Contact the author here. 7Ndj% The research studied the effect of shaving waivers on the careers of active duty male airmen. For AFR waiver processing instructions see AFMAN 36-8001, Participation and Training Procedures. 3.1.2.3.1. The Army last year granted its first beard authorization to a Norse pagan soldier. Abdul Rahman Gaitan, 821st Contingency Response Squadron aerial porter, was among the first to be granted a religious accommodation for a shaving waiver based . Sopchak said he was originally raised Baptist, but has not been a Christian for a long time. By approaching recruiting centrally as a Total Force, Air Force Recruiting, The Air Force last week announced an expansive new ROTC scholarship available to older Cadets committed to commissioning, with the goal of recruiting and retaining more future Airmen in the program. 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. The Sikh Coalition, an advocacy group which works on behalf of Sikhs and other religious minorities in the military, praised the new regulation. All told, Brown added two books, two podcasts, and a documentary, The Air Force now has a single website to manage all its recruiting needs, covering Active Duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve recruiting. 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. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations. For AFR waiver processing instructions see AFMAN 368001, - Participation and Training Procedures. He received a beard waiver on July 8, 2019. 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Under certain conditions, commanding officers can order the removal of turbans or hijabs to keep service members safe, the regulations state for example, while someone is walking within 25 feet of an operating aircraft. 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. I cant tell you how many hundreds of times, probably thousands, that weve gotten [that] question. Be aware though, that the belief must be sincere, which means you will likely be interviewed by the chaplain about your beliefs, and they will advise your CC on whether or not your beliefs are sincere, or you're just trying to get a beard. He joined Task & Purpose in 2019, after covering local news in Maine and FDA policy in Washington D.C. David loves hearing the stories of individual airmen and their families and sharing the human side of Americas most tech-heavy military branch. Turbans and under-turbans have similar color and material requirements as the hijab. The study would require only 100 to 150 service members, he said. Sure, but how about competitive pay and benefits? Its unclear how many people currently use shaving waivers. The problem is how to convince the rest of the Air Force to follow suit. Meanwhile, about 76.83% of the no-waiver group was White. This article has been updated to reflect the fact that another Norse Heathen airman, Staff Sgt. Last week the United States Air Force announced that it had updated its regulations, and will allow airmen to seek a waiver to wear turbans, hijabs or beards for religious reasons. When requests are precluded by military necessity, commanders and supervisors should seek reasonable alternatives.. 0. As described in sample memos included in the regulation, safety concerns might include wearing a gas mask or going within 25 feet of an operating aircraft. Accommodation of Religious Practices in the Air Force. But on July 18, the amn/nco/snco page posted a March 1 memo granting another Heathen airman, Staff Sgt. Contact the author here. Black men disproportionately suffer from the ingrown hairs that cause painful razor bumps, either precluding them from shaving more regularly or forcing them to suffer and, in some cases, endure scarring. All are welcome. The Supreme Court today upheld Indian Air Force's denial of permission to two Muslim personnel to grow beard, holding that the two orders were in compliance with Regulation 425(b) which . I know Islam is iffy on if Beard are actually required but it is apart of the religion that I want to practice. For some pagans, it is seen as a way of honoring the gods and goddesses. | Here are some active soldiers who have been allowed to keep their facial hair. 8[/6&ip1~E5\h|#_W7AO2#+S_*wQ2I1jg!zx 6FTUqepk9v i*z]D@s;3c~52YJSR04P_dZgLA-Xh YWX,&"qp6bY ?HD]SL%d9n4%;uwR"d"4X Despite being in line with regulations, airmen with waivers reported feeling stigmatized for wearing facial hair. 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. Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Beard Religious Waivers in Air Force Norse Pagan, Sikh, Muslim and other Airmen have officially been granted religious waivers to wear beards. In December, Military.com reported that the Air Force Honor Guard changed its policy in April to allow airmen with shaving waivers to apply and join the guard. We speculate that these members, irrespective of race/ethnicity, may perceive this bias against shaving waivers and choose to leave the service earlier.. At first, it appeared Sopchak was the first Heathen to get a beard waiver. Does anyone have any information on how you actually get a religious exemption for shaving? Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. Now, updated Air Force regulations make clearer and smoother the path for personnel to request and obtain a similar religious waiver. They also make offerings anything from food to drinks to physical objects to their gods during a ceremony called a blot, he said. David covers the Air Force, Space Force and anything Star Wars-related. In addition to believing in the old Norse gods, he said, Heathens believe that they are descended from them. There are plenty of smaller regulations detailing how religious beards and apparel should look in order to appear neat and conservative, the Air Force writes. For nearly a year, the Air Force weighed a staff sergeant's request to grow a beard as part of his religious beliefs before granting him a waiver, a decision that balanced personal liberty against military readiness, a Pentagon spokesman said. The facial hair cannot exceed one-quarter of an inch, must be grown out naturally and cannot be shaped or styled. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. A religious accommodation request must include information including the airmans job, what the airman is asking for and the religious reason for the request, and a comment on the sincerity of the request. But advocates argue that more sweeping changes are needed, in part because shaving waivers are often misunderstood and hurt Airmen's careers. 