Lt. Cmdr. Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi is a Sikh physician and U.S. Army officer whose successful campaign for a religious accommodation transformed military policy. In 2009, he became one of the first Sikh Americans in decades permitted to serve while wearing a turban and maintaining unshorn hair and beard. His advocacy helped pave the way for the Army’s permanent policy accommodating Sikh articles of faith. Kalsi’s efforts expanded religious freedom within the U.S. military while opening military service to future generations of observant Sikhs.
