of the Air Force JoAnne Bass, wants to reduce the branchs cultural bias against shaving waivers granted for medical or religious reasons. It is unclear how many Norse pagans, Heathen, or Asatru followers are in the military, but they have become increasingly visible in recent years. Any recommendations made by the board would then have to be approved by Air Force senior leadership, a service spokesperson told Coffee or Die at the time. Though. ", By FILE PHOTO: U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. The Hammer of Thor is available to be placed on government headstones and markers in the United States. Sikhs have served honorably and capably in the U.S. Armed Forces and other militaries around the world, and while we are eager for a blanket proclamation that all observant Sikh Americans can serve in every branch of the military without seeking accommodations, this policy clarification is a great step forward towards ensuring equality of opportunity and religious freedom in the Air Force.. Start with the chaplain, and work with them to route the request through your chain. I am grateful to hear of this policy change, because it codifies in writing what I already know: The U.S. Air Force values the service and contribution of religious minorities like me, Singh said in a statement provided by the group. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. It took Sopchak about 11 months to get his beard approved. Staff Sgt. A federal appeals court on Friday granted a preliminary injunction allowing two Sikh men to immediately begin basic training with the U.S. Marine Corps without shaving their beards . Save Page Now. Rathour graduated Security Forces technical training on Sept. 26, 2019. Religious exemptions to the rule allow for beards up to 2 inches long. Air & Space Forces Magazine is the official publication of the Air & Space Forces Association, 1501 Langston Boulevard, Arlington, Va., 22209-1198. William Bailey, a beard waiver. There's no more reliable source for news about your Air Force. 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At first, it appeared Sopchak was the first Heathen to get a beard waiver. It is is up to the wing commander (or the unit's equivalent of such a commander) to make the final decision. According to a statement from the Air Force, Senior Airman Dominic Varriale was granted the turban waiver in 2020. During tours of less than 30 days, A ir Force Reserve (AFR) and Air National Guard (ANG) chaplains not on extended active duty may request a beard waiver for religious observance when consistent with their faith. Beards can also be seen as symbols of power, strength, and virility. For military members, exemptions must also be documented in readiness systems (Navy/Marine Corps/Coast Guard Medical Readiness Reporting System, Army Medical Protection System, or Air Force Aeromedical Services Information Management System). Abdul Rahman Gaitan became the first Muslim airman to receive a religious accommodation beard waiver. Accommodation of Religious Practices in the Air Force. The research studied the effect of shaving waivers on the careers of active duty male airmen. The studys findings are particularly significant because they come at a time when the Air Force is reckoning with racial disparities in the service overall. Still, it seems the Honor Guard has not completely embraced shaving waivers. If youre willing to learn, we are willing to teach.. During tours of less than 30 days, Air Force Reserve (AFR) and Air National Guard (ANG) chaplains not on extended active duty may request a beard waiver for religious observance when consistent with their faith. In March 2021, after Comer arrived at Maxwell Air Force Base, he started talking to his first sergeant about applying for a religious accommodation to obtain a beard waiver. The hijab, or head scarf, can be made of a subdued material in a color that resembles the airmans assigned uniform, such as black, brown, green, tan or navy blue, the regulation said. But if the unit commander is going to say no, the regulation said, it must be an unusual situation and based on real (not theoretical) compelling government interest, such as safety. It must be free of designs or markings, except an airman wearing the Airman Battle Uniform or Operational Camouflage Pattern uniform can wear a matching camouflage hijab. Soldiers assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade use hot towels to warm their faces during a shaving clinic May 22 at the brigade's organizational classroom. The services often claim that facial hair interferes with the seal of a gas mask, but an Air Force doctor has found no direct scientific evidence to support that claim. Turbans and under-turbans have similar color and material requirements as the hijab. safety) or when precluded by a compelling (i.e., especially important) governmental and/or Air Force interest. The interviewing chaplain will then send the wing chaplain a memo on whether the airman has a sincerely-held belief, whether the accommodation is related to that belief, and how the Air Force policy places a burden on that belief. The group is one of the Air Forces volunteer teams that considers ways to make policies more equitable for all airmen. Gurchetan Singh, the first Sikh American to secure a religious accommodation to serve in the Air National Guard, said Wednesday that hes grateful for the Air Forces policy change. Airman raises his head as flight surgeon chief of medical staff inspects his neck and face during a shaving waiver course at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., March 15, 2018. Air Force Global Strike Command is launching a new study of cancer risks