Sikh group: Doc gets OK to serve with turban - Military News | News From Afghanistan, Iraq And Around The World - Military Times

Sikh group: Doc gets OK to serve with turban

NEW YORK — The U.S. Army is making an exception to a decades-old rule and will allow a Sikh doctor to serve without removing his turban and cutting his hair.

The New York-based Sikh Coalition says Capt. Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi is the first Sikh to be allowed to go on active duty with a turban, beard and unshorn hair in more than 20 years. An Army policy from the 1980s that regulates the wearing of religious items had blocked his way.

The Army announced its decision in a letter dated Thursday and posted online by the Sikh Coalition. Acting Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Gina Farrisee wrote that this was an individual accommodation and not a change in policy.

An Army spokeswoman said she couldn’t immediately confirm the decision.