thus… you do.
> suggesting because someone is different that they are inferior
Another example of “projection” on your part. Or is it outright lying? Given your outbursts here and elsewhere, where you have told clear falsehoods about things as diverse as economics and shotguns, I suspect it’s the latter. However, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. At this point in time, anyone who actively touts communism, as you’ve done, in the face of clear evidence of it’s factual and ethical failings, must clearly be insane. So it’s my suspicion that you are merely unable to tell reality from fantasy. This explains why you see racism where none exists.
See a doctor. There are some remarkable psychotropic medications available these days. With treatment, perhaps you could one day become a valued member of society, rather than the jolke that you currently are.
Joke about the Gurkhas and their gung-ho spirit.
British Airborne officer: “We will exit the aircraft at an altitude of 1,000 feet.”
Gurkha sergeant: “Sir, the men were wondering if they could jump from 300 feet altitude instead.”
British officer: “But at 300 feet there wouldn’t be time for your parachutes to open.”
Gurkha sergeant: “You are going to give us parachutes?” 😉
I would suggest that if the US military “likes conformity” then why are there so many special forces and odd units in its organisation? They may like conformity but in reality what they want I suspect is white, middle-class, heterosexual males.
I read what you write. You write stuff that asks, when one boils it all down “why can’t they all just be the same?” You’re using Sikhs as your stalking horse to attack other ethnicities/religions. You ask why do they need to be allowed to wear turbans and then go on and attack Muslim women for wearing burkhas and then gay people for their sexual orientation. This is typical of a closet racist or bigot. What is that you fear about diversity?
Perhaps even importantly, how is it that every other western military can make accomodation for cultural diversities (even before the PC term came into vogue) and yet you can’t and don’t want the US Army to? The British Army, that most august bastion of conservative institutions accommodates cultural diversity and always has. Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, Ghurkas, Africans, Maoris, Chinese to name but a few seem to be tolerated and manage to accomodate themselves to the needs of service.
A nation’s military should reflect the society that it is drawn from. US society is multicultural and multiracial and multifaith. Do you have problems with that as well? It would appear so if you believe that they shouldn’t be allowed to serve in their nation’s military because they aren’t white, male and heterosexual.
Well, they may want “white, middle-class, heterosexual males”, but the US military is the most racially diverse institution in the whole US. Particularly after military service became a shortcut to US citizenship:
http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/immigrationnaturalizatio/a/milcitizens.htm
This idea is very similar to that of the Roman Empire’s army, where any member of the Legion from anywhere in Italy was granted full Roman citizenship with all of its advantages.
> You write stuff that asks, when one boils it all down “why can’t they all just be the same?”
You’re projecting, comrade.
> You’re using Sikhs as your stalking horse to attack other ethnicities/religions.
Yeah. That’s why I *praised* them.