AdminA Matter of Pride and Honor when The Decorated Canadian war veteran Lt. Col Harjit S received the Order of Military Merit, one of the military’s highest recognition, the Order of Military Merit. He is the first Sikh to receive this award and continues to be a role model for youth across the country as […]
A Matter of Pride and Honor when The Decorated Canadian war veteran Lt. Col Harjit S received the Order of Military Merit, one of the military’s highest recognition, the Order of Military Merit.
He is the first Sikh to receive this award and continues to be a role model for youth across the country as he prepares to serve his country in new ways.
Lt. Colonel Harjit Singh is an Afghanistan war hero who is the first Sikh to command a Canadian Army regiment and who was portrayed as a role model in Ottawa’s latest Welcome to Canada booklet for the immigrants. He is also a former Vancouver police officer, decorated after serving once in Bosnia and three times in Afghanistan.
Lt. Harjit Singh expressed Sikhism “It was an identity thing. I needed the commitment because I knew it would keep me on the right path. I found the true meaning of Sikhism and I loved the warrior aspect of it.”
“When I was fighting to understand who I am, that (warrior) aspect was something that I really identified with.”
Sikhs became warriors because of persecution. But Mr Singh says the main religious principle is that a Sikh must be a positive and contributing member of society. “It’s important to defend your own rights. But there is a requirement that you must defend the rights of others. “When I was in Afghanistan, a man came up to me and said, ‘You are a Sikh and I know you must help me’.”
Lt. Colonel Singh joined the British Columbia Regiment as a Trooper in 1989 and was commissioned in the Regiment in 1991. He was promoted to Captain in 1995 and to Major in 2005. Lt. Colonel Singh has served in Bosnia-Herzegovina as well as three deployments to Afghanistan, most recently in November 2010 he was requested to serve as the Special Assistant to US Army Major-General James Terry, Commanding General of 10th Mountain Division and Commander of Regional Command South.
He continues to be a role model for youth across the country as he prepares to serve his country in new ways. He stands out as a Warrior in Real Sense keeping his Sikhi Intact!
Dhan Sikhi! Dhan Khalsa!
~ Source: ThelinkPaper.Ca