endobj Isnt the whole point of Religious Freedom that people CANT question your religious beliefs?? But on July 18, the amn/nco/snco page posted a March 1 memo granting another Heathen airman, Staff Sgt. So I am not some expert I just watch YouTube videos of the teachings of Islam. beard - God and Country 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. (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. Brown Jr. covered a broad range of topics with his additions to his Leadership Library in February. Previously, these airmen needed to get their waivers updated annually. 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 Army last year granted its first beard authorization to a Norse pagan soldier. The new version of the service's dress and appearance standards policy allows tattoos up to 1 . Though some white supremacist groups in recent years have co-opted Norse symbols such as runes, Sopchak rejected that and said his faith is not racist in any way. It must also include a photo or description of the head covering, religious-affiliated item, grooming standard or personal appearance that is being requested. Comer wore a beard with a religious accommodation waiver, but beards in the Air Force may become far more common after a uniform board considers facial hair in November. Community for current and past members of the US Air Force. 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 . Norse Heathenism believing airman gets beard waiver granted, paves way ), the Washington Post, and others. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. The military branch . 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. Beard hair longer than two inches must be rolled and/or tied to achieve the required length. Coffee or Die Magazine | Beards in Blue? Air Force Uniform Board Will ooming and uniform standards for members who wear turbans, hijabs and beards for religious reasons. The updated Air Force Instruction, released Feb. 7, also formally allows Sikh airmen to wear turbans and Muslim women to wear hijabs. 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. 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. 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, he said. PDF By Order of The Department of The Air Force Secretary of The Air - Af Air Force revises grooming rules to accommodate religious beards - BJC 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 Judge Prevents Air Force From Penalizing Airmen Who Refused Vaccine 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. Air Force reverses 'adverse actions' against airmen who sought vaccine Can Navy Seals grow beards? - coalitionbrewing.com For AFR waiver processing instructions see AFMAN 36-8001, Participation and Training Procedures. The conventional view of facial hair is that it looks unprofessional in uniform. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost. Want to write for Task & Purpose? AFSOC Airman first in command to gain Sikh religious accommodation waiver Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. DAF COVID-19 Statistics - January 2022 - Air Force . Its unclear how many people currently use 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. Still, it seems the Honor Guard has not completely embraced shaving waivers. According to the Department of Defense Instruction 1300. Hopper,. 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. <> In the words of the Hungarian scholar Goldziher, 'The history of religion . A1C Rathour is the first Sikh Airman to receive religious accommodation, and may grow his beard and wear his turban while in uniform. A U.S. soldier who is serving in Afghanistan has received a uniform religious exception to sport a beard based upon his Norse pagan beliefs. When requests are precluded by military necessity, commanders and supervisors should seek reasonable alternatives.. David Roza 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. I can answer the questions, so it is not really a problem but how is that even legal? Now, updated Air Force regulations make clearer and smoother the path for personnel to request and obtain a similar religious waiver. The update to AFI 36-2903, Dress and personal appearance of Air Force personnel, allows airmen to request a waiver to wear religious apparel, as long as they are neat and conservative and present a professional and well-groomed appearance. Rachel Cohen joined Air Force Times as senior reporter in March 2021. 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 waiver group also had a greater rate of disciplinary action compared to the no-waiver group (18.96% versus 11.45%). Thanks for attaching this, it seems like a simple enough process to get the accommodation. Accommodation of Religious Practices in the Air Force. Master Sgt. Air Force officially OKs beards, turbans, hijabs for religious reasons While the Air Force prohibits male members from growing beards, waivers are issued to airmen who,. [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. "There is no religious requirement for beards in Heathenry," the post read. PDF Supreme Court of the United States At first, it appeared Sopchak was the first Heathen to get a beard waiver. The religious accommodation process isn't designed for individuals to play the God/conscience card to get around things they don't like. 1 comment. 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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.. 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. t7be,2/gQ u7|O;(?lKHfm'*g' I{C PDF Commander's discretion may be used to determine if individual's personal The same was true for airmen trying to hit the rank of staff sergeant (E-5). Guidelines for requesting a religious accommodation for a Heathen beard in the U.S. Air Force Directly before me was one of the mirrors I have mentioned, in which I saw reflected the tall shape of my friend, Mr. Jennings, leaning over my shoulder, and reading the page at which I was busy, and with a face so dark and wild that I . Air Force). He hopes to become a Gothi essentially an ordained priest and perhaps become an official Air Force chaplain. As of Jan. 21, the Air Force has administratively separated 111 active duty Airmen. William Bailey received a waiver to grow a beard March 1, according to an Air Force memo posted in July to the amn/nco/snco Facebook page. 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. Air Force grants its first COVID vaccine religious waivers 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. 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.. 0. 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. 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. 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. The new AFI formally allows requests for waivers, and for neat and conservative beards that present a professional appearance. 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. 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 has cited razor bumps in the past when making changes to its grooming policy. 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. 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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. The AFI allows the Air Force to deny a request for a waiver only if it furthers a compelling government interest., Groups such as the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Sikh Coalition, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations announced their support for the decision, with CAIR saying Feb. 12 it is a step toward religious accommodation and inclusion for military personnel of all faiths., No Sikh American should have to choose between their religious beliefs and their career ambitions, Giselle Klapper, a Sikh Coalition staff attorney, said in a release. Heres how. Though. I was the typical senior leader chief that didnt think airmen with a shaving waiver belonged in the front office, one of the branchs most beloved former senior leaders, retired Chief Master Sgt. Chaplains typically can tell if you're trying to BS them and it can affect the perceived credibility of real requests in the future. 