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 staff judge advocate must also review the request package. 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. In 2017, the U.S. Army officially updated its dress and appearance standards to accommodate hijabs, turbans and beards. And last December, a group of sailors on the aircraft carrier John C. Stennis held the Navys first Heathen lay service. W2~@R>tA);|6[ +XnDnQi\k`LF. Based on the successful examples of Soldiers currently serving with these accommodations, I have determined It must also include a photo or description of the head covering, religious-affiliated item, grooming standard or personal appearance that is being requested. Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. 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. 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 Washington Post, and others. Giselle Klapper, a Sikh Coalition staff attorney, said her group has long been seeking a blanket proclamation that all Sikh Americans who wear turbans and beards as part of their faith can serve in every branch of the military without seeking individual accommodations. 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.. Powered by GoDaddy This website uses cookies. 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. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? Under the new process, a commander has up to 30 days to approve an Airmans request for a waiver, and that the accommodation will generally follow the Airman through his or her career. Her work has appeared in Air Force Magazine, Inside Defense, Inside Health Policy, the Frederick News-Post (Md. A member of the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) has received the first-ever religious-related waiver, allowing him to wear a turban and keep a beard. +BEeB5JiTx We dont believe that theres a superior race, Sopchak said. 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. In a June 18 memo, Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Dorothy Hogg authorized the longer shaving waivers for airmen with pseudofolliculitis barbae, or razor bumps, effective immediately. 173rd Fighter Wing Airmen may begin taking advantage of new uniform regulations allowing religious exemptions such as beards, hijabs, and turbans while in uniform. Still, she called the policy clarification a great step forward.. 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. Abdul Rahman Gaitan in 2018 became the first Muslim airman to receive a beard waiver for religious reasons. >_fn7dw)>S#a\7]zdWwgsZMA2!2/af>]]I+ .$sMOr])0`F\>-vxX|K h%&ZG2xI%#}pxg@;%rE*q"TY(kfIeWgh&*$|- F'$_L2;&"bw.%i^XxzS\'Z+gQI,=b6)J|Se{Sl)xog`7^}T# N7 x+|B7 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. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. 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Air Force has published new guidance for religious accommodations that allow airmen to wear beards, turbans and hijabs. [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 a recent Air Force study. 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. Abdul Rahman Gaitan, an aerial porter with the 821st Contingency Response Support Squadron at Travis Air Force Base, was granted a religious waiver permitting him to keep a beard due to his Muslim faith, according to an Air Force article published Friday. The new AFI formally allows requests for waivers, and for neat and conservative beards that present a professional appearance. The Army last year granted its first beard authorization to a Norse pagan soldier. HuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox. 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?. And in June, a Sikh airman received approval to wear a beard and turban. 1 0 obj So I am not some expert I just watch YouTube videos of the teachings of Islam. endobj 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. With regards to promotions, the wait grows longer the more time airmen have shaving waivers. The Army granted a similar waiver last year, and beard exemptions have been granted for a growing number of Sikhs and Muslims . The Nevada Army Guard said that Sgt. The hammer of Thor, also known as Mjlnir, in 2013 was added to the list of religious symbols authorized to be engraved on gravestones at military cemeteries such as Arlington National Cemetery. The Sikh Coalition, an advocacy group that has pushed for changes to the Air Forces dress and appearance policy, commended the move. The DAF will remove adverse information from records of those currently serving service members who sought. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. In 2018, Staff Sgt. 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, 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 . 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. Caitlyn Smoyer). It interfaces with DAFPD 52-1, Chaplain Corps; Air Force Instruction (AFI) . The Brig. 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. 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. Sure, but how about competitive pay and benefits? 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. The regulation formalizes a waiver process for future airmen seeking to wear turbans, hijab or beards, By It was more relatable.. Beards cant exceed two inches if they do, they must be rolled and/or tied to achieve the required length, the regulations state. Many airmens dearest wish may soon come true if the Air Force greenlights a pilot program allowing some men to grow beards. The regulation follows years of individual airmen and other service members receiving waivers for religious beards and apparel. 7Ndj% Master Sgt. 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US Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jackson Manske. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations. 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. of the Air Force JoAnne Bass, wants to reduce the branchs cultural bias against shaving waivers granted for medical or religious reasons. 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. 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. 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. 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. 3.1.2.3.1. The military branch . Published Jul 14, 2021 8:57 AM EDT. The study, which was published in July 2021, pointed out that many of the airmen who apply for medical shaving waivers are Black, because Black men are more likely to be affected by pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB) commonly referred to as razor bumps than White men. For some pagans, it is seen as a way of honoring the gods and goddesses. And if that airman is assigned to a unit that wears a beret of a particular color, the unit commander can order him to wear a turban of the same color. But so far, the call for beards seems to fall on deaf ears. But advocates argue that more sweeping changes are needed, in part because shaving waivers are often misunderstood and hurt Airmen's careers. Chaplains typically can tell if you're trying to BS them and it can affect the perceived credibility of real requests in the future. (U.S. Air Force) Airmen will be allowed to wear up to. Beards could be two months away in the Air Force. The wing chaplain or equivalent will then assign a chaplain to interview the requesting airman about what is motivating him or her to ask for it. Garrett Sopchak mythology, a collection of interesting stories but little more. The Air Force has updated its grooming standards to formally allow Airmen to grow neatly trimmed beards, standardizing the religious or medical exemption process. 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 push to create a new Space National Guard got a major boost last week as a bipartisan team of Senators offered new legislationeven as the Pentagon works to craft details on a competing plan. *!