Anmol Narang Becomes First Sikh Woman To Graduate From US Military Academy At West Point

An Indian-American Sikh woman, Anmol Narang is all set to graduate on Saturday from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Thus, the 23-year-old becomes the first Sikh woman to have successfully completed a four-year degree at the 218-year-old military academy, NY Times reported.

Meet, 23-year-old, Anmol Kaur Narang, a newly minted second lieutenant, who is the FIRST observant Sikh to graduate from the United States Military Academy. pic.twitter.com/2ixJaa4H4X

— Harjinder Singh Kukreja (@SinghLions) June 13, 2020

This Indian-origin newly graduate Army officer was born and raised in Roswell, Georgia. Second Lt. Narang is also the first observant Sikh -- man or woman -- to graduate from the prestigious United States Military Academy.

I am excited and honored to be fulfilling my dream of graduating from West Point.

Lieutenant Narang said that she always wanted to be in the field of military service. “My grandfather was in the Indian Army,” she said in an interview. “It was always a big part of my life and something I was always interested in.”

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What You Should Know

• Anmol Narang is the first Sikh woman to graduate from West Point.
• After Saturday, Second Lt. Narang will hold a degree in nuclear engineering.
• The Indian-American officer wants to pursue a career in air defense systems.
• Her grandfather was in the Indian Army.

Fulfilling dreams and a career in defense

After graduating from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Narang transferred to West Point. On Saturday, Lieutenant Narang will get a degree in nuclear engineering. She aspires to pursue a career in air defense systems.

"I am excited and honored to be fulfilling my dream of graduating from West Point,” Lt. Narang said to the Sikh Coalition, a nonprofit based in New York. “The confidence and support of my community back home in Georgia has been deeply meaningful to me, and I am humbled that in reaching this goal, I am showing other Sikh Americans that any career path is possible for anyone willing to rise to the challenge.”

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Narang is the first observant Sikh to graduate from the academy, but not the first Sikh cadet to do so. On Narang’s achievement, the Coalition wrote, “Her exemplary service to date underscores how diversity and pluralism remain core strengths of the US military and the country as a whole.”

Narang will complete her Basic Officer Leadership Course at Fort Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma, and then head to her first posting in Okinawa, Japan, in January of 2021, according to the Coalition, which works to protect the constitutional rights of Sikh community.

Feature Image Credit: enavabharat.com

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