A Hairy Issue: Sailors Tell the US Navy, 'We Want Beards'

Which would you rather have, a beard or dead sailors. I say this from experience. For my 10 years of sea duty, all but 2 years of it I was on a fire team. You are unable to get a perfect seal on either an OBA or any other type firefighting mask with a beard or goatee. Get real people your lives at sea may depend on a clean shaven face. GET OVER IT!!!!

In the military, rules are created one death at a time.

Here’s my two cents. If a proper seal for the gas mask or SCBA was such a huge concern all of a sudden, anyone with a medical no shave chit could not be deployed. Also, MWR wouldn’t be selling no shave/ ponytail chits during deployments because GQ can be called at any time. It’s not like the military can’t set a length limit on the beard.