NRI Corner 3

[Bharatvarsh2]

Exclusive Interview with a US Hindu soldier at the warfront in Afghanistan

Hindu Voice UK, 24 January 2010



Namaste Vignesh and welcome to Hindu Voice. Vignesh, what made you join the US army? Usually Hindu children are encouraged to take up careers like Medicine, IT, Accountancy and Law.



I had always wanted to be a soldier. Even as a young child, I was fascinated by all things military, so naturally I followed up on my aspirations as an adult. I prefer to work in a field that I like, not just something I can make money in, which is why I didn't get into Medicine, Law or Engineering.



Were you born in the US?



I was born in India. Tamil Nadu to be specific. We moved to the US when I was around 10 years old.



What was the training like?



Initial training, which is known as basic training was hard for me. Just coming from a civilian background and adjusting to a military lifestyle is a hard thing to do. Physically and mentally, it was very stressful in the beginning. But I kept my focus and trained the extra mile to achieve a high standard of training. Meditation and some yoga techniques helped to keep me in focus. But it seems like nothing now, considering all the hardships that I have endured since then.



What was your parent’s reaction?



My parents were hesitant just like anyone's parents would be, joining the army at a time of war, but they never disapproved my decision and supported me 100%, and I really appreciate them for that.



What unit are you in and your position in the army?



I am in the 4th Infantry Division, which is based in Ft. Carson, Colorado and my rank is PFC or Private First Class.



Are there other Hindus in the US army?



There are other Hindus in the army, but I think they could all be counted with just both my hands. Plus most of them are in very civilian like jobs like medics or cooks for example. When I was in basic training one of the sergeant’s in charge told me that I was the only Hindu he ever met during his service in the US Military so I would say Hindus are very underrepresented in the military compared to our presence in the general population.



Has Hinduism played a part in inspiring you?



Yes the Gita inspires me a lot. Every time I get down on morale coming back from a 7 day mission to a combat outpost or just anything in general, I just have to read a few verses and it gives me all the moral and spiritual strength I need to sustain me.



Being a Hindu does it conflict with being involved in war?



I don’t think there is any conflict with being in a war when its your duty to fight as soldier and serve your country. And that’s clearly stated in the Bhagwad Gita. I was given a choice to serve either in Iraq or Afghanistan and I chose the latter because that’s where the action really was and it also gave me an opportunity to visit an ancient part of India from the times of Gandhari of the Mahabharata upto the days of the brave Shahyia dynasty. And later on the Marathas had hoisted the saffron flag at Attock . So With that background in mind I do not feel that I violate any tenets of my dharma by being in this war.

So far have you had any close calls?



Yes quite a few times actually but the worst incident happened soon after I got here. I had just finished using a washroom and came out, less than three minutes later that washroom took a direct mortar hit from the Taliban. I am certain that if I had been there I would have died upon impact so I am thankful to be still alive.



How does it feel to be in Kandahar the ancient Hindu city once known as Gandhara where according to Hindu tradition Gandhari from the Mahabharata was from?



Well part of me feels happy to be here. I was to be sent to Iraq actually but volunteered for Afghanistan when by chance they were asking for volunteers at Ft. Carson which made a few of my buddies think I was crazy because Afghanistan is a lot more dangerous than Iraq. So after all that I am glad to be here in this ancient city but at the same time it’s depressing to see the poverty of this once prosperous city mentioned in the Mahabharata. There are almost no Hindu landmarks left around here or at least none that I came across so far so it’s a bit depressing. It’s like we were never there.



There was a Hindu community there, but they were persecuted under the Taliban and many had to leave. Have you met any Hindus still there?



Sorry to say I haven’t met any Afghan Hindus yet. One of the reasons I volunteered for Afghanistan was to get a shot at the people responsible for persecuting them so it’s a bit disappointing to not have met any of the Afghan Hindus. I did meet a Pakistani man who identified himself as a Kalasha Kafir & gave his address in Pakistan to me; we did not have the time to talk much.



Have you been to any of the Hindu pilgrimage sites in Afghanistan?



Not yet and may not have the chance to because most of these sites seem to be around Kabul like the Asamai mountain & temple whereas I am near Kandahar.



What’s the feeling to be in armed combat with a ruthless and a very dangerous adversary?



It’s very stressful when you are on patrol and you always have to be very alert because the enemy uses guerilla tactics and can strike at any time. The combat capabilities of the Taliban are not very good out in the open which is why they use hit & run tactics and IED’s. The hardest part is the fact that very often you can’t tell them apart from the civilian population which puts both the civilians and the coalition forces in danger.



Have you spoken to the local Afghans and what are they like when they see US Army soldiers especially an Indian one?



I haven’t spoken much with the locals because of the language barrier. I am fluent in Tamil but understand only basic Hindi, some of the locals here know some Urdu because of Bollywood. As for the people themselves, the local kids are always curious about the soldiers which can be dangerous because the Taliban can strike at anytime but I do enjoy interacting with them. The Afghan police & army on the other hand are a different story as many of them always seem to be high on hashish which creates trust issues with the coalition troops.



What would you say to other US Hindus who maybe considering joining the US Army?



I would advise them to start training some of the basic stuff like running & ruck marches on their own before they join because it would make basic training easier. The Army is not for everyone so they would need to think closely before they sign up because you can’t quit when you want like in civilian jobs. I also want to take this opportunity to talk about the racism issue which I see used by Hindus to avoid the army. In my experience so far I didn’t see any overt racism & I think any racism you face will not be much different from what you see in everyday civilian life. So any Hindu who wants to join should keep that in mind when people keep exaggerating about the racism issue.



How is your interaction with your officers and other soldiers and are you like a family?



It’s very good so far and we are very close, almost like family. I think when you face the situations we face on a daily basis where people’s lives depend on our trust & closeness to each other, it’s inevitable that we become like a family.



Do they know you are a Hindu & have they asked anything about Hinduism?



Yes they do know that I am a Hindu and Tamil. I haven’t faced any questions about Hinduism so far but did get to talk about Slumdog Millionaire to some buddies and why I hated that movie as a Hindu. I was expecting questions about the Tamil Tigers actually similar to when Prince Philip asked Hindu priests whether they were Tamil Tigers but thankfully nothing like that so far.



What are your future plans in the US army?



To be honest I haven’t decided anything firmly yet. I may try out for the Special Operations Force (SOF) when I come back from Afghanistan in May just for the challenge even if I don’t make it into the SOF.



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