Our Bureau
New York, NY
The soldiers of the New York Army National Guard’s 1156th Engineer Company learned a lesson in Indian military history and a taste of traditional Indian food during their October 14, 2023, drill training at the Camp Smith Training Site near Peekskill.
As per the US Army release, the event was one of its kind in a series of cultural meals held one drill weekend each quarter. The company’s first sergeant, 1st Sgt. Theodore Gentile explained that the goal is to introduce the members of the company, a component of the 204th Engineer Battalion, to the diverse backgrounds of members of its company.
Dr. Gurinderpal Singh Josan, founder and chairman of Saragarhi Foundation Inc., delivered a lecture on the historic Battle of Saragarhi to Soldiers of the New York Army National Guard’s 1156th Engineer Company, giving the unit insight into Indian military history, as well as Sikh culture.
In 1897, a group of 21 Sikh soldiers fought to the death against 10,000 Afghans attacking a key fortification on the British Empire’s frontier. The heroic stand of the Sikh soldiers delayed the Afghans and prevented the fall of other forts in the area.
The Sikhs were all posthumously presented the Indian Order of Merit, the highest Indian Army award at the time, and the battle was eventually commemorated with two monuments.
Sikhs are known to have a long tradition of military service, and during the 19th Century, they were valued by the British Empire for service in protecting what was then British India, which today are the countries of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
Sikhs follow the Indian religion of Sikhism, which has 25 million adherents worldwide, as per the release. While 80% of Sikhs live in India, research estimates that there are about 280,000 Sikhs in the United States, and 11% of those live in New York.
The Soldier who suggested the October 14 meal and history lesson was Sgt. Talwinder Singh, a Queens resident and a plumber in the company who is Sikh. He got this idea for a presentation on the battle after attending a lecture given by Dr. Gunderphal Sign Josan, the founder of the Saragarhi Foundation, which works to commemorate the battle.
“I said, ‘You know, we should do this with the United States Army too’ It’s about the warrior, it’s about the Army,” said Singh. “I wanted to introduce my food and also my culture’s history.”
Singh then pitched the idea to company leadership, and they liked it. “This group, the Saragarhi Foundation, was willing to come here and give us a whole brief on the battle, and then tie it in with the food, so it’s an awesome experience to have the history of their culture and their military tie in with ours,” said Gentile.