+zu[XAoC_:X/0{ v8iAU}JqQ.u`6fE_GJTBh$Wx)Vpw#7~rDeI0r\!H(NW|/bcPRHBe0tEyXYD q{ Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. The majority of the waiver group was Black (64.18%), despite that group making up only 12.85% of the cohort. 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. 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. 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. Market-leading rankings and editorial commentary - see the top law firms & lawyers for Not-for-profit (nonprofit and tax exempt organizations) in United States 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. 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. Correction: This story was updated at 6:53 p.m. to reflect correct information about religious waivers for beards. 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. 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. is at the same time the history o f the interpretation of the Scriptures.'18 The Sunna embodied an ossified tradition. Capt. There's no more reliable source for news about your Air Force. Published Dec 21, 2022 5:12 PM EST. However, most airmen who have waivers are Black, because they are more likely to be affected by pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB) than White airmen. 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. 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. While the Air Force prohibits male members from growing beards, waivers are issued to airmen who,. 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. This article has been updated to reflect the fact that another Norse Heathen airman, Staff Sgt. 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. 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 Personnel Division," to all sign off . 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. Such a request for an exemption to a military policy can only be denied, the AFI change said, if the policy furthers a compelling government interest and is the least restrictive way of furthering that interest. A highly visible sign of changing Air Force policy may soon be evident here at Kingsley Field, in Klamath Falls, Oregon. 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Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily. The U.S. Air Force granted its first religious waivers to the military-wide COVID-19 vaccine mandate this week. 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. (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 Air Force style authorities have spoken: neck and hand tattoos are in, beards are still out. There are conflicting published reports from the civilian sector with regard to the impact of facial hair on P2/N95 [face masks] fit testing, and none that we are aware of evaluating facial hair impact on military gas mask fit. the authors wrote. According to the Department of Defense Instruction 1300. Rachel Cohen joined Air Force Times as senior reporter in March 2021. The airmans unit commander would then decide whether to endorse the request. Would beards be nice? David Roza 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 . In the words of the Hungarian scholar Goldziher, 'The history of religion . Save Page Now. Religious head coverings are also required to be free of designs or markings unless the individuals uniform has a camouflage pattern. The Air Force also granted its first religious accommodation beard waiver, to a Muslim airman, in 2018. 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. The new 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. Abdul Rahman Gaitan in 2018 became the first Muslim. Islam & The First Religious Beard in The US Military (Air Force) The first person granted a beard waiver in the U.S. Airforce due to his faith was a Muslim soldier. Tim Chacon/Air National Guard. 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.. 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. When asked about specific efforts for removing the stigma regarding waivers, an Air Force spokesperson told Task & Purpose that the Air Force changed AFI 36-2903, its regulation governing dress and appearance standards., earlier this spring to allow airmen with a shaving profile to trim and shape their facial hair, and to allow airmen with profiles to apply for more positions in the service. In the stories, you could see even the gods themselves have flaws, Sopchak said. Singh was born in India and followed his father, an asylee, to the U.S. in 2012. Its a little scraggly right now, Sopchak said. Staff Sgt. Get your daily fix of Air Force news delivered right to your inbox every day. Hopper,. dx xE28;eN0ORG*sMhw_2iL!o@/dUKS0sD~-dd!7r.7ucOjP0GH#_&F%)wr-' He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. 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). The demographics of the respondents closely match those of the Air Force in general, the study authors wrote. One Facebook commenter questioned why the Air Force needs a separate pilot program when it could study those who already have shaving waivers. 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). It is is up to the wing commander (or the unit's equivalent of such a commander) to make the final decision. 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. It is unclear how many Norse pagans, Heathen, or Asatru followers are in the military, but they have become increasingly visible in recent years. 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. safety) or when precluded by a compelling (i.e., especially important) governmental and/or Air Force interest. Turbans and under-turbans have similar color and material requirements as the hijab. And in February, the Air Force officially updated its regulations to formally allow airmen to request religious beard waivers. The new version of the service's dress and appearance standards policy allows tattoos up to 1 . Copyright 2023. 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. | The Sikh Coalition, an advocacy group which works on behalf of Sikhs and other religious minorities in the military, praised the new regulation. Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 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. 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. Click here. Airmen in need of a waiver could try laser hair removal or chemical treatment, but many airmen are reluctant to undertake them because it could permanently alter their ability to grow facial hair, the study authors wrote. 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. The waiver group also had a greater rate of disciplinary action compared to the no-waiver group (18.96% versus 11.45%). 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.. "There is no religious requirement for beards in Heathenry," the post read. The Air Force separated 610 Airmen for declining the once-mandated COVID-19 vaccination. Published Feb 12, 2020 2:11 PM EST. The idea would let participating airmen sport well-kept beards no longer than one-quarter inch, Military.com first reported Monday. He is now about two weeks into growing his beard, and is waiting for it to come in a little more before he can start shaping it. Something about what he found resonated, and Sopchak became a Norse Heathen. Isnt the whole point of religious freedom that people CANT do that? Editors note: This story has been updated with new comments from Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne Bass. Does anyone have any information on how you actually get a religious exemption for shaving? 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. 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. Sens. 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. Those encounters, along with studies like the one published last year, convinced Wright to change his position. The group is one of the Air Forces volunteer teams that considers ways to make policies more equitable for all airmen. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. 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