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. The research studied the effect of shaving waivers on the careers of active duty male airmen. Sopchak said he was originally raised Baptist, but has not been a Christian for a long time. Brown Jr. covered a broad range of topics with his additions to his Leadership Library in February. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? Air Force Special Operations Command has made history by granting a religious accommodation waiver to a Sikh service member. The conventional view of facial hair is that it looks unprofessional in uniform. A1C Rathour is the first Sikh Airman to receive religious accommodation, and may grow his beard and wear his turban while in uniform. Yes, Navy Seals can grow beards. Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. It took Sopchak about 11 months to get his beard approved. ~pkgEsHh,1%l|hJ 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. thx. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. Community for current and past members of the US Air Force. Contact the author here. 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. By Abdul Rahman Gaitan in 2018 became the first Muslim. 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. The Air Force plans to update its Air Force Instruction regulations governing dress and personal appearance and medical care management to reflect this change. Beards should have been approved years ago, Facebook commenter Heather Britten wrote. 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. Rachel Cohen joined Air Force Times as senior reporter in March 2021. There currently is no clear evidence showing that is the case, the study said. Abdul Rahman Gaitan in 2018 became the first Muslim airman to receive a beard waiver for religious reasons. 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. Meanwhile, about 76.83% of the no-waiver group was White. The Sikh Coalition, an advocacy group which works on behalf of Sikhs and other religious minorities in the military, praised the new regulation. The Air Force has updated its grooming standards to formally allow Airmen to grow neatly trimmed beards, standardizing the religious or medical exemption process. 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. The Air Forces updated policy sets new grooming and uniform standards for members who wear turbans, hijabs and beards for religious reasons. Maysaa Ouza became the first Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps officer to wear hijab. Personnel Division," to all sign off . 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. 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. 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. Sounds like you might want to talk to your local chaplain team. Any links to regs would be appricated. The Army granted a similar waiver last year, and beard exemptions have been granted for a growing number of Sikhs and Muslims . Given the racial distribution of waivers, this may have an unintended discriminatory effect by limiting the opportunities that these members are offered, the study authors wrote. Its an unsubstantiated claim, dermatologist Lt. Col. Simon Ritchie told Task & Purpose in May. Airman 1st Class Harpreetinder Singh Bajwa in June 2019 became the first active-duty Sikh airman allowed to wear a turban, beard and long hair, which Sikhs tie in a bun and then cover with the turban. The last sentence indicates that Air Force senior leadership wants to be in sync with other services on major changes in facial hair policy. 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. The demographics of the respondents closely match those of the Air Force in general, the study authors wrote. Sopchak said that something about the Heathen religion felt more real to him. There are also exceptions for Air Force Reservists serving less than 30 days. 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. Despite being in line with regulations, airmen with waivers reported feeling stigmatized for wearing facial hair. Master Sgt. We are working to take away the stigma attached to airmen who have a medical need or a religious accommodation for facial hair, Bass wrote in a comment on her Facebook page on Tuesday. 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. The Sikh Coalition, the largest Sikh civil rights organization in the United States which has helped more than 20 Sikh Americans serve in the military, applauded the changes. 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. Many airmen on social media called for abandoning the beard prohibition altogether. %PDF-1.5 Guidelines for requesting a religious accommodation for a Heathen beard in the U.S. Air Force 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. But so far, the call for beards seems to fall on deaf ears. 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. Paragraph 1.5.2.3 should be renumbered as 1.5.2.4. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Heres how. 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. 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. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. . 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. In 2020, the department extended shaving waivers for those diagnosed with razor bumps from one year to five years. Imagine the man-hours saved when men dont have to go to the doctor to get approved for a shaving waiver, and then periodically renewed., Daniel Walker, another Facebook user, added: They keep relaxing grooming standards instead of giving us things that would actually increase our quality of life.. 