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First Canadian Sikh soldier takes command of BC regiment

In a historical moment for Sikhs round the world, Lt.-Col. Harjit Singh Sajjan has become the first Canadian Sikh to assume command of a Canadian army regiment. In a ceremony, a change of command in the British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught’s Own) took place on September 11, 2011, at the Beatty Street Armoury in Vancouver,British Columbia, Canada.

Lt.-Col. Harjit Singh joined the British Columbia Regiment as a Trooper in 1989 and was commissioned in the Regiment in 1991. He was promoted to Captain in 1995 and to Major in 2005. He has served in Bosnia-Herzegovina as well as three deployments to Afghanistan.

Singh has been Mentioned-in-Dispatch and has two Chief of Defence Staff Commendations. He is also the recipient of the Commander-in-Chief’s Commendation and the Deputy Minister of National Defence Award for recruiting in the Sikh community. 

Prior to joining army Singh was a police officer for 11 years with the Vancouver Police Department. He completed his last assignment as a Detective specializing in organized crime in the Gang Crime Unit. He also spent five years as a certified Technical Search Specialist with Vancouver’s Heavy Urban Search and Rescue Team.

Lieutenant-Colonel Singh is a Security Consultant lecturing to a wide audience, including specialised briefings on Counter-Insurgency Operations to both Canadian and US government agencies.

Singh is married to Kuljit Kaur, a medical physician and they reside in Vancouver with their daughter, Jeevut, and son Arjun.


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