https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pogona |
I recall that when I joined the Army, one of the very first
realities of Army life was that I could not have a beard. Now granted, with my
genetic background, I could not really grow a beard of any substance. In fact,
I took advantage of the privilege of being able to have a mustache as soon as
I finished Basic Training. In truth, it really didn’t work for me, but I still kept
that affectation for 30 years until recently I decided to ditch it for a much
younger looking clean shaven styling.
Thus I was surprised when I read this article where it looks as if the Army has decided to relax the beard restrictions based on ‘sincerely
held religious beliefs. The examples cited point specifically to Sikhs with
beards and turbans
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/army-issues-new-rule-granting-religious-accommodations-turbans-beards-hijabs-n703556 |
and conservative Muslim women with hijabs.
The article is slightly disingenuous. Sikhs have been able
to wear beards and turbans since 2010. The change in the rules really just
moves the authority to authorize alternate styles down to the unit commander.
No, the real change not highlighted here is the ability of conservative Muslim
women to wear hijabs; something that has never been granted before. It remains to be seen if the regulation change
will allow women to go full beekeeper suit (burka) or not. It seems to be a
breach is security for soldiers to not be able to see the faces of their fellow
soldiers. I am not sure what role a conservative Muslim woman can fulfill in
the service where they are restricted from being seen in public without their
spouse, but I really could care less what they wear.
That being said, I had to do some googling on the beard
thing. I recalled that there was some logical explanation for why we had to
shave, but I couldn’t recall the context. It turns out that we had to shave
because the gas masks of that era would not seal properly if you had a beard.
The regulation can into effect about the time of the Vietnam War, which makes
sense as that is when those masks were put into service. I remember having to
lug those mask around everywhere with me. They were a major pain, and I’d bet
they were probably the most often lost piece of field gear ever. Here’s what
they looked like:
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/m50-gas-mask |
Here’s what a modern gas mask looks like:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M50_joint_service_general_purpose_mask |
Frankly, I don’t see much a difference between the old and
the new around the area where the masks seals at the bottom of the face where a
beard would be grown. I suspect these mask were not designed to accommodate a
person wearing a beard. I wonder if in the event of a gas attach, beard wearing
soldiers will be required to quickly shave, then don their masks. Either
that, or they are assumed an acceptable casualty loss. Alternatively, they will
be issues ‘beard friendly’ MOPP gear. In that case, the Army will have to stock
the type of masks that works with a beard.
Another question is just where the ‘sincerely held belief’ line
stops. I mean these guys:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_Dynasty |
wear beards and, as anyone knows who watches the show, are
deeply religious, and have very strong feelings about men wearing beards. In
their culture, it is almost the norm and men who are clean shaven are viewed
with suspicion. Will the new Army regulations take their sincerely held beliefs
into account? Probably not, but of course they are not the demographic these
changes are targeted by.
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