And in February, the Air Force officially updated its regulations to formally allow airmen to request religious beard waivers. Tell me youre an A1C without telling me youre an A1C. 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. 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. 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. The majority of the waiver group was Black (64.18%), despite that group making up only 12.85% of the cohort. PFB is a skin condition that makes shaving painful and can lead to permanent scarring if the skin is not allowed to heal, which makes it a common reason for receiving a shaving waiver. t7be,2/gQ u7|O;(?lKHfm'*g' I{C 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. Military Approving Beards for Pagan Worshipers. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. 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 . 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 . Rather than delay his enlistment, Comer decided to shave his beard and apply for the accommodation at a later date. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Others mused that more people would enlist if beards were allowed. But on July 18, the amn/nco/snco page posted a March 1 memo granting another Heathen airman, Staff Sgt. Isnt the whole point of religious freedom that people CANT do that? However, most airmen who have waivers are Black, because they are more likely to be affected by pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB) than White airmen. This condition can appear in a person of any ethnicity but is predominantly seen in Blacks/African Americans, study authors wrote. 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. While the Air Force prohibits male members from growing beards, waivers are issued to airmen who,. The Air Force also granted its first religious accommodation beard waiver, to a Muslim airman, in 2018. Wright, who is Black, said he resolved his own shaving irritation by learning how to shave in a way that would not irritate his skin, so he assumed other airmen would be able to resolve their irritation the same way. Despite being in line with regulations, airmen with waivers reported feeling stigmatized for wearing facial hair. Last year, Capt. 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.. Her work has appeared in Air Force Magazine, Inside Defense, Inside Health Policy, the Frederick News-Post (Md. 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This new study shows that changing beard regulations may actually be a need, rather than a want, because the current policy essentially discriminates against Black airmen. 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. HuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox. I know Islam is iffy on if Beard are actually required but it is apart of the religion that I want to practice. (Garrett Sopchak) For nearly a year, the Air Force weighed a staff sergeant's request to grow a beard as part of his religious beliefs before. The research studied the effect of shaving waivers on the careers of active duty male airmen. | The problem is how to convince the rest of the Air Force to follow suit. Maysaa Ouza became the first Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps officer to wear hijab. There currently is no clear evidence showing that is the case, the study said. Those calls accelerated earlier this year, when the Air Force changed its regulations to allow for women to wear braids, ponytails and bangs in order to prevent irreversible hair loss and migraines stemming from the old hair regulations. The Air Force on Friday became the second branch of the U.S. military to approve the wearing of beards, turbans, hijabs, under-turbans/patkas, unshorn hair and other indoor/outdoor head coverings for religious reasons. 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. Garrett Sopchak mythology, a collection of interesting stories but little more. of the Air Force Kaleth Wright, said in April on a panel discussion on male grooming standards in the Air Force. This means that even though the study measured only about 4% of all male airmen, the findings would likely be similar if extended to the entire branch. Anecdotal evidence and a July 2021 study in the journal Military Medicine indicate that airmen with shaving waivers are more often passed over for promotions and other professional opportunities because of their appearance. Though. Sample accommodation request memos included with the regulation said that the Air Force can order an airman to immediately shave or remove their turban or hijab if they need to be ready to wear a gas mask during an emergency. . Save Page Now. 19 July 2019. We are working to take away the stigma attached to airmen who have a medical need or a religious accommodation for facial hair. The Coalition said both changes were influenced by a years-long advocacy and litigation campaign by the Coalition and its pro bono co-counsel at McDermott Will & Emery. 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. There could be more studies of this topic to come. 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. Muslim, Sikh and pagan members of the Air Force have individually requested and received waivers for religious apparel and beards in recent years, but this is the first time the guidelines and the accompanying approval process are being standardized. Yes, Navy Seals can grow beards. Still, she called the policy clarification a great step forward.. Abdul Rahman Gaitan became the first Muslim airman to receive a beard waiver for religious reasons. The memo said he can grow a longer beard if he rolls or ties it, but Sopchak said hell likely keep it within two inches to stay safe on the job and keep it simple. In addition to believing in the old Norse gods, he said, Heathens believe that they are descended from them. