Guardsman first to wear turban at parade

One of the most loyal to his cause, and one of the fiercest fighters. A very commendable people and culture.

Something i’ve mentioned previously on RP...

One of the largest Sikh populations outside the Punjab is located in the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys in California...

Great folks.

Sgt Wayne Wood - something I’ve known for decades, starting with my personal friendships with a large number of Sikhs.

only questionable thing i've ever witnessed from a Sikh... when Indira Ghandi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards back in the early '80's... the local Sikh community actually held a parade through the main streets of Yuba City/Marysville.

i can't blame them... Ghandi had ordered the military to assault the Golden Temple at Srinagar... Sikh-doms holiest site.

how stupid can you be to so gravely insult the people who are responsible for your life?

My question mark was because I needed clarification. When in the field or onboard ship, particularly in a combat situation, your point is valid. In formal situations, we should not look like well dressed mercenaries. Recruit training, as I’m sure you are aware is basically take a group of civilians and militarize them and based on our troops past, present, and hopefully, in the future, it works. Believe me, as a submarine sailor, I’ve seen it all.

Good for him...that being said, the formation looks like a$$ now. If you're going to be the individual that can't subvert individual culture to the requirements of the military culture for the 1.5 hours you have to be in a uniformed parade, you belong in the back of the formation where it doesn't detract from the spectacle it is trying to create. You can do your religion and culture. No issues there...but you're going to do it in a way that doesn't detract from the mission at hand. In this instance, the mission was to put on a military parade and show uniformity. Be proud. Be yourself. Be a part of the team.

I think we are missing an important point here.

For the Sikh it’s not just a fashion statement, it’s a religious obligation. This particular turban is a reasonable compromise that doesn’t significantly detract from either the Guards’ uniform nor from the religious significance.

Quite simply, if the DOD opts to modify uniform regulations to satisfy all religious requirements, so be it. Hell the bureaucrats change them every few years.