Arlington, Virginia, July 07, 2004
On June 3, 2004, the official letter of approval cameonly five months
after the burial ceremony took place at the Arlington National Cemetery.
At the burial ceremony, a Liaison Officer asked the family about selecting
a religious symbol for the headstone. Because the Khanda was
not an approved symbol at the time, the family asked Gurdarshan Singh,
a local granthee who performed the last rights, to write an official
letter to request a Khanda.Udays father, Preet Mahinder Singh,
received word from the National Cemetery Administration (NCA) that it
could not be done after ten days.
Uday Singh, 21, was killed on December 1, 2003, in Habbaniyah, Iraq.
He died of injuries sustained when enemy forces attacked his patrol.
It was a single bullet that found its way into Uday Singhs head,
just missing his helmet
It was fate, says his grieving father. He was my
only son. Uday Singh never wanted to come to America. He was quite
happy living a life of luxury in Chandigarh, India, says his father.
But I wanted him to do something meaningful. They considered
going abroad and settled on Lake Forest, Illinois, where his aunt, Harpreet
Datt, lived. After finishing high school, Uday Singh came to Lake Forest
with his father in 2000. We got out of the airport and there was
a sign posted to join the military, recalls his father. And that
is what Uday Singh did.
Preet Mahinder Singh came to the U.S. a couple of weeks later to finish
his sons affairs and to visit him at the cemetery. It is
a great thing for our community. Back home, we dont bother about
these things. Here, there is more attachment to our roots, he
says. Preet Mahinder says the Sikh community was very supportive and
helpful in his time of need.
When Preet Mahinder Singh and his only daughter, Bani, came to pay
their respects. They kneeled down on the green grass and stroked, with
love and tears, the only crisp white headstone adorned with a majestic
Khanda at Arlington National Cemetery.