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 new findings build off a preliminary study published in December which said that shaving waivers had negatively affected the careers of many airmen, especially those of color. While the Air Force prohibits male members from growing beards, waivers are issued to airmen who, for medical and religious reasons, are not able to shave in line with regulations. Though. Guidelines for requesting a religious accommodation for a Heathen beard in the U.S. Air Force Airman becomes the first Muslim to be granted service's beard waiver for observing religion By Jon Simkins Nov 20, 2018 Air Force Staff Sgt. 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. Paragraph 1.5.2.3 should be renumbered as 1.5.2.4. . 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. 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. Yes, Navy Seals can grow beards. 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. David Roza If they didnt have one, in some of the stories, they were actually ridiculed. 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.. Hopper's exemption is the latest example of the military's effort most notably the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force to acknowledge the diverse religious practices represented in its ranks. Air & Space Forces Magazine is the official publication of the Air & Space Forces Association, 1501 Langston Boulevard, Arlington, Va., 22209-1198. 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). 4 0 obj Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? 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. However, most airmen who have waivers are Black, because they are more likely to be affected by pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB) than White airmen. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) welcomed the policy change. Rathour graduated Security Forces technical training on Sept. 26, 2019. As of Jan. 21, the Air Force has administratively separated 111 active duty Airmen. The regulation formalizes a waiver process for future airmen seeking to wear turbans, hijab or beards, By You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. ooming and uniform standards for members who wear turbans, hijabs and beards for religious reasons. Hopper,. Get your daily fix of Air Force news delivered right to your inbox every day. Isnt the whole point of Religious Freedom that people CANT question your religious beliefs?? There's no more reliable source for news about your Air Force. However, given the most recent research; shaving waivers could play a role in racial disparity in terms of promotions. Kuzminski said it makes the Air Force and Space Force the first branches to look at a facial hair pilot program not tied to a religious or medical waiver, which would help normalize facial hair . Something about what he found resonated, and Sopchak became a Norse Heathen. Accommodations, after all, arent about special treatment they are about ensuring that religiously observant Sikhs and others dont have to choose between staying true to our faith and serving our country.. Beards should have been approved years ago, Facebook commenter Heather Britten wrote. 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. USAF photo by Alexander Goad. 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. I have an approved religious accommodation and have gotten pretty knowledgeable on the process. Under the new guidelines . | It also specifically looked at the time it took airmen with shaving waivers to get promoted relative to airmen without waivers, and whether that association led to racial bias. I want to go all out with practing the religion (including reading the Quran like it is recommened during Ramadan. 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. Caitlyn Smoyer). The Air Force Times reports on Air Force SSgt Garrett Sopchak, who just became the first US Air Force Airman to be allowed to wear a beard because he adheres to Norse Heathen religious beliefs. Religious beards in the military were allowed in 2017. Contact the author here. "They were well-respected. Asking questions is fine, but how is that even legal? So far, the Air Force has banned beards for all except those who have five-year medical waivers for pseudofolliculitis barbae, or chronic razor bumps, or religious waivers for those for whom beards are central to their observance, like Sikhs, Jews, Muslims and Norse Heathens. Theyre more like family members than they are divine beings, Sopchak said. Last year, Capt. In 2018, the Air Force granted its first "religious accommodation beard waiver" to a Muslim airman, allowing him to wear a beard while in uniform. According to the Department of Defense Instruction 1300. requests requiring a waiver for uniform wear and grooming have largely fallen into one of three faith practices: the wear of a hijab; the wear of a beard; and the wear of a turban or under-turban/patka, with uncut beard and uncut hair. Editors note: This story has been updated with new comments from Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne Bass. 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Summary: Secret agent/spy Arthur is part of a private investigation, initiated by Saito, to infiltrate a secret collusion of the world's biggest energy corporations but treacher <> There currently is no clear evidence showing that is the case, the study said. Since then, 21 Honor Guard airmen now have a pass to grow neatly-trimmed beards, according to Military.com. Previously, the only exceptions for active-duty personnel were medical waivers. Hopper,. I was willfully ignorant about the impact it was having on young Black men, he said. Service spokesperson Ann Stefanek said the proposal is under discussion by the Black/African American Employment Strategy Team, but hasnt been approved. It interfaces with DAFPD 52-1, Chaplain Corps; Air Force Instruction (AFI) . Master Sgt. This is an update to AFI 36-2903, "Dress and personal appearance of Air Force Personnel," and it will allow the headdress to be worn provided it is "neat and conservative" and that the airmen present a professional . On Monday, Captain Toor and three other Sikhs sued the Marine Corps in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, saying the corps's refusal to grant a religious waiver is arbitrary and. We are working to take away the stigma attached to airmen who have a medical need or a religious accommodation for facial hair. 