Tributes and Testimonies To Dr. Bhagat Singh

From celebration of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month

General Chambers and Mrs. Chambers,
General Hodge and Mrs. Hodge,
COL Donald Drummer
COL Mark Barbosa, Commander 7th Sustainment BDE
COL James P. Herson, Jr, 8th Transportation Training BDE
COL (CH) Ron Strong, Regimental Chapel,
COL Marvin N Russell, USAALS,
COL Derrick Carter, DENTAC,
COL Steven Hunte, MEDDAC,
CW5 Chester Willis,
CSM Jenkins,
Fellow Commanders, Command Sergeant Majors, Soldiers, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Welcome to the celebration of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month 

Last February, COL Carter, DENTAC Commander, informed me that he was proposing my name as the guest speaker for this heritage celebration.

The cordial verbal exchange over the telephone rushed me to the wall mirror in my office-—wondering at my facial features! Am I an Asian American or an African-American? You see for a number of years I had considered myself a black man. To his credit, COL Carter pointed out that I originally hailed from India whose boundary falls well inside the continent of Asia.

Yes I was born and raised in post-British India. In my upbringing I was led to believe I am a product of an ancient superior racial civilization. The impetus to verify how great this civilization was, never occurred. In fact the idea of racial and cultural superiority set me up for another jump.

Early on after landing in the United States in mid 1970s, I was filing papers in the Chicago immigration office. One particular page asked me to identify my race from the following narrow spectrum of categories

1. Caucasian (I had no idea what it meant)
2. Black (I knew I didn’t belong there)
3. Mongoloid (I knew I wasn’t that)
4. Other (This category meant to me those who are of “unknown background.” Of course, I knew my background quite well.

Not knowing how to handle this problem, from that office, I telephoned my relative and asked him what category I belonged.

The answer was “CAUCASIAN.”

I filed my papers and the immigration official accepted it without questioning my checking off the square box next to Caucasian.

Later that day I checked my dictionary on the meaning of CAUCASIAN. Hardly a surprise: I walked out somewhat puzzled thinking that I am a WHITE MAN. Young man that I was this new finding reinforced my cultural superiority that I inherited from India.

Joining the U.S. Army in 1979 and what transpired thereafter brought me to the forefront: I began to question just about everything I had learned over the years in India. Within the next few years I began to align my identity as a black man and felt comfortable with the African-American social grouping. For this radical transformation in me the credit really goes to the black soldiers and officers with whom I closely associated.

Given my openness to all ethnic and racial groupings, and my close identity with the African Americans, I live under no illusion that I am indeed genetically an Asian American. Today the Asian-Pacific Americans constitute a wide range of cultural, religious, and geographical groupings. To name a few we often encounter: Japanese Americans, Chinese Americans, Korean Americans, Filipino Americans, Indian Americans, Pakistani Americans, and Arab Americans. Frankly the list is a long one. So complex is this grouping that just to name other relatively smaller ethnic groups constituting within the broader category of, let’s say for example, “India American” will take another hour.

From that “Indian American” category, I happen to be a Sikh American. Today the Asian-Pacific Americans excel in the academic institutions particularly in various science subjects and their high per capita income inspires other ethnic groups, making me to say: American Dream Is Alive. Their rich cultural Asian-Pacific heritage has immensely contributed to the American landscape as well as to our Army. I give you just two great examples:

1. First Lady of the MEDDAC, Sang Hunte. She is one example among thousands who had married an American of a totally different background. Such widespread examples in America underscore the liberal, open, family-oriented captivating example of these Asian-Pacific cultures.

2. The second example is of the 34th Chief of Staff of the United States Army, General Eric K. Shinseki. I remember back in 1999 while stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, I received the news that General Shinseki becoming the Army Chief of Staff.

I knew then that Gen. Shinseki was the first Asian American four-star general to occupy that high office but hardly anybody knew of the historical precedents. General Shinseki’s news flashed me back in history remembering the struggles of the first generation of Asian Americans joining the U.S. Army. Keep in mind the times were tough for this generation. The racial and other prohibitive laws prevented these new Americans to pursue their American dream. In spite of the roadblocks, a group of Japanese Americans and Indian Americans had joined the U.S. Army on the U.S. west coast during the First World War. Not much is known of their early experiences inside the Army. And fortunately not all is lost. There, in history, is one name that truly shines: Bhagat Singh Thind, who was a catalyst in laying the foundations for great successes that we often associate with the current generation of Asian-Pacific Americans. Amazingly only a very few people know of the contributions and struggles of this remarkable man.