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. As part of the process, an airman must describe the religious basis for and include a comment on the sincerity of the request. 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 . 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. Caitlyn Smoyer). In the stories, you could see even the gods themselves have flaws, Sopchak said. It is is up to the wing commander (or the unit's equivalent of such a commander) to make the final decision. 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. Chief Bass comment demonstrates her commitment to changing the culture, and there seems to be some progress already. Air Force Special Operations Command has made history by granting a religious accommodation waiver to a Sikh service member. Religious beards in the military were allowed in 2017. 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. For AFR waiver processing instructions see AFMAN 368001, - Participation and Training Procedures. Central figures in Norse mythology such as Odin and Thor are commonly depicted as wearing beards. Guidelines for requesting a religious accommodation for a Heathen beard in the U.S. Air Force Sopchak said that something about the Heathen religion felt more real to him. 173rd Fighter Wing Airmen may begin taking advantage of new uniform regulations allowing religious exemptions such as beards, hijabs, and turbans while in uniform. Abdul Rahman Gaitan, 821st Contingency Response Squadron aerial porter, was among the first to be granted a religious accommodation for a shaving waiver based . Shaving Waiver stigma Air Force Medicine medical beard Al Dhafra . An airmans rank will be displayed on the turban or under-turban when worn in circumstances where military headgear is customarily worn, and removed in circumstances where military headgear is not typically worn, such as indoors or in no-hat or no-salute areas. Those encounters, along with studies like the one published last year, convinced Wright to change his position. of the Air Force JoAnne Bass, wants to reduce the branchs cultural bias against shaving waivers granted for medical or religious reasons. If the idea moves forward, participating airmen and guardians would become the subject of a research project whose data could convince high-level Pentagon officials to allow more flexibility on facial hair. 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. The conventional view of facial hair is that it looks unprofessional in uniform. The military branch . Based on the successful examples of Soldiers currently serving with these accommodations, I have determined The new version of the service's dress and appearance standards policy allows tattoos up to 1 . But a little more than two years ago, Sopchak was seized by an overwhelming feeling that he needed to look further into these legends and the religion surrounding them. Gen. Charles A. McGee Leadership Award, named after the legendary Tuskegee Airman, will give either $18,000 per year, The Space Forces new leader has definedthree lines of effort he wants the young service to pursue, focusing on combat-ready forces, personnel management, and partnerships with other Pentagon organizations and allies. Its kind of a big thing, culturally.. (Staff Sgt. The U.S. Air Force issued new guidelines on Friday giving members who wear religious apparel a way to serve the country without compromising their faith. . We speculate that these members, irrespective of race/ethnicity, may perceive this bias against shaving waivers and choose to leave the service earlier.. Staff Sgt. DAFI52-201 23 JUNE 2021 5 Written request for accommodation received by While these issues affected airmen of all races who had shaving waivers equally, Black or African-American airmen made up the majority of the waiver holders and thus bore a disproportionate share of the consequences. *!+zu[XAoC_:X/0{ v8iAU}JqQ.u`6fE_GJTBh$Wx)Vpw#7~rDeI0r\!H(NW|/bcPRHBe0tEyXYD q{ safety) or when precluded by a compelling (i.e., especially important) governmental and/or Air Force interest. Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily. At first, it appeared Sopchak was the first Heathen to get a beard waiver. Air Force). The standards for growing a beard for medical reasons remain unchanged, the Air Force said. Click here. 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. 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. Beard Religious Waivers in Air Force Norse Pagan, Sikh, Muslim and other Airmen have officially been granted religious waivers to wear beards. A federal judge Thursday temporarily blocked the Air Force from penalizing a group of service members who are seeking a religious exemption to otherwise mandatory Covid-19 vaccination, in. See Beard News in Air Force for more information. Market-leading rankings and editorial commentary - see the top law firms & lawyers for Not-for-profit (nonprofit and tax exempt organizations) in United States DAFI 52-201 is the governing regulation for religious accommodation. such as an exemption uniform policy; the from a purchase of suitable, alternative personal protective . 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. Ou5g(O5b5md8_ -+'.$Dvqx)YDTwXD`m_~G ArVT+`oo In 2018, Staff Sgt. Don't lie about your belief. In August, images posted on Air Force amn/nco/snco teased a pilot program for inclusive male grooming standards which would allow service members to grow neatly-kept facial hair up to a quarter-inch in length, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine. 