For the Asian community, working in the Armed forces was not a preferred career choice – it was an unusual dream, not something many grew up aspiring to be. Even as they trained professionally, they were lured by the perks of multi-national companies. Some thought their scope would be limited unless they held front-line jobs and were in combat. Some shied away for not being from an Army background or having the 'requisite' fitness, discipline or physical attributes to be in the Army.
The trend seems to be changing in the past two decades. British Asians are not shying away, and many have joined the front-line Combat forces and serving across the globe in an assortment of roles including medicine, engineering, HR and logistics.
In exclusive interviews to Asian Voice, Army personnels share their experiences and views as inspirations for the community. Captain Makand Singh MBE RLC, said “We are very keen to achieve proportional representation of all faiths in the Army.”
Captain Singh has spend nearly thirty years in the British Army and served in Bosnia, Germany and Belsize. “It is a common misconception that all soldiers live in barracks. I was provided with accommodation and my children's education was catered for following a UK curriculum so that the family is not disadvantaged in any way.
“The Army focusses on teamwork, and if you want to experience 'belonging' – it doesn't get any better than this. It allows its people to flourish and bring out the best in them.”
His contribution in the promotion of Punjabi culture was recognised, and he was awarded the All Party Parliamentary Group Cultural Award. “It has given me a tremendous amount of fulfilment. There are many soldiers that give their spare time freely highlighting the many values of selfless service to the community. There are Punjabis living all over the world and they are connected to Punjab through their culture and music,” said Capt Singh.
Sergeant Harpreet Kaur is an Intensive Care Nurse and works in shifts at an NHS hospital, with a military day once a week dedicated to physical training under the direction of military personnels or training instructors.
The exercises ranges from doing a circuit, a 6-8 mile run or 6-8 mile tab carrying 15 Kg weight on the back. She has served in Kenya and in various centres in the UK.
Sergeant Kaur used to work in a call centre in Delhi before she moved to the UK and joined the forces. Like many Asian women, she was initially worried about not being able to endure the physical training. But her perseverance and fighter spirit got the better of her.
“I was not physically fit at all before I joined. What I had was a lot of passion, dedication to work hard and learn new skills. The training you get from the military is second to none and prepares you to work in any challenging situation.
“Life in the Army can vary depending on your job profile. Talking about my personal experience as a nurse, life for me in the army is very fast paced. It doesn’t get monotonous doing the same routine.
“There are more than 100 different types of jobs in the Army and only a handful of them involve front line work. Majority of the jobs are providing Combat Service Support which I am also part of.
"When in the UK , I work as a normal civilian nurse. When on operations we still work as nurses in the field hospital and treat casualties as normal, whoever enters through the military doors, it does not matter if its a civilian or military personnel. Everyone gets equal treatment.”
The options in the Armed forces are immense and the British Armed forces provides a great opportunity to serve the country, specially at a time when the country needs you the most.
