Congress Lauds Sikhs in Armed Forces

May 27, 2005

Source: Sikh News Network

http://www.sikhnet.com/Sikhnet/news.nsf/TodaysNewsHTML/BD7919D6600C428D87257012006E85C8!OpenDocument

On May 27, 2005 the Sikh News Network reported, "a US Congressman has moved an amendment into the Defence Authorisation bill which lauds the diversity in the American armed forces and acknowledges the contribution of the Sikh community to the military. The amendment, moved by Congressman Joseph Crowley, seeks to salute the the diverse ethnicity and religious beliefs in the American Armed Forces and particularly commends the contribution of Specialist Uday Singh, the first American Sikh to die while fighting in Iraq. 'Specialist Singh joined the military because he believed in what the United States represents and because he felt the strong desire to fight for the freedoms we have here,' Crowley said. The Crowley amendment was included in the en-bloc managers amendment and the final bill passed. 'Diversity is an essential part of the strength of the Armed Forces, in which members having different ethnic backgrounds and faiths share the same goal of defending the cause of freedom, democracy and liberty,' he said. Crowley represents one of the most diverse districts in the country, including one of the largest populations of Indian Americans in the country."