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. If youre willing to learn, we are willing to teach.. Military Approving Beards for Pagan Worshipers. (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. 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. 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. The studys findings are particularly significant because they come at a time when the Air Force is reckoning with racial disparities in the service overall. A highly visible sign of changing Air Force policy may soon be evident here at Kingsley Field, in Klamath Falls, Oregon. David covers the Air Force, Space Force and anything Star Wars-related. The updated regulations mandate that faith-based religious apparel requests can only be denied for a compelling government interest and the denial must be the least restrictive way the Air Force has of achieving that government interest. It must also include a photo or description of the head covering, religious-affiliated item, grooming standard or personal appearance that is being requested. 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. In the event of a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive threat, commanding officers could also ask someone wearing a hijab to remove it to ensure a proper gas mask fit. 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. So I am not some expert I just watch YouTube videos of the teachings of Islam. 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. 4 0 obj Contact the author here. 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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. I have an approved religious accommodation and have gotten pretty knowledgeable on the process. HuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox. 19 July 2019. Garrett Sopchak, a 28-year-old aerospace . According to the Nevada Army Guard's and Air Guard's personnel offices, the state has eight Guardsmen - four Soldiers and four Airmen - who declare Pagan as their religious preference. 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. 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[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. 7Ndj% 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. Shaving waivers can hold back an airman's career, and since most airmen with waivers are Black, the regulations are effectively discriminatory. For example, hijabs must be closely fitted to the contours of the airman's head and neck, tucked under the uniform top, and cannot cover the airman's eyebrows, eyes, cheeks, nose, mouth or chin. Staff Sgt. HbMc#!6d~\@sQfe_Mp X_T1ew,`CC _O3b eTBo~&aM(AL?z[vEIYf~;LI>*H~BL 3v3!2/)mC*f3d]UL!'7*^LtPNl2"8}Vo=N@&.&|Ye. The religious accommodation process isn't designed for individuals to play the God/conscience card to get around things they don't like. 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. And in June, a Sikh airman received approval to wear a beard and turban. There is no potential timeline for approval, because it isnt even at that stage, she said. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. 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.. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations. 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. Abdul Rahman Gaitan became the first Muslim airman to receive a religious accommodation beard waiver. I know Islam is iffy on if Beard are actually required but it is apart of the religion that I want to practice. The Air Force style authorities have spoken: neck and hand tattoos are in, beards are still out. Seven months later, this reporter could not immediately find any such progress reports. endobj Chance Saltzman outlined the three lines in a series of commanders notes published Jan., Thousands of Airmen and Guardians who remain unvaccinated against COVID-19 no longer have to get the shotsand those whofaced disciplinary action for failing to get vaccinated will have their records wiped clean. A staff judge advocate must also review the request package. As of Jan. 21, the Air Force has administratively separated 111 active duty Airmen. All are welcome. The religious accommodation process is designed to accommodate individuals who can cite specific teachings, traditions, or texts that Air Force policies contradict. 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. Sopchak said hes recently had some airmen, who were interested in exploring his religion, email him with questions, and hes helping other Air Force Heathens get their beards approved. Any links to regs would be appricated. US Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jackson Manske. Changing policy, actually is the easy part, Wright said. William Bailey, received a waiver to grow a beard in March. I want to go all out with practing the religion (including reading the Quran like it is recommened during Ramadan. The Brig. Though. Sure, but how about competitive pay and benefits? David Roza 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. Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future. Get your daily fix of Air Force news delivered right to your inbox every day. "There is no religious requirement for beards in Heathenry," the post read. Others mused that more people would enlist if beards were allowed. Friday's regulation formalizes such waivers into a multi-step review process. 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. But advocates argue that more sweeping changes are needed, in part because shaving waivers are often misunderstood and hurt Airmen's careers. The Sikh Coalition, an advocacy group that has pushed for changes to the Air Forces dress and appearance policy, commended the move. 