among Airmen and Guardians who worked near intercontinental ballistic missiles and is developing new resources for current and former service members and their families. Given the racial distribution of waivers, this may have an unintended discriminatory effect by limiting the opportunities that these members are offered, the study authors wrote. Changing policy, actually is the easy part, Wright said. Guidelines for requesting a religious accommodation for a Heathen beard in the U.S. Air Force There are many religious reasons why people might choose to grow a beard. One Facebook commenter questioned why the Air Force needs a separate pilot program when it could study those who already have shaving waivers. They also make offerings anything from food to drinks to physical objects to their gods during a ceremony called a blot, he said. He received a beard waiver on July 8, 2019. While supporters of current Air Force policy may have anecdotal evidence of one to five people who they see fail the fit test, he said, that cant be extrapolated to hundreds of thousands of airmen.. According to the memo, which was first posted on the unofficial Facebook page Air Force amn/nco/snco July 12, Sopchak can wear a neat, conservative beard that presents a professional, well-groomed military appearance and stays no more than two inches from the bottom of his chin. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced the Space National Guard Establishment Act on, From Abraham Lincoln to the Tuskegee Airmen to lessons from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. In the words of the Hungarian scholar Goldziher, 'The history of religion . Central figures in Norse mythology such as Odin and Thor are commonly depicted as wearing beards. While the study did not list an exact difference in promotion times between airmen with and without waivers, it did say with mathematical certainty that shaving waivers as a whole were associated with a significantly longer time to promotion compared to the no-waiver group.. The authors called for wider research in the area in order to refute or substantiate their findings. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. The U.S. Air Force granted its first religious waivers to the military-wide COVID-19 vaccine mandate this week. It also outlines the process to request these exemptions, sets timelines for management to respond, and ensures that the approvals will follow someone throughout his or her career in the Air Force. The Air Force is committed to continuing to remove barriers that prevent airmen from applying for, and being accepted into, career broadening opportunities, Bass said in a statement sent to Task & Purpose. The updated Air Force Instruction, released Feb. 7, also formally allows Sikh airmen to wear turbans and Muslim women to wear hijabs. The Air Force has updated its grooming standards to formally allow Airmen to grow neatly trimmed beards, standardizing the religious or medical exemption process. And at least two airmen who follow the Norse Heathen, or pagan, faiths have been granted permission to wear a beard. Contact the author here. In a Tuesday update of the Department of the Air Force's COVID-19 response, the service announced it had approved nine religious accommodations, including eight through service members' major and field commands and one through a Department of the Air Force appeal. Chaplains typically can tell if you're trying to BS them and it can affect the perceived credibility of real requests in the future. The Air Force Times reports that applications for waivers can now be made by airmen who wish to wear religious apparel or are requesting exemptions from rules prohibiting beards and long hair. We dont have to hire RAND or Booz Allen Hamilton to do it, but the Air Force needs to want it to happen, he said at the time. The Quran, too, was used in a similar manner. The same neat and conservative approach applies to beards, which must not exceed two inches when measured from the bottom of the chin, the regulations states. The hot towels help stimulate the skin to bring out any oils and sweat that can be used for a lubrication layer between the skin and the razor. David covers the Air Force, Space Force and anything Star Wars-related. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Currently serving Airmen and Guardians who sought exemptions from the Pentagon's COVID-19 vaccine mandate will see those actions reversed and records erased, a new memo from Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall states. It was only after becoming the top enlisted airman that Wright met fellow airmen for whom being clean-shaven was impossible without immense pain and skin damage. DAF COVID-19 Statistics - January 2022. Airmen in the guard with waivers can wear beards in Air Force ceremonies and duties, but not as part of a joint service honor guard with another branch, Military.com reported. The majority of the waiver group was Black (64.18%), despite that group making up only 12.85% of the cohort. Big news today for the many airmen out there who want to grow out their beards: not only is there little evidence showing that beards interfere with a gas mask seal, but the Air Forces ban on beards may also be contributing to racial discrimination and hurting promotion opportunities within the service. (In heathen lore . 