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So now that the Army has made it so you can grow a beard for religious
reasons, does that mean anyone that claims Jedi as their religion can
grow a beard? How many other religions allowed within the military will be allowing Service members to begin wearing facial hair?
Currently, Excluding limited exemptions for religious accommodation, the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps
have policies that prohibit beards on the basis of hygiene, the
necessity of a good seal for chemical weapon protective masks, and the
official position that uniform personal appearance and grooming
contribute to discipline and a sense of camaraderie (cited from a DC District Court Civil Action).
reasons, does that mean anyone that claims Jedi as their religion can
grow a beard? How many other religions allowed within the military will be allowing Service members to begin wearing facial hair?
Currently, Excluding limited exemptions for religious accommodation, the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps
have policies that prohibit beards on the basis of hygiene, the
necessity of a good seal for chemical weapon protective masks, and the
official position that uniform personal appearance and grooming
contribute to discipline and a sense of camaraderie (cited from a DC District Court Civil Action).
Posted in these groups: 
Religion
Facial Hair
Religion Facial Hair
Edited 12 y ago
Posted 12 y ago
Responses: 40
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If your religion prevents you from shaving why join the military?<div><br></div><div>If you were a vegetarian and a PETA activist would you get a job at Burger King and expect them to stop selling burgers?? NO!</div><div><br></div><div>We are becoming to PC for our own good. Again if a certain job goes against your moral or religious beliefs do not pursue a career there. If you feel the need to serve your country do so as a civilian. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>
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SSG V. Michelle Woods
"If you were a vegetarian and a PETA activist would you get a job at Burger King and expect them to stop selling burgers??"
Hmm interesting point. As usual, you've got my wheels turning...
Hmm interesting point. As usual, you've got my wheels turning...
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MAJ (Join to see)
SGT Blackburn, good comparison and your point is acknowledged. I'm sure that what SGT LaVey is saying is that he would just put that employee at the fry station. Similar to what we would do in the military once a conscientious objection is approved for a servicemember.
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I personally believe that there is nothing wrong with growing a beard for religious or non religious reasons. My problem would come with the fact that some personnel dont even comb their hair, how could we expect them to comb/maintain their beard? Other than that I dont understand the dogma behind the hatred of the beard within the military community. It wasnt that long ago that beards were permitted throughout the US forces.
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MAJ (Join to see)
I don't think there is a hatred toward the beard. There is comfort in the standard and the tradition over the last 80-100 years of being clean shaven. By allowing a small portion of waivers presents an inconsistent standard which means it will get tougher to maintain the standard.
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Lt Col (Join to see)
So we're limiting everyone on the basis of the few that don't comb their hair? Maybe there should be no hair allowed. Everyone has to be bald. Otherwise someone might have uncombed hair.
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<p>What if these Soldiers joined Rally Point? Do you think they would feel welcome or resented? I'm going to find them on ako/enterprise and see if they can offer more points of view to this discussion. </p><p> </p><p>This article is old, but this was (then)SPC Simranpreet Singh Lamba's story when he first came to our unit:</p><p> </p><p>http://www.army.mil/article/58866/</p><p> </p><p> </p><div class="pta-link-card"><div class="pta-link-card-picture"><img src="http://usarmy.vo.llnwd.net/e2//c/images/2011/06/02/199285/size3.jpg"></div><div class="pta-link-card-content"><div class="pta-link-card-title"><a href="http://www.army.mil/article/58866/" target="_blank">Sikh Soldier answers lifelong calling to serve</a></div><div class="pta-link-card-description">Spc. Simranpreet Singh Lamba, who is the only enlisted Sikh Soldier in the Army, is stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.</div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="pta-box-hide"><i class="icon-remove"></i></div></div>
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SFC James Baber
SSG Graves,
You had me following you for agreement until your last portion the example, musicians still have to attend an AIT for their prospective instrument, the ones that are more proficient will have a much easier time depending on their years of experience or they will learn things about proper playing or music reading that they may have never known, so in reality they are not recruited for their skill set, they are allowed to use the skills or knowledge they possess to enlist in that particular MOS, and they will still attend the AIT for that MOS/instrument just as any Soldier just coming in does for their respective MOS specialty.
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SSgt George Brown
SSG Chelsea, The services are called "The UNIFORM Services of the United States" I believe that these policies are not coming from congress, but from the POTUS. He has purged many senior General Staff. He has never served, therefore he may be going on THEORY that it makes diverse religious people feel good.
THAT IS NOT WHAT BRINGS COHESIVENESS, BUT DIVISION. If you want to join, you give up certain acutriments of your past life. You are now part of a team that needs to know you are not going to demand individualism. People need to know they can trust you to back them when depolyed. Especially in a firefight.
