U.S. military is anti-hipster and won't embrace the beard

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel I am soooo sick of these supposed "bearded warriors". I have been throughout the middle east and I have never been adjudged as less acceptable because I am clean shaven. The idea that some read headed, blue eyed special operator "blends in" because he has a beard, is ridiculous on its face. In all my time in the middle east, I have only encountered one red headed local and he was Turkish out in eastern Turkey. You could immediately tell he wasn't American and even he was clean shaven. It is viewed as a badge of honor that separates the supposed bad asses (because they need to grow it) from the "ordinary" somehow "not as tough" soldiers, sailors, and Airmen.