Nothing about it has been easy and that’s where the spirit of ‘Chardi Kala’ (a mental state of maintaining eternal optimism) resonates deeply with me. I have been on active duty for 8 years and it has been incredibly rewarding, but it is definitely a very difficult career path. The Navy, for example, is roughly 25% female. Which is an important concept and belief for any young woman who wants to serve in the military because it is such a male-dominated field.
I was inspired by her and always thought that I can be a fighter just as any man could be.
Mai Bhago was a female warrior in Sikh history who later became a bodyguard of Guru Gobind Singh Ji (tenth Sikh Guru). And above that, someone that I have looked up to since I was a child was Mai Bhago. I am deeply influenced by our Sikh history - the warrior spirit of fighting for justice and fighting for people who cannot fight for themselves. Being raised as a Sant Sipahi (saint soldier who would adhere one's life in strict discipline both in mind and body), you are a child of God but you are also a warrior and that is something that I truly believe in.īeing raised in a Sikh family has been instrumental to the success I have seen in the Navy The uniform that I have worn for the last 8 years and I plan to wear for the next 12 will always mean more to me than any other career path I could ever go down because in my mind it is protecting the 99% that aren’t wearing the uniform. I decided to repay that debt by wearing the uniform of the armed forces with the hopes to protect the country as it had protected my family. to escape this persecution and I felt indebted to this country. I learned who my father was and his role during this time and that my family eventually came to the U.S. In junior high school, I started learning more in-depth about the history of persecution of Sikhs in India. Furthermore, the amount of respect that gatka teaches you for shastar (weapon), a weapon should never be wielded to terrorize, rather protect and serve. If you look at the Sikh history, Sikh Gurus fought for all who needed protection from tyranny and that has a very strong relation to what the military is today. That was what sat deep within my heart the understanding and the belief behind Gatka to protect the world and the people around you. Sikh values laid the foundation of my military career- I grew up playing Gatka (Sikh martial arts) and learned that the principle behind playing Gatka was to protect yourself but also people who could not protect themselves. Roughly two years ago, I became a Naval Instructor and am now waiting to transition back to my ordnance community within the next year. Here I was a supervisor for assembling the ordinance, so anything to do with the bomb, missiles, rockets, small arms, and machine guns as well. After those three years, I switched to a different platform within my trade and became an Ordnance Work Center Supervisor. I was also an Aircraft Gun System Technician. Here I worked on bomb racks, missile launchers, and rocket launchers. The first three years of my career I was an Armament Equipment Technician. By trade, I am an Aviation Ordnance man, which is like a weapons technician. I grew up in California, lived there till I was 16 and then moved to Illinois. I decided to repay that debt by wearing the uniform of the armed forces with the hopes to protect the country as it had protected my family.Ībout me, what I do-I was born in Punjab, India and came to the United States when I was about three. By We Are Sikhs - NovemI learned who my father was and his role during this time and that my family eventually came to the U.S.
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