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?. The Air Force has cited razor bumps in the past when making changes to its grooming policy. Singh was born in India and followed his father, an asylee, to the U.S. in 2012. Its kind of a big thing, culturally.. He received a beard waiver on July 8, 2019. A federal appeals court on Friday granted a preliminary injunction allowing two Sikh men to immediately begin basic training with the U.S. Marine Corps without shaving their beards . Part of HuffPost Politics. The study authors found that the long wait for promotions applied to airmen of all races who had waivers. Now, updated Air Force regulations make clearer and smoother the path for personnel to request and obtain a similar religious waiver. Based on the successful examples of Soldiers currently serving with these accommodations, I have determined We recommend further study of gas mask and respirator fit testing with facial hair in the military population to clarify this.. The waiver group also had a greater rate of disciplinary action compared to the no-waiver group (18.96% versus 11.45%). Religious head coverings are also required to be free of designs or markings unless the individuals uniform has a camouflage pattern. Central figures in Norse mythology such as Odin and Thor are commonly depicted as wearing beards. Gurchetan Singh, the first Sikh American to secure a religious accommodation to serve in the Air National Guard, said Wednesday that hes grateful for the Air Forces policy change. Last year, Capt. 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. The Sikh Coalition said the Air Force regulation closely resembles the Army's. 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. endobj Save Page Now. &w\=xi~Wh^iz`b=)!]T;iMC.OXm(+N*uHe{5"@"o$n*uQI'JHyLij%O&Q3 .\nOemNKW2j2ttYK9sll?hyA/fQ/lF\ pVyH0qd~T#o[Bpi*In=mS hU f[6rx~ 8;GO yNb4.A`t`Wj Paragraph 1.5.2 changed to read: Submitting Requests for Religious, Gender , or Medical Waivers. 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. Press J to jump to the feed. He also consulted with The Asatru Community, a nonprofit group that advocates for followers of Norse pagan religions. Tell me youre an A1C without telling me youre an A1C. The advocacy group submitted a religious accommodation request for Singh in April 2019. Religious beards in the military were allowed in 2017. The facial hair cannot exceed one-quarter of an inch, must be grown out naturally and cannot be shaped or styled. 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. [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. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. 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. I was willfully ignorant about the impact it was having on young Black men, he said. 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. You will have a meeting with the Chaplain where they ask you questions to determine if you have a sincerely held belief that you shouldn't shave. The Nevada Army Guard said that Sgt. Beard hair longer than two inches must be rolled and/or tied to achieve the required length. 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. Wright said he was opposed to facial hair in the Air Force for 29 of his 32 years in service. 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. 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.. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost. Beards can also be seen as symbols of power, strength, and virility. 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 majority of the waiver group was Black (64.18%), despite that group making up only 12.85% of the cohort. 173rd Fighter Wing Airmen may begin taking advantage of new uniform regulations allowing religious exemptions such as beards, hijabs, and turbans while in uniform. 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. Abdul Rahman Gaitan became the first Muslim airman to receive a beard waiver for religious reasons. Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily. Rather than delay his enlistment, Comer decided to shave his beard and apply for the accommodation at a later date. <>/ExtGState<>/XObject<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/Annots[ 13 0 R 16 0 R] /MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> 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. When requests are precluded by military necessity, commanders and supervisors should seek reasonable alternatives.. Beard News in Air Force Copyright 2022 Beard Waiver - All Rights Reserved. David covers the Air Force, Space Force and anything Star Wars-related. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. "They were well-respected. 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. . 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. Don't lie about your belief. dx xE28;eN0ORG*sMhw_2iL!o@/dUKS0sD~-dd!7r.7ucOjP0GH#_&F%)wr-' x\[o~d/Sp|A|=hdDPwfvIQuDgg?ydtx.b`1K55'V#wLDP,(Wj For AFR waiver processing instructions see AFMAN 36-8001, Participation and Training Procedures. 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. 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. According to the Department of Defense Instruction 1300. Powered by GoDaddy This website uses cookies. In 2018, Staff Sgt. Editors note: This story has been updated with new comments from Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne Bass. 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 David covers the Air Force, Space Force and anything Star Wars-related. "Sikhs are allowed to wear beards and turbans because it actually is a religious requirement of their faith that they do so. The Air Force 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.

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