1st Class Benjamin . Sounds like you might want to talk to your local chaplain team. Paragraph 1.5.2.3 should be renumbered as 1.5.2.4. Beard hair longer than two inches must be rolled and/or tied to achieve the required length. Shaving Waiver stigma Air Force Medicine medical beard Al Dhafra . Despite being in line with regulations, airmen with waivers reported feeling stigmatized for wearing facial hair. The Air Force's updated dress and personal appearance policy clarifies the gr ooming and uniform standards for members who wear turbans, hijabs and beards for religious reasons. Many Asatruars and other heathens think it's wrong for heathens to use this exemption because heathens don't have the kind of religion in which our gods require all their followers to follow commandments in order to achieve a proper afterlife. W2~@R>tA);|6[ +XnDnQi\k`LF. Because its a faith that hasnt been practiced in about 1,000 years, he said, theres no set way to practice it. The US Air Force has updated its dress code policy to outline a clear approval process for Sikhs and Muslims who want to serve while wearing their articles of faith. The Nevada Army Guard said that Sgt. Previously, these airmen needed to get their waivers updated annually. Less of having to work with skeleton crews, he said. In addition to promoting one's own well-being and four pillars, respecting others whose viewpoints differ from them is expected from the total force. Sopchak said in a Tuesday interview that in the old sagas, a beard was a sign someone was a respected member of the community who could be trusted to help others. Still, Ritchie called for a study to come up with a conclusive answer. Maysaa Ouza, the first Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps officer to wear the hijab, was also featured in a short NBC documentary last year. Market-leading rankings and editorial commentary - see the top law firms & lawyers for Not-for-profit (nonprofit and tax exempt organizations) in United States He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. David Roza In 2017, the U.S. Army officially updated its dress and appearance standards to accommodate hijabs, turbans and beards. Sopchak said hes recently had some airmen, who were interested in exploring his religion, email him with questions, and hes helping other Air Force Heathens get their beards approved. The Air Forces updated dress and personal appearance policy clarifies the grooming and uniform standards for members who wear turbans, hijabs and beards for religious reasons. The Air Force is first in many things, but in this case the branch came in second to the Army, which in 2017 became the first military branch to grant religious exemptions for beards, turbans and hijabs. such as an exemption uniform policy; the from a purchase of suitable, alternative personal protective . <> The standards for growing a beard for medical reasons remain unchanged, the Air Force said. In 2020, the department extended shaving waivers for those diagnosed with razor bumps from one year to five years. Paragraph 1.5.2 changed to read: Submitting Requests for Religious, Gender , or Medical Waivers. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. Religious beards in the military were allowed in 2017. At the end of the day, while we are continually out in front with initiatives that provide more opportunities for our airmen to serve to their full potential, we are cognizant that we are part of a broader military force.. United States Air Force members who refused to take the COVID vaccine for religious reasons will soon get a reprieve from the punitive actions the military took against them.. For some pagans, it is seen as a way of honoring the gods and goddesses. The Air Forces updated policy sets new grooming and uniform standards for members who wear turbans, hijabs and beards for religious reasons. The Air Force also granted its first religious accommodation beard waiver, to a Muslim airman, in 2018. For example, hijabs must be closely fitted to the contours of the airman's head and neck, tucked under the uniform top, and cannot cover the airman's eyebrows, eyes, cheeks, nose, mouth or chin. The waivers remain in effect even when the airman is deployed or has a permanent change-of-station move, the Air Force said in the release. Theres a lot of comparables where Hey if females and women in the military just got their hair changed, how about beards? said Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne Bass in April. The Air Force has granted several airmen permission to wear beards, turbans and the hijab for religious reasons in recent years. According to the updated regulation, Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel, the Air Force allows all such apparel and beards as long as the airmen wearing them make it through a religious accommodation waiver process, that they appear neat and conservative, and that the apparel and beards don't interfere with personal safety. The Army last year granted its first beard authorization to a Norse pagan soldier. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? William Bailey, received a waiver to grow a beard in March. The study could provide ammunition for airmen who really want to grow out their beards, a large number of whom advocate for changing the facial hair regulations on social media platforms like Reddit and Facebook. are divided over that study showing beard waivers hurt careers. 28, beards are generally allowed in the military "provided they are neatly trimmed, present a professional and well-groomed appearance, and are not excessive in bulk or length," with the caveat that beards may have to be removed for medical reasons or under orders from a superior. Staff Sgt. "Sikhs are allowed to wear beards and turbans because it actually is a religious requirement of their faith that they do so. The Air Force in recent years has begun granting waivers to allow airmen including airmen of the Muslim, Sikh and Norse Heathen or pagan faiths to grow beards for religious reasons.