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. of the Air Force Kaleth Wright, said in April on a panel discussion on male grooming standards in the Air Force. Airman becomes the first Muslim to be granted service's beard waiver The regulation formalizes a waiver process for future airmen seeking to wear turbans, hijab or beards, By Religious groups applaud new Air Force rules allowing turbans, hijabs The airmans unit commander would then decide whether to endorse the request. Under the new guidelines . Maysaa Ouza became the first Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps officer to wear hijab. 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. The DAF will remove adverse information from records of those currently serving service members who sought. 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. If they didnt have one, in some of the stories, they were actually ridiculed. Press J to jump to the feed. The female hair changes were not a want, it was very much a need based on health first when I talk with our men in uniform: Is this a need or is this a want?. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily. Contact the author here. Garrett Sopchak, a 28-year-old aerospace . 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. 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.. Get your daily fix of Air Force news delivered right to your inbox every day. *!+zu[XAoC_:X/0{ v8iAU}JqQ.u`6fE_GJTBh$Wx)Vpw#7~rDeI0r\!H(NW|/bcPRHBe0tEyXYD q{ 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. | such as an exemption uniform policy; the from a purchase of suitable, alternative personal protective . 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.. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. 3 0 obj We dont believe that theres a superior race, Sopchak said. US Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jackson Manske. 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. Since then, 21 Honor Guard airmen now have a pass to grow neatly-trimmed beards, according to Military.com. 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. Religious exemptions to the rule allow for beards up to 2 inches long. Air Force Solidifies Approval Process For Religious Beards - HuffPost 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. The Brig. And last December, a group of sailors on the aircraft carrier John C. Stennis held the Navys first Heathen lay service. DAF COVID-19 Statistics - January 2022. David Roza 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. Sopchak said he was originally raised Baptist, but has not been a Christian for a long time. Despite being in line with regulations, airmen with waivers reported feeling stigmatized for wearing facial hair. I had opportunities to hire all kinds of folks and I was adamant about not hiring somebody with a shaving waiver, just because I fell into that category of this is Air Force policy, its not professional, he said. The problem is how to convince the rest of the Air Force to follow suit. purifying respirators and controlled air purifying respirators or beard-bands: 3. work just as well as N95s, but may cost more, and thus may be found to impose . See Beard News in Air Force for more information. Beards should have been approved years ago, Facebook commenter Heather Britten wrote. 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. This condition, which the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology says affects up to 60 percent of Black men, occurs when curved facial hairs grow back into the skin. Theyre more like family members than they are divine beings, Sopchak said. No Sikh American should have to choose between their religious beliefs and their career ambitions, Klapper said in a statement Wednesday. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations. U.S. Military Issues Another Beard Waiver for Muslim Airman Another example of neat and conservative is color. 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. Powered by GoDaddy This website uses cookies. (In heathen lore . Shaving sharpens the edges of facial hair and makes the condition worse, the college said, and shaving less frequently or allowing the beard to grow helps. Military Approving Beards for Pagan Worshipers. 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. 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. 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. What happens when patients disagree with an exemption decision? 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). OpJAGAF 2019-9, 21 March 2019, Religious Accommodation Request-Norse 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. As part of the process, an airman must describe the religious basis for and include a comment on the sincerity of the request. According to a statement from the Air Force, Senior Airman Dominic Varriale was granted the turban waiver in 2020. Religious head coverings are also required to be free of designs or markings unless the individuals uniform has a camouflage pattern. 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. 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. 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. Published Feb 12, 2020 2:11 PM EST. 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. Staff Sgt. 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. 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). 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. 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 Her work has appeared in Air Force Magazine, Inside Defense, Inside Health Policy, the Frederick News-Post (Md. Religious Accommodation: Growing trend around the USAF The Sikh Coalition represents Airman 1st Class Gurchetan Singh, who is the first Sikh American to secure a religious accommodation to serve in the Air National Guard. Click here. Commonly referred to as razor bumps, 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. We recommend further study of gas mask and respirator fit testing with facial hair in the military population to clarify this.. I will also add, the whole reason I want a beard is to help me with my faith during Ramadan. The Quran, too, was used in a similar manner. 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. There is no potential timeline for approval, because it isnt even at that stage, she said. Beards cant exceed two inches if they do, they must be rolled and/or tied to achieve the required length, the regulations state. I have an approved religious accommodation and have gotten pretty knowledgeable on the process. Would beards be nice? In December, the Air Force commissioned its first female Muslim chaplain . 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. Caitlyn Smoyer). 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. First Air Force JAG officer to wear hijab featured in short NBC documentary, 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. Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. It marks the sixth and counting religious waiver permitting a beard in service for the Air Force, according to the online military news conglomerate that broke the story. We are working to take away the stigma attached to airmen who have a medical need or a religious accommodation for facial hair. Thats according to a new research paper published last week in the journal Military Medicine, which found that Air Force regulations against facial hair disproportionately affect Black or African American airmen and can lead to slower rates of promotion and limited job opportunities within the service.