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. Airmens facial hair also cannot interfere with the wear of personal protective equipment such as gas masks, the Air Force said, and airmen must be able to continue to perform their duties. Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily. [T]he promotion system is not necessarily inherently racially biased, but instead biased against the presence of facial hair which will likely always affect the promotions of Blacks/African-Americans disproportionately because of the relatively higher need for shaving waivers in this population, wrote the authors of the study, a team of eight led by Air Force Lt. Col. Simon Ritchie. Sopchak, a 28-year-old aerospace ground equipment craftsman at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, on July 8 received approval to get approval to wear a beard in accordance with his Heathen faith. With regards to promotions, the wait grows longer the more time airmen have shaving waivers. One Facebook commenter questioned why the Air Force needs a separate pilot program when it could study those who already have shaving waivers. It gradually worked its way up through the bureaucracy before ultimately being approved July 8 by Air Force personnel chief Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly. But if they deny a religious accommodation request, it will go up to the Air Force headquarters manpower, personnel and services directorate, Air Force reserve or the Air National Guard for a final review and decision. And at least two airmen who follow the Norse Heathen, or pagan, faiths have been granted permission to wear a beard. Seven months later, this reporter could not immediately find any such progress reports. If youre willing to learn, we are willing to teach.. The Air Forces updated policy sets new grooming and uniform standards for members who wear turbans, hijabs and beards for religious reasons. DAFI 52-201 is the governing regulation for religious accommodation. The Air Force, citing privacy concerns, declined to identify how many airmen have obtained waivers based on religious exemptions but said the publicity surrounding approvals in recent years has . The conventional view of facial hair is that it looks unprofessional in uniform. The Air Force also granted its first religious accommodation beard waiver, to a Muslim airman, in 2018. Others mused that more people would enlist if beards were allowed. Airmen who need to grow out their facial hair in uniform can take heart that the top enlisted airman, Chief Master Sgt. U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Isaac John, 423d Security Forces Squadron flight member, holds his position during a field training exercise at Stanford Training Area, England, Aug. 17, 2022. One civilian study from 2018 showed that 98% of study participants with an eighth-inch of beard passed the fit test with respirators that are similar to the M-50 gas masks used in the military in terms of material and fit. In 2017, the U.S. Army officially updated its dress and appearance standards to accommodate hijabs, turbans and beards. In the words of the Hungarian scholar Goldziher, 'The history of religion . William Bailey, a beard waiver. 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. Staff Sgt. Sopchak, an aerospace ground equipment craftsman at Hill Air Force Base in Utah,said other airmen have been emailing him with questions about his faith. 1 0 obj Ou5g(O5b5md8_ -+'.$Dvqx)YDTwXD`m_~G ArVT+`oo Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost. The U.S. Air Force granted its first religious waivers to the military-wide COVID-19 vaccine mandate this week. Copyright 2023. The Air Force style authorities have spoken: neck and hand tattoos are in, beards are still out. Requests should normally be recommended for approval unless approval would have an adverse impact on military readiness, unit cohesion, standards, or discipline, the Air Force wrote. Still, Ritchie called for a study to come up with a conclusive answer. I can answer the questions, so it is not really a problem but how is that even legal? Staff Sgt. Abdul Rahman Gaitan in 2018 became the first Muslim. It was more relatable.. 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. of the Air Force JoAnne Bass, wants to reduce the branchs cultural bias against shaving waivers granted for medical or religious reasons. 19 July 2019. Shaving waivers can hold back an airman's career, and since most airmen with waivers are Black, the regulations are effectively discriminatory. Many airmen on social media called for abandoning the beard prohibition altogether. Based on the successful examples of Soldiers currently serving with these accommodations, I have determined Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Staff Sgt. The United States military continues to bend its strict grooming rules to appease Muslims, most recently allowing an Air Force sergeant to sport a beard for religious reasons. The move came as a result of the Army authorizing beards for religious soldiers in January 2017 as part of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a move specifically enacted for Sikh soldiers. Chapter IV - Four Eyes Were Reading the Passage I was running the head of my pencil-case along the line as I read it, and something caused me to raise my eyes. Sens. Because its a faith that hasnt been practiced in about 1,000 years, he said, theres no set way to practice it. 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. (U.S. Air Force) Airmen will be allowed to wear up to. Brown Jr. covered a broad range of topics with his additions to his Leadership Library in February. The NATO allies who allow their service members to grow beards also do not have studies showing the impact of facial hair on gas masks, Ritchie said. Some of it was because I just ignored it, some of it was because I wanted these young men to do what I did: just suck it up and figure it out and youll be fine.. ak cGeoI0_enzM8_#.Skvv1Nx72!oaBV >q@yN;NG.s;9>/B32:*I=u/x|=3;.m1.DWc(P(mZ XZ Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel, Airman 1st Class Harpreetinder Singh Bajwa. Beard News in Air Force Copyright 2022 Beard Waiver - All Rights Reserved. Capt. The new version of the service's dress and appearance standards policy allows tattoos up to 1 . The 2021 study found that airmen with shaving waivers faced significantly longer wait times for promotions and were often barred from sought-after jobs such as Honor Guard, recruiting, military training instructors, or the Thunderbirds demonstration team. 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.
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