Spotlight: Lt. Col. Pritam Jauhal

From my first encounter with charismatic Lieutenant-Colonel Pritam Singh Jauhal, I was quite smitten with this 93-year-old for his endurance, tenacity and strength, yet gentle and caring nature. Over several weeks, we continued to have lovely chats about his life, the challenges he faced in Canada and his recent book “A Soldier Remembers,” co-authored by Jauhal, along with Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra, and published by the Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies (CICS) at the University of Fraser Valley.

Many may recognize Lt. Col.Jauhal’s name, as he is the turbaned Sikh, World War II veteran, who was denied access to the Surrey Newton Legion Branch on Remembrance Day in 1993 because he was wearing a turban. He could not believe this and took his battle public, even going as far as contacting Queen Elizabeth II. His goal was to not only educate those about the turban and its significance, but to remind society that every soldier is equal, and despite religion or race, fought together as one united force in the war.

Lieutenant-Colonel Harjit Singh Sajjan, commanding officer of the British Columbia Regiment, shares light on this incident and says, “Lt. Col. Pritam Singh could have just gone home and tried to forget the insult, but instead he readied himself for another battle; a battle that he fought with his wits by attacking the ignorance with education. He achieved his mission and in doing so, created greater awareness in Canada about the turban and what it represents.”