Jump to content

Joining the Army, need advice/tips on how to keep rehit


Guest Fareed
 Share

Recommended Posts

Guest Fareed

Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Vaheguru Ji Ki Fateh,

I am leaving for the U.S Army in the next month (basic training for 10 weeks at a fort where I will be cut off from the rest of the world). So I wanted some tips on how to keep practicing Sikhi in an environment that is not so conducive to it. I'm having paperwork done to get the religious accommodation to keep my kes, dari and wear a dastaar. So that exception will be made (which is my biggest relief) but I have so many other questions! I would really appreciate the help from anyone but especially those who have been through the military or army basic training specifically. 

-How do you care for long hair when you have minimal time/products?

-How do you wear a kachera when doing athletic activities all day long and wearing thick pants over? Did you wear one? I really want to but I also want to be practical. Are there special types of kachere sold? Like athletic ones?

-Does anyone know of someone who has personally been through basic training and done the gas mask test with their beard? Was the mask seal adequate enough or did it leak air?

-On Sundays everyone is allowed to attend a religious service, they have many available but have to make special accommodations if they don't have what someone needs. (They don't have Sikh services so they'll have to make one somehow) How does that work for Sikhs? Do have some granthi or parcharak come? Would they let you go off-base to Gurdwara? If they can't accommodate me then I'm thinking of just attending the Contemporary Christian services so I can sing God's praises there because I heard out of all the options, they sign the most.

-How is the vegetarian food? I know MREs come in veg option.  How was the overall experience?

-Kirpan? Did you wear/bring one? Gatra? If they don't allow it then could I just ask them to issue me one of their approved military tac knives? 

-Dastaar? What kind of cloth, is it the typical kapra? Do they issue you one or expect you to buy one separtely that matches the camo pattern of the uniform?

-Gurbani? You can't bring any books or text with you except for a religious or holy book, so I recently bought a Gutka that I want to bring. Will I even have time to read it? I bought a big one with like 10+ Banis, should I just bring a smaller 5 Bani Nitnem instead? This is my first Gutka ever since I normally just use phone apps, but we will get our phones taken away the first day, so a Gutka was necessary to buy for me. How should I treat it? I keep it wrapped in cloth when I'm not reading it, I know it's not exactly our Guru Granth Sahib but I still want to respect it correctly. What are the rules on how we treat Gutkas? How do you do this while traveling or away from home?

Any other tips you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Vaheguru Ji Ki Fateh.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Guest Fareed said:

How do you care for long hair when you have minimal time/products?

You're gonna have to get up slightly earlier to detangle etc.

-How do you wear a kachera when doing athletic activities all day long and wearing thick pants over? Did you wear one? I really want to but I also want to be practical. Are there special types of kachere sold? Like athletic ones?

PT shorts are tiny bro. 

-Does anyone know of someone who has personally been through basic training and done the gas mask test with their beard? Was the mask seal adequate enough or did it leak air?

I've been gassed without beard but Sikhs have proven time and time again their masks work. 

-On Sundays everyone is allowed to attend a religious service, they have many available but have to make special accommodations if they don't have what someone needs. (They don't have Sikh services so they'll have to make one somehow) How does that work for Sikhs? Do have some granthi or parcharak come? Would they let you go off-base to Gurdwara? If they can't accommodate me then I'm thinking of just attending the Contemporary Christian services so I can sing God's praises there because I heard out of all the options, they sign the most.

It'll be a mix, go to different services. Like a religions of the world sampler. 

-How is the vegetarian food? I know MREs come in veg option.  How was the overall experience?

Better than non veg. 

-Kirpan? Did you wear/bring one? Gatra? If they don't allow it then could I just ask them to issue me one of their approved military tac knives? 

You'd have better luck with your kirpan. 

-Dastaar? What kind of cloth, is it the typical kapra? Do they issue you one or expect you to buy one separtely that matches the camo pattern of the uniform?

They do make but may not provide ACU camo dastar. 

