For some, the call to military service outshines even the glamor of Hollywood.
This was the case for U.S. Army Air Forces Sgt. Sabu Dastagir, a distinguished World War II veteran and the first Indian American to receive the prestigious Distinguished Flying Cross with “Valor,” one of the highest honors that can be awarded to a service member. Before he became an Airman, Dastagir was an actor, who starred in iconic films like “The Jungle Book,” “The Thief of Baghdad,” and “Arabian Nights.”
During a ceremony on Nov. 12, 2024, a portrait of Dastagir was unveiled in the Pentagon’s World War II hallway. It is the first painting of a South Asian to be displayed at that location. The portrait was painted by June Xu, who donated the art work to the Air Force Historic Program.
The ceremony was led by Under Secretary of the Air Force Melissa Dalton and Dr. Ravi I. Chaudhary, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy, Installations, and Environment. In 2023, Chaudry, who served in the Air Force for 21 years, wrote an article about his discovery of Dastagir for Air Force News Service. “I came upon Sabu’s story later in my Air Force career,” he wrote. “I have always wondered why I had never heard or read more about him. Looking back, I wish I had had learned of him much sooner.” Chaudhary said learning about Dastagir’s legacy of valor was a “game changer”: “When you hear the stories of people you can identify with, suddenly, even the toughest of challenges become possible.”
Chaudhary invited Air Force members of South Asian heritage, including cadets from the Air Force Academy and the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, to the historic unveiling and asked some of them to speak about the event’s significance. One of the invitees was also Lt. Naadia Savera Puri, 29, strategic engagement coordinator for Navy Closure Task Force-Red Hill and the N32 airfield operations manager for Commander, Navy Region Hawaii. Puri is Indian American and a MH60S helicopter pilot. She accepted Chaudhary’s invitation and spoke about Dastagir being a trailblazer for South Asians in film and in the military, where he set an impressive standard for military service.
“I’ve never seen anyone who looked like me before me and it was fine. I never needed to see somebody who looks similar to follow a certain path,” said Puri, “but for me to see that, to know that there were others before me and to know that they have paved the way for what I am now doing and they made the road I’m on less bumpy for me to have to endure, they’re trailblazers.”
Dastagir was a tail gunner in the Army Air Force’s 370th Bombardment Squadron, flying dozens of missions and facing some of the most dangerous air combat missions in the Pacific. He was awarded five air medals in addition to the Distinguished Flying Cross with “Valor.”
In 1960, Dastagir, who was born in Mysore, India, was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in films in the 1930s and 1940s. He passed away in 1963.
Reflecting on Dastagir’s life, Puri expressed astonishment that he transitioned to the military after working as a Hollywood actor, which she sees as a testament to the fact that anyone can achieve what they want, no matter the barrier.
“I’m astounded that someone can go from a Hollywood career to being in the military and being a gunner,” said Puri. “It doesn’t matter what your job title is, what your color of skin is, what your race, what your background, what your strengths and weaknesses are, you can really do anything.”
Like Dastagir, Puri is a first generation American and the first pilot in her family. Her father, Dr. Rajesh Puri, has practiced medicine for over 32 years in Virginia with certifications in pediatrics and vascular medicine. Her younger brother, Air Force Capt. Kevin Puri, was inspired by his older sister to join the military and is completing an Air Force medical residency in San Antonio, Texas.
Puri said she was inspired to serve in the military after watching her mother, Shalini Puri, don a Navy Reservist uniform during the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. Her mother served in the Navy Reserve for seven years as a Cryptologic Technician first at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C. and later at Naval Reconnaissance Office in Chantilly, Virginia where she assisted in the processing and interpretation of electronic intelligence to support national and fleet tasking.
“Being born to parents who were born in India and immigrated to the United States, I also wanted to take a path that would give me the opportunity to build a meaningful and challenging career, one that I would be proud of, a career that was different from what anyone in my family had,” Puri explained. “And one that would not only define me, but inspire others.”
This dream launched her own esteemed career in the Navy, which included graduating from the United States Naval Academy in 2017 and completing two consecutive deployments over approximately 11 months aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), the largest aircraft carrier in the world.
Puri was grateful for the opportunity to attend the portrait unveiling and to speak about Dastagir paving the way as an accomplished Indian American pilot for future aviators. She also shared how she created her own career on the “shoulders of Indian American war fighters” who came before her.
For Puri, the ultimate meaning of the artwork and Dastagir’s legacy is magnificent and it will endure:
“This artwork does more than honor one man, one person, it immortalizes the courage and sacrifice of all who serve, reminding future generations of what it means to wear the uniform,” she said.