Twenty-one-year-old US Army Specialist Uday Singh became the
first Indian to die in Operation Iraqi Freedom when his convoy
was ambushed in Habbaniyah near Baghdad on December 1
Uday Singh went to St Stephen's School, Sector 45, about three
years ago. After getting a Green Card, he joined the US Army and
and was sent to Iraq. He had planned to work for two years in
the army and then like to go fot higher studies.
His father Lt Col Preet Mohinder Singh, who owns a service station
in Sector 17 and was very close to his son Uday Singh. Uday used
to tell his father not to worry about him. Uday has an 11-year-old
sister, Bani, who is studying at Sanawar. His friends and family
members remember him as a cheerful person, who was soft-spoken
and respectful.
He loved racing cars, war movies, was full of life and had a
burning desire to join the US Army - a decision that finally took
his life.
He showed his mettle during the company's deployment in Kuwait
from August to December 2001 and was awarded the Army Achievement
Medal for his meritorious services. On September 8, 2003 his company
moved to Iraq
Uday Singh had visited his parents for a few days in March, and
just a few weeks ago, had written to them from Iraq, where he
mentioned about an ear injury which had affected his hearing.
A family friend recalled that he had also written to his grandmother
recently.
Associated Press
LAKE FOREST (Illinois) - A soldier from the Chicago suburb of
Lake Forest was killed in Iraq when his unit was attacked while
on patrol, the Department of Defense announced Tuesday.
Army Spc. Uday Singh, 21, died Monday after an attack in Habbaniyah,
Iraq, military officials said. He was assigned to C Company, 1st
Battalion, 34th Armored Regiment, 1st Infantry Division of Fort
Riley, Kan.
"His father told us he was on patrol when he was shot and
died on the way to the hospital," said Singh's uncle, Prem
Jay Datt, of Lake Forest. He said the Indian-born Singh's parents
live in Chandigarh, India, a town near New Delhi.
"We got a call from his dad at 7 a.m. (Tuesday) morning,"
Datt said. "My wife goes for her walk at 6 a.m. this morning
and the moment she came back the phone rang. She picked it up
and she knew right away it was the worse."
Singh moved to Lake Forest in the summer of 1998 to live with
his uncle and aunt and had planned to enroll in high school, Datt
said. But he said his nephew changed his mind and returned home
to finish high school before returning to the United States, where
he enlisted in the Army in 2000.
Singh came from a military family, his uncle said. He said the
soldier's father served in the Indian army and his grandfather
served in the British military when India was still under British
rule.
"He planned to save up enough money and go to college,"
Datt said. "He wanted to get a degree and do well in life."
In the meantime, Singh was pursuing his U.S. citizenship. In
fact, the Datts on Saturday received a letter from Singh saying
that he planned to return to the U.S. to be sworn in as a citizen
in January.
"Then three days later, we get a call from his father,"
Datt said. "We could not believe it. ... Twenty-one years
old and he's gone forever."