-Gurbani? You can't bring any books or text with you except for a religious or holy book, so I recently bought a Gutka that I want to bring. Will I even have time to read it? I bought a big one with like 10+ Banis, should I just bring a smaller 5 Bani Nitnem instead? This is my first Gutka ever since I normally just use phone apps, but we will get our phones taken away the first day, so a Gutka was necessary to buy for me. How should I treat it? I keep it wrapped in cloth when I'm not reading it, I know it's not exactly our Guru Granth Sahib but I still want to respect it correctly. What are the rules on how we treat Gutkas? How do you do this while traveling or away from home?

Yes you can have all that. 

Any other tips you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Buy shitty boots now and get your feet used to being in them long days marching. Pushups pullups sit ups and run intervals. Drink all the canteens they recommend like ten a day. 

Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Vaheguru Ji Ki Fateh.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Get really good at rolling and folding your own gear so you could pass inspections but you're gonna find some people roll and fold better than others. Have them roll everything for dorm inspections. 

All the trainees think they know everything and they don't know <banned word filter activated>. Especially the ROTC kids think they know and it's even worse than knowing nothing. All you know is what the MTI and training Cadre tell you. 

When shooting go slowwww, it's not a race. Touch the m16 to the same place on your nose every shot and relax, breath, Jaap Naam, then barely squeeze to shoot. 

The military is full of drunks, rapists, racists, and lazy pieces of <banned word filter activated> bro Good luck. Did I mention all the racists?  They're gonna tell you current military policy has inclusion, diversity etc... it's only on paper. It's run by white power. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh and prepared to feel lonely bro. Cutting communication is harder on you and your family than you think. Write letters. Study for your tests whenever standing at ease etc, all spare moments are study. 

And when you get out of bmt and into tech school watch. It's only a brief period of institutionalization but it hits people hard and they go nuts drinking and sleeping around. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Fareed
18 hours ago, singhbj singh said:

Waheguru ji ka khalsa 

Waheguru ji ki fateh

I think Bibi ji can give you guidance

https://mobile.twitter.com/ArmyChaplaincy/status/1249578595053441033

https://mobile.twitter.com/mandeepChaplain

Waheguru ji ka khalsa 

Waheguru ji ki fateh

I love her! I met her at a camp about two years ago. I'm not sure she would be able to help with this though but I might try anyways. The U.S military is a lot different than where she serves in Europe and so not all the same rules apply.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Guest Fareed
On 7/21/2020 at 8:34 PM, GurjantGnostic said:

Work together to accomplish everything. It's not about you, it's you and your battle brother and your unit working for each others success. 

Thank you so much Veer ji for answering my questions all the tips on stuff like folding gear etc. I'm going in as a 35P (linguist). I'm prepared for the racism...as much as I can be... but I know I'll be entering a whole different world of stupidity/ignorance (I have friends in the military, they're not sikh but they tell me about all the racism and other generic bs that goes on). I don't drink much water so I'll definitely start doing that more. Thanks for being honest. I need more of that bro and am open to all other advice. I appreciate you.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share


