First Khanda Appears on Headstone at Arlington Cemetery

July 7, 2004

Source: Sikhnet

http://www.sikhnn.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=143&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

On July 7, 2004 Sikhnet reported, "Uday Singh was the first Sikh to die in battle as a U.S. soldier; and now his headstone displays the first Khanda to appear as an official emblem of belief for government headstones and markers. More than 260,000 people are buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Veterans from all the nation's wars are buried in the cemetery, from the American Revolution in 1776 to the present day Operation Iraqi Freedom. Important public figures, such as President John F. Kennedy, are also buried there. The official letter of approval came on June 3, 2004, only five months after the burial ceremony took place at the Arlington National Cemetery. At the burial ceremony, a Liaison Officer asked the family about selecting a religious symbol for the headstone. Because the Khanda was not an approved symbol at the time, the family asked Gurdarshan Singh, a local granthee who performed the last rights, to write an official letter to request a Khanda."