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. The Air Force encourages religious freedoms of service members as one of four pillars of resiliency to help build and sustain a strong and healthy workplace and community. dx xE28;eN0ORG*sMhw_2iL!o@/dUKS0sD~-dd!7r.7ucOjP0GH#_&F%)wr-' Meet this Norse Heathen airman approved to grow a beard in the Air Force, Women in the military: Moving beyond firsts, Veterans Affairs drops mask requirement for all agency medical offices, Officials OK some hand and neck tattoos for airmen, Guardians, Perennial pilot shortage puts Air Force in precarious position, Healthy eating on a budget for busy military spouses, Tax scams How to report them Money Minute, Capitol Hill weighs action on two controversial topics: medical marijuana and abortion, Lockheed wins hypersonics contract | Defense Dollars, Go inside a secret nuclear fallout bunker sealed for decades, Another Air Force fleet grounded over fears plane tails may fall off, Pentagon orders engine vibration fix for entire F-35 fleet worldwide, Minot firings due to failed nuclear safety inspection, Air Force advisers study use of satellites for tracking moving targets. 3.1.2.3.1. 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. % The Air Force has updated its grooming standards to formally allow Airmen to grow neatly trimmed beards, standardizing the religious or medical exemption process. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. According to an Air Force press . 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 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. For some pagans, it is seen as a way of honoring the gods and goddesses. 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.. Another example of neat and conservative is color. 0. In December, the Air Force commissioned its first female Muslim chaplain . (U.S. Air Force) Airmen will be allowed to wear up to. 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. This is the first time the command has done so. The Army granted a similar waiver last year, and beard exemptions have been granted for a growing number of Sikhs and Muslims though not atheists. A chaplain must then interview the requesting airman and submit a recommendation to the wing chaplain (or the unit's equivalent of a wing chaplain). Last August, he went to his units chaplain an evangelical Christian who Sopchak said was very supportive and curious about his Heathen religion who helped him put together the paperwork for his religious accommodation request. But advocates argue that more sweeping changes are needed, in part because shaving waivers are often misunderstood and hurt Airmen's careers. The Air Force also granted its first religious accommodation beard waiver, to a Muslim airman, in 2018. ak cGeoI0_enzM8_#.Skvv1Nx72!oaBV >q@yN;NG.s;9>/B32:*I=u/x|=3;.m1.DWc(P(mZ XZ The comment, which was also shared on the popular Facebook page Air Force amn/nco/snco, was made in response to a selfie she posted of herself alongside Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall and Airman 1st Class Kyle Voss-McReynolds, who was the leadership teams driver during a recent event and who also wears a beard in uniform. He received a beard waiver on July 8, 2019. Isnt the whole point of Religious Freedom that people CANT question your religious beliefs?? Abdul Rahman Gaitan became the first Muslim airman to receive a religious accommodation beard waiver. ), the Washington Post, and others. 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. I was willfully ignorant about the impact it was having on young Black men, he said. The facial hair cannot exceed one-quarter of an inch, must be grown out naturally and cannot be shaped or styled. It interfaces with DAFPD 52-1, Chaplain Corps; Air Force Instruction (AFI) . All are welcome. Singh said that he believes the Air Forces policy update will make it easier for Sikh Americans to serve while maintaining their articles of faith. William Bailey, received a waiver to grow a beard in March. x\[o~d/Sp|A|=hdDPwfvIQuDgg?ydtx.b`1K55'V#wLDP,(Wj 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. 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. Less of having to work with skeleton crews, he said. 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. The updated Air Force Instruction, released Feb. 7, also formally allows Sikh airmen to wear turbans and Muslim women to wear hijabs. The Quran, too, was used in a similar manner. David covers the Air Force, Space Force and anything Star Wars-related. Powered by GoDaddy This website uses cookies. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. That matches the length allowed for people who are medically exempt from the requirement to be clean-shaven. For a long time, the old Norse mythology of Odin, Thor and Ragnark was just that for Staff Sgt. The Sikh Coalition, an advocacy group that has pushed for changes to the Air Forces dress and appearance policy, commended the move. When requests are precluded by military necessity, commanders and supervisors should seek reasonable alternatives.. Personnel Division," to all sign off . Changing policy, actually is the easy part, Wright said. are divided over that study showing beard waivers hurt careers. That study, which involved 798 airmen responding to emailed surveys, called for more research and data on the subject. Service spokesperson Ann Stefanek said the proposal is under discussion by the Black/African American Employment Strategy Team, but hasnt been approved. 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. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. 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. Those interested in pursuing a shaving waiver at Al Dhafra can attend shaving waiver clinic walk-in hours on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., or schedule an appointment at the 380th EMDG clinic during walk-in hours from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Requests should normally be recommended for approval unless approval would have an adverse impact on military readiness, unit cohesion, standards or discipline, the regulation said. For AFR waiver processing instructions see AFMAN 36-8001, Participation and Training Procedures. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) welcomed the policy change. What happens when patients disagree with an exemption decision? But so far, the call for beards seems to fall on deaf ears. Thousands of American Muslims and members of other minority faiths serve in our nations military and should be able to practice their faith while serving, CAIRs spokesperson Ibrahim Hooper said in a statement. Contact the author here. In the words of the Hungarian scholar Goldziher, 'The history of religion . I will also add, the whole reason I want a beard is to help me with my faith during Ramadan. It gradually worked its way up through the bureaucracy before ultimately being approved July 8 by Air Force personnel chief Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly. 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. 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. 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). Sounds like you might want to talk to your local chaplain team. 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. That assessment, and ability to address and adjust, is critical to our force, and our people. According to the regulation, turbans, hijabs, under-turbans or other headwear must be plain, dark blue, black, and free of designs or markings except when matching with the airman's camouflage uniform. endobj 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. Sens. They also make offerings anything from food to drinks to physical objects to their gods during a ceremony called a blot, he said. And in June, a Sikh airman received approval to wear a beard and turban. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations. 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 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. Here are some active soldiers who have been allowed to keep their facial hair. The Air Force has updated its grooming standards to formally allow Airmen to grow neatly trimmed beards, standardizing the religious or medical exemption process. The Air Force separated 610 Airmen for declining the once-mandated COVID-19 vaccination. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. The Air Force currently prohibits service members from growing beards unless they are granted a religious or medical waiver, a policy that has come under scrutiny lately after military doctors studied its discriminatory effect on Black airmen. Because its a faith that hasnt been practiced in about 1,000 years, he said, theres no set way to practice it. Copyright 2023. The new religious accommodation rules also cover unshorn beards and unshorn hair such as those worn by members of the Sikh faith under-turbans or patkas, and other indoor or outdoor head coverings. In December, The Air Force released a sweeping review which found that Black service members are disproportionately punished and promoted more slowly when compared to their White peers. David Roza 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. Part of HuffPost Politics. other similar condition s that prohibits regular facial shaving may requ est a waiver to wear a beard . Meanwhile, about 76.83% of the no-waiver group was White. The Reserve or Guard, before finally denying a request, will first consult with the Air Force personnel directorate and obtain a legal review from the Air Force. Also, do you have to be able to prove that you are that religion or can you just claim that you are a Muslim and thats that. 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. There is no potential timeline for approval, because it isnt even at that stage, she said. The study also called for re-examining the Air Forces most-cited reason for having a beard regulation, which is the concern that a beard would interfere with a gas masks seal around an airmans face. 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. Kesh, or 'uncut hair' is one of the five religious requirements of baptized Sikhs. By Hopper,. 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. Paragraph 1.5.2 changed to read: Submitting Requests for Religious, Gender , or Medical Waivers. We recommend further study of gas mask and respirator fit testing with facial hair in the military population to clarify this.. Below are current coronavirus disease 2019 statistics for Department of Air Force personnel: *These numbers include all of the cases that were reported since our last update on Jan. 18. Abdul Rahman Gaitan in 2018 became the first Muslim. He hopes to become a Gothi essentially an ordained priest and perhaps become an official Air Force chaplain. The Air Force Surgeon General has approved five-year waivers allowing male airmen with a medical condition causing painful ingrown hairs to grow beards, the service said Tuesday. Get your daily fix of Air Force news delivered right to your inbox every day. 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.

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