Since then, 21 Honor Guard airmen now have a pass to grow neatly-trimmed beards, according to Military.com. 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. Airmen assigned to units wearing a beret of any color may wear an appropriately-colored head covering as directed by the unit commander, one sample memo explains. 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.. Based on the successful examples of Soldiers currently serving with these accommodations, I have determined 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. other similar condition s that prohibits regular facial shaving may requ est a waiver to wear a beard . It is a sincerely held belief, but I have not been a Muslim for long, only a couple weeks. 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 . 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. 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. stream
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. Theyre more like family members than they are divine beings, Sopchak said. Beards should have been approved years ago, Facebook commenter Heather Britten wrote. Press J to jump to the feed. 1st Class Benjamin . He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations. 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. ~pkgEsHh,1