Military history of Pakistani Americans
The military history of Pakistani Americans comprises Pakistani Americans who have served in the United States Armed Forces. There are a small but growing number of Pakistani Americans who have enlisted in the US military over the years, many of them becoming prominent.
History of military service[edit]
Of the first six Americans to set foot in Afghanistan when the War on Terror started were three Pakistani-American service members.[1]
Capt. Humayun Saqib Muazzam Khan was a Pakistani-American soldier who posthumously received a Bronze Star and Purple Heart military decoration. He was killed while in service in Iraq. He was laid to rest at the Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors and under Muslim burial rites.[2][3] Another Pakistani American who received both a Bronze Star and Purple Heart includes Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan who died in Iraq.[1] Others have served in different capacities, such as working as military commissaries abroad.[4]
Sgt. Wasim Khan was wounded in action during Operation Iraqi Freedom, June 2003, when his leg was shattered by an RPG attack.[5] He is a native of Gilgit in northern Pakistan[6] and migrated to the US with his family in 1997. In 1998, he joined the US Army and was deployed to Iraq with the 2/3 Field Artillery Battalion. He has been awarded numerous military decorations.[7] He was invited as a guest by former President George Bush.
Spc Azhar Ali was a Pakistani-American soldier who was also killed while by a roadside bomb while in service in Baghdad, Iraq. He joined the military in 1998, in the 69th Regiment of New York. He was buried at the Flushing Cemetery.[8]
Commander Muhammad Muzzafar F. Khan is the first Pakistani-American to take command of an operational aviation squadron in the U.S. Navy. He commands the Sea Control "Topcats" Squadron.[9]
Pfc. Usman Khattak, an ethnic Pashtun hailing from northwest Pakistan, is a US Army Food Specialist with the 539th Transportation Division and is based at the US Army camp in Kuwait.[10]
Sgt. Fahad Kamal is a combat medic in the Army and has served in Afghanistan.[11]
Second Lt. Mohsin Naqvi was killed in Afghanistan while on patrol duty. A resident of Newburgh, NY, he enrolled in the Army Reserve a few days after the September 11 attacks and had also previously served in Iraq. He was paid tribute by the Pakistani-American community.[12] He was given a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.[1]
Demographics and community[edit]
Demographic overview[edit]
Pakistani American soldiers make up a small proportion of the estimated above 4,000 Muslim service members in the US military.[11] As of February 2008, 125 Pakistan-born service members were on active duty in the US Armed Forces, out of the 826 US service members born in South-Central Asia. This figure refers to those who were naturalized with US citizenship and does not include US-born service members of Pakistani ancestry.[13]
Pakistani and Afghan American service members have assisted with US intelligence operations, and worked as interpreters, interrogators and liaison officers in Afghanistan. Their knowledge of local languages such as Pashto, Dari and Urdu gives them an edge in coordination activities.[14]
The overall number of Afghan and Pakistani Americans involved in the war effort has not been released, although their recruitment by the CIA and U.S. Defense Department agencies has been very public... Because most of their work was secret, few of the men have received any public recognition.
— Los Angeles Times[14]
Community perceptions[edit]
For some Pakistani Americans, cultural sensitivities can result in barriers to entry for serving in the US armed forces. Opposition to US-led conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan stems from people within the community, raising questions over a Muslim "fighting fellow Muslims".[15][16] Some level of discrimination within the military due to ethnic or religious stereotypes also tends to act as a barrier.[16][17][18]
See also[edit]
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Minority military history[edit]
- Military history of Sikh Americans
- Military history of Asian Americans
- Military history of African Americans
- Military history of Hispanic and Latino Americans
- Military history of Jewish Americans
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Pakistani Americans in US military". Pakistani American Public Affairs Committee. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ↑ "Humayun Saqib Muazzam Khan: Captain, United States Army". Arlington Cemetery. 9 June 2004. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ↑ Considine, Craig (26 May 2013). "Honoring Muslim American Veterans on Memorial Day". Huffington Post. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ↑ The Illustrated History of American Military Commissaries: The Defense Commissary Agency and its predecessors, since 1989. Government Printing Office. p. 475. ISBN 9780160872464. Search this book on
- ↑ Berman, Nina (22 March 2005). "Purple Hearts: Back from Iraq". Open Democracy. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ↑ Hall, Kenneth (2 September 2006). "Pakistani-American soldier guest at State of Union". Soundoff. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ↑ "Guests of First Lady Laura Bush". ABC News. 31 January 2006. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ↑ "Pakistani-American soldier laid to rest". Dawn. 20 March 2005. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ↑ Christensen, Nathan (14 May 2007). "Pakistan-Born U.S. Naval Aviator Reaches Career Milestone". America's Navy. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ↑ Roesch, Kelli (13 May 2009). "Pakistani-American Soldier Compelled to Serve in U.S. Army". DVIDS. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Kovach, Gretel C. (22 November 2009). "Fort Hood soldier says Army, Islam share common values". Dallas News. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ↑ "Pakistani American Soldier Dies in the Line of Duty". Pakistan Link. 2004. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ↑ Batalova, Jeanne (15 May 2008). "Immigrants in the U.S. Armed Forces". Migration Policy Institute. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Tempest, Ron (25 May 2002). "U.S. Heroes Whose Skills Spoke Volumes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ↑ "The uneasy loyalties of a Muslim soldier". Washington Times. 23 May 2004. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Khan, Taimur. "Pakistan's Fight Club". Men's Journal. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
I've gotten Facebook messages asking how I could be a part of the U.S. army and support the killing of Muslims," he says. "Does it get to me? No. My whole life has been a paradox."... Over time, Ahmad became increasingly troubled about fighting fellow Muslims. "The atmosphere and undercurrent was we're going to kill some Muslims, kill some Arabs," he says. "Guys talked about killing Hajjis all the time. Obviously that would make any Muslim uncomfortable.
- ↑ Hanna, Adel Gobran (2011). Soldier to Soldier, Heart to Heart: A Doctor's Stories from a Military Camp. WinePress Publishing. p. 204. ISBN 9781414117409. Retrieved 15 November 2014. Search this book on
- ↑ "Complications Grow for Muslims Serving in U.S. Military". The New York Times. 8 November 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
“It gets to you sometimes,” said Mr. Khan, 32, from Queens, who is of Pakistani descent. “But the more personally you take things, the more you’re going to have a hard time surviving.”
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