  • advertisement_alt
  • advertisement_alt
  • advertisement_alt


  • Topics

  • Posts

    • We have lamp (or Jyot) the pure unscented candle for a reason. Traditionally, Patis used candle light (jyot), so they could read SGGS in darkness. Light, elec didn't exist. Dhoop is used to attract the "Good spirits" but also keep freshness where Maharaj will be.  Interestingly and coincidentally I heard Sakhi a few dsys ago. During Dasa Pitha's time these souls were roaming the Earth and even Sangat noticed. Maharaj asked them "y u here?" They replied during recitation of SGGS and making Degh they didn't bother lighting candle. THAT WAS THEE ONLY REASON NO GATI WAS GIVEN TO THEM!!!  AUTHENTICITY NOT CHECKED I heard once on YT like 2 days ago.  If u apply dhoop in one room of your house twice a week u will notice a difference esp in the smell and freshness of that room. 
    • Sangat ji, With the hot weather as per Guru's Hukm, how can we look after our kes?  First of all the beard! Working in Construction, factory and any other heated environment I UNDERSTAND! At my workplace it's over 32 degree celcius and sometimes we have to lift 20kg ALL! DAY! My tips, regularly shampoo the beard during ishnan. APPLY OIL! The technique of applying oil is by rubbing it thoroughly in the roots. Pay attention to the noise esp on the chin. You will hear this "crosh crosh" noise. Keep rubbing oil until u can't hear it no more! This means the oil has blended in properly.  Second tip on beard, keep an extra kanga in your pocket. Every two, three hours give your beard a proper comb down to get rid of any sweat or stickiness. SECOND BENEFIT! Do this all 12 months every single day your beard will look like it's been professionally groomed. TRY IT! People will ask you "What gel u use? How can yer beard be naturally like that?" You can say all I use is coconut oil or whaeva oil but just comb the beard every 2-3 hours for a minute.  As for the kes, morning time get rid of all the gronjra (or knots - forgotten English word), in the morning. However, during evening comb down make sure you get rid of small remaining gronjra and comb yer hair nice and straight. You will feel soooo so relaxed. Yes our hair will go unnoticed due to Dastar, but our hair demands time and self grooming!So proper combing down, spending a good 15-20 mins most evenings is an absolute MUST!  Most evenings I let my hair down and cover hair with my parna for 2-3 hours so it gets to relax from the tying up.  FINAL TIP! We are Sikhs so we keep fighting and remember this! The tradition of Dastar and uncut hair started in India, where the weather is twice as hot. Everytime we bring this thought in the mind, Guru ji will bless us and make us feel cooled down by a notch.  Fateh.       
    • Been so much nindya and attacking Shastarvidiya since the 2000s, however if we look at gatka now it's still mostly as poor and poorly taught as it was back then, still morris dancing moves and still behzti moves in BBC shows about sikhi and vaisakhi. If people were going to attack shastarvidiya, wouldn't have made sense to improve gatka instead and make it more effective? Additionally, the Nihang Singh presence has improved greatly now, and the cracks within the the SGPC and affiliated jatha jathebandis are showing more greatly as panth becomes more knowledgable with dasam bani and itihas day-by-day, so much gyaan which was lost within panjabi sikhs during colonial times. In the 2000s, the groups were able to talk down this bani and  gyaan by associating it with  RSS and hindus, brahminwaad etc. Not working so well now is it? However with gyaan it would be also good for us to try and preserve our martial arts and keertan vidiya as well! More and more crazy keertan videos are coming out from jatha members that are being made fun of and making sangat annoyed and upset, on tiktok and instagram reels.  
    • Author Posted April 24   On 4/21/2025 at 2:43 PM, ipledgeblue said: sirr should not be nanga because keski is usually worn.   Sikhs can sleep nanga-sirr if they choose to . Being from Punjab, almost every Sardaarji i know (amritdhari or not) sleeps/showers with their hair uncovered. I don't think Guru Sahib asked us to wear Dastar to sleep and I don't think it is in SRM.   The idea of "keski being worn to sleep" is cos in Bollywood films (Bachna Ae Haseeno) Sikh characters usually tie a gol parna when sleeping since the actor's usually Hindu. So they gotta cover his head somehow or he'd have cut hair. Same reason Diljit wore a pagg to bed in the El Sueno vid. Only time they didn't do that was in Gadar with Sunny Deol which just looked odd tbh   What in the world? What sikh or even a decent human would base their knowledge of their culture or religion on a movie industry, that too Bollywood?  Believe me, no sikh ever said, I must cover my head becasue an actor did so in a movie. I've been doing it all wrong, I must start covering mh head because the sikh in that movie did.  Just because every panjabi and sardaar you know, does something, also doesn't make it right..  Follow the guru. And if you have a medical condition, then exemptions can be made.  Just admit it, because of my medical condition, I am not able to follow this rehit. Why are you getting everyone else to drop to your level?
    • Wasn't Guru Arjan Dev's martyrdom on amd always commemorated on 6th June? How come it was 30th May?  Just like 6th June 84, where the likes of Terrorists like Indira Gandhi chose to attack Darbar Sahib where many many innocent Sikhs would suffer, as they went to commemorate Martyrdom of Maharaj. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use