Patiala-born doc commissioned as Captain in US army

Ravneet Singh

Tribune News Service

Patiala, June 18

Born and brought up in Patiala, Dr Karminder Singh has become the second Sikh medical specialist to be commissioned as a Captain in the US army. The 36-year-old doctor, who completed MD (Internal Medicine) in June 2020, is also one of the few senior officers in the US armed force who will don a turban along with other articles of Sikh faith.

It’s a Proud moment

It is a proud moment to be an India-born Sikh and be in the US army. The process for enrolment in the army began about eight-nine months ago, but the final confirmation has come now. I decided to join the forces to serve the country to the best of my capacity.— Dr Karminder Singh

Raised in a middle-class family, Dr Karminder shifted to the US in 2013 after completing post-graduation from Dayanand Medical College, Ludhiana. In 2017, he did MBA in Health and Business Administration with distinction from California. He has also been selected as a fellow, Doctorate of Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine, at Eisenhower Medical Center, California, and has become a commissioned officer in the US army.

“It is a proud moment to be an India-born Sikh and be in the US army,” he said.

About being commissioned in the US army, he said, “The process for enrolment in the army began about eight-nine months ago, but the final confirmation has come only now. I decided to join the forces to serve the country to the best of my capacity. They have multiple criteria for the selection at the level of Captain, including education and professional training, leadership and management skills. The path was not easy, but I reached this level with the Almighty’s grace.”

Dr Karminder’s father, Jaswant Singh Sahni, is a cloth merchant in Patiala.

Dr Singh will now be deputed within the country until he completes his advanced two-year degree in pulmonary medicine. He will be deputed in foreign countries later.