THAT IS NOT WHAT BRINGS COHESIVENESS, BUT DIVISION. If you want to join, you give up certain acutriments of your past life. You are now part of a team that needs to know you are not going to demand individualism. People need to know they can trust you to back them when depolyed. Especially in a firefight.
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A1C (Join to see)
I'm a service member who wears a beard for my Christian faith, honestly I just ignore butthurt comments. Regs allow religious beards. Personally I think that's unfair and we should allow secular beards but I don't make the regs, that's way out of my pay grade.
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As much as I would love to believe how cool it would be to have a beard whilst in uniform, the uniformity rule still applies. Since I've got out of the Army, I've grown a pretty awesome beard. I often go to veteran events and get many compliments on it. I even get asked, "Wouldn't it be cool if we could've had beards in uniform?"
Yeah, it would have been... but not everyone can grow a beard. Our Commander had a very strict uniformity policy. We were all in the same uniform, same headgear, footgear, etc. 1SG would enforce it to the letter... and that's how it should be. We were a more cohesive unit because of it, I believe. We worked well together and brought everyone home from deployment.
Sometimes, it's the little things. We sweat the small stuff because that's the stuff we might miss and that's the stuff that goes down hill fast, causing that mole hill to become a mountain.
We have a reason for everything.
Yeah, it would have been... but not everyone can grow a beard. Our Commander had a very strict uniformity policy. We were all in the same uniform, same headgear, footgear, etc. 1SG would enforce it to the letter... and that's how it should be. We were a more cohesive unit because of it, I believe. We worked well together and brought everyone home from deployment.
Sometimes, it's the little things. We sweat the small stuff because that's the stuff we might miss and that's the stuff that goes down hill fast, causing that mole hill to become a mountain.
We have a reason for everything.
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MAJ (Join to see)
30 days of leave post-deployment and Command. This picture was taken on the 29th or 30th day of leave while attending the wedding of one my Soldiers. The 1SG shaved his, I didn't.
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Prediciton sir,
It'll only be Sikh and Muslim who are allowed to grow beards for "religious" reasons.
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MAJ (Join to see)
My prediction is that exemptions will be reported on USR and prolong these USR briefs as they are briefed on a by-name level with justification each month.
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Religious beards?
A question that I myself asked during my time of service.
Even though I was aware that only the NAVY were allowed to grow beards, the remaining of the Armed forces were not....
Religious Beards.. I often found it interesting that many Christians in the military don't question that fact that the one whom they value above all, himself had a Beard. That is correct, Jesus did in fact had a Beard, in every image ever created by this famous man not once will you ever find him with out a beard. I just thought I bring that up here as a way of thought only.
Military regulations rules and such can perhaps be changed, but to look at it a bit closer, only an education in the reasons why can provide an understanding of the why's.
This link may provide a very small amount of information that may perhaps explain some reasons why the military may not have wanted long hair or beards during my time. This may make one think twice about long hair or growing beards:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/136740-mites-that-live-humans-hair/
According to the Society for the Advancement of Education, 96 percent to 98 percent of people have mites in their hair. Mites are microscopic bugs that generally live in harmony with their human hosts...
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MAJ (Join to see)
There is a healthy but safe population of Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis in virtually every persons eyelashes. As long as the population is doesn't grow beyond normal you will never experience demodectic mange and very rarely is it ever zoonotic although it can happen.
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Suspended Profile
I can understand the Army wanting to be tolerant of those with religious beliefs that may include growing a beard. But I also belief that there are Soldiers that will INTENTIONALLY use this as an excuse to "claim" a religion just to grow a beard.
I know a few people that went a got a shaving profile even though come Monday morning they are clean shaven. When posed the simple questions to ensure they aren't breaking their profile, they respond shaving with an electric razor poses no issue. If you have an electric razor than and it works without causing the problems that prompted you to get the shaving profile in the first place.....why not use the electric all the time????
I truly believe this will get out of hand quickly and soon our Army will be looking raggedy and not the "professional" fighting force I came up in.
MAJ (Join to see)
I concur with your assessment but know the professionalism of the NCO and determination of unit leadership will be able to maintain a professional military appearance within the ranks. I just hope I don't have to rephrase that to a professional contemporary military appearance.
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I don't have a problem with Soldiers wearing beards. Just as long as they understand that there could be health problems such as death when their mask won't seal. There does need to be grooming standards enforced.
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MAJ (Join to see)
SSG Scott, you persistently inform everyone that we can get a seal so that is not being argued. When someone speaks of not getting a seal they are implying creating a seal within your 9 second standard. Can you share your experience?
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MSG (Join to see)
1SG, do you inform the Soldier within your formation, that have shaving profiles, of that same risk of death because of an improper mask seal?
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SGM (Join to see)
Definitely I do. I don't tell them to single them out, just to remind them of the risk.
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SPC Kel Rowland
There doesn't need to be health standards though, if someone can seal their gas mask with a beard let them grow it... There isn't something morally object able to having a beard
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