Social media salutes Sikh soldier’s success

A SIKH soldier’s promotion in the British Army has become a social media sensation after the news that was posted by his wife attracted thousands of messages and comments.

Corporal Chamandeep Singh, a Punjab-born soldier in the Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) of the British Army, attended a military school in India for 12 years.

At the time, he read about another Indian soldier, Havildar Major Rajinder Singh Dhatt, and his heroic involvement in the Burma campaign of the Second World War.

The story of this Sikh war veteran, as well as that of Singh’s father who served in the Indian Army, inspired him to move to the UK and join the British Army.

Cpl Singh has now become a Twitter sensation after his wife, Ceese Kaur Seera, posted the news of his promotion last month. The news attracted more than 7,300 likes as well as 500 retweets and comments.

“The person who has supported me throughout my journey is my wife, Ceese,” said Cpl Singh, who said he was amazed by the worldwide response, including from India.

“I just couldn’t believe how many people from all around the world shared and commented on her tweet. It made me feel so proud to be a Sikh soldier and serve this country,” he said.

His wife works in a challenging role herself, as a forensic scene investigations officer, and is also the national lead for the National Sikh Police Association.

“We support each other by having a mutual understanding that is built on teamwork and trust. I am always incredibly proud of my husband’s achievements. Getting promoted is a huge deal to any soldier, but as a Sikh, it’s so wonderful for our community to see soldiers going up the ranks and achieving so much,” she said.

Cpl Singh is one of 150 Sikhs serving in Britain’s regular Army. He was posted to the 22 Signals Regiment in October 2017 where he now works as part of the Unit Spares Account providing first-line equipment support to the Light Aid Detachment, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement marking his promotion.

In addition to his military role, the MoD said that Singh was an engagement representative for the Defence Sikh Network, which he has been a part of for the last five years.