The Military Museums is celebrating Sikh heritage month with an exhibit on Sikh soldiers in Canada's military. Photographs and other artifacts showcasing the Sikhs’ role in our military have been collected from different sources, including the Indian military and Canadian military. “When they come here, they're going to see some of the soldiers they might not know, some of the presently serving soldiers, as well as soldiers from World War One World War Two and post-World Wars,” said Charan Kamal Singh Dullat, the Military Museums event organizer and an active member in the Canadian Armed Forces. Among the artifacts are several medals belonging to Harry Sekhon, a veteran, who joined the Calgary Highlanders in the late 1980s. Sekhon is also proud of a unique first. “I was first Sikh which had the turban on and in the Canadian army,” he said. “My goal was to merge it in a proper and professional fashion and not artificial because it’s a question of the history of the Sikhs.” Organizers say that kind of information is important to pass along. “I think education of both members who have served Canada in the past from the Sikh community and bring their stories up,” says Dullat. “This is one of the chapters from the history which has been missed.” For some of the exhibit’s first visitors; it was an emotional experience. “I’m very proud of Canada because of what they have put together today,” said Rajinder Singh Gill, whose father was a veteran. “My dad was in the Second World War and the militia and the exhibit has profoundly effected me and I’m very sentimental about it.” The exhibit runs at The Military Museums at 4520 Crowchild Tr. S.W. until April 30.