Before you leave this facility, please take time to see the displays: You will see two photos of Mr. Thind in the Army outfit taken in 1918 at Camp Lewis, Washington; another photo of an aged Mr. Thind along with his lovely gracious wife, Vivian.

Today we gather here in celebration of Asian-Pacific Month. Today is also the day to express our gratitude to Mr. Thind and for his tenacity and audacity to make sure that all Americans are equal before the law. And every American has the right to claim his or her citizenship.

Born to Sikh parents in 1892 in the Punjab region and raised in British-India, Mr. Thind landed in America in 1913. Recognizing his own obligations to serve America, his new adopted home, he joined the U.S. Army in 1918 in the course of an ongoing First World War. After attaining the rank of Acting Sergeant, he was honorably discharged soon after the war ended.       

His story would have ended there but it didn’t. What transpired during the course of his short military career and thereafter turned Mr. Thind’s name into prominence in the annals of legal profession dealing with the issues of equal rights and the U.S. Citizenship.

Sergeant Thind applied to become a U.S. citizen in July 1918 in the State of Washington. In those days the task granting U.S. citizenship rested with the immigration officials as well as with the district courts–provided you follow the narrow definition of the law and the established guidelines. One big hurdle to attain citizenship for an Asian American was that one must be CAUCASIAN, which for all practical purposes meant “White.”

Apparently for Mr. Thind being Caucasian was not a problem-—he filed his citizenship papers. Lo and behold, the district court issued him the U.S. citizenship on December 9, 1918. Recognizing something had gone wrong the immigration officials challenged the court and were successful in revoking SGT Thind’s citizenship on December 13, 1918. That is only four days later!

No doubt, the immigration officials had underestimated SGT Thind’s resolve. Thind applied for citizenship for the second time, now in the State of Oregon on May 6, 1919. Despite the immigration service’s entrenched interventions, in the end, Judge Wolverton granted Thind the U.S. citizenship on November 18, 1920.

Not pleased with the decision that Thind had received his citizenship for the second time, the immigration service appealed the judge’s decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals—-which after due deliberations referred the case to the U.S. Supreme Court for ruling; the crux of the case rested on the meaning of CAUCASIAN. 

In what is called “United States versus Thind,” Veteran Thind valiantly fought his case in the Supreme Court. In the end he lost his case for simply one reason: his skin color happened to be different. The ruling devastated the Asian Americans not only in their faith in an American dream but also economically. Immigration Service rescinded Thind’s citizenship in 1926 and then initiated proceedings to rescind the citizenship of some fifty other Asian Americans who had earlier attained their citizenships. 

You will agree with me that when you lose your case in the U.S. Supreme Court that is the end point. Well that was not for Veteran Thind. He was determined to get his citizenship come what may. An opportunity struck. In 1935, the 74th Congress passed a law allowing citizenship to U.S. Veterans of the First World War. Veteran Thind quickly jumped and applied for the citizenship—-but can you guess at what place?-—in the State of New York. Yes finally Mr. Thind, in 1936, took the oath and became a proud U.S. citizen for the third time. This time the immigration service decided not to interfere.

SGT Thind’s resolve for equal rights as a U.S. citizen had a far reaching implications. His story inspired next generation of new Americans. In late 1950s, another Sikh American by the name of Dalip Singh Saund was elected from California to the U.S. House of Representatives, making him the first Asian American to the Capitol Hill. Keep in mind, parallel to these momentous changes was the beginning of the American Civil Rights Movement that finally brought our esteemed black mothers to the forefront in leading a victory march for the civil rights for all Americans.

Mr. Thind, based upon his Sikh spiritual and humanistic heritage, believed that every human being is equal irrespective of our outer appearances and other superficial differences. Yes our ethnicities are diverse and yes whenever and wherever we travel we import as well as export our rich cultural heritages.

Given all that, we know about the bottom reality of our existence: that we are all one species, one race-—human—-living on this planet and making the best of our experiences to what we call LIFE, however mysterious that it is. The Asian-Pacific Americans are indeed the best example of what LIFE is and America has given to them the unfettered opportunity to excel. Just look around in America and witness for yourself the incredible rise of the Asian-Pacific Americans. Their success story needs no storyteller.

Let me close by saying with a consented voice of all the Asian-Pacific Americans: Thank You America!

And thank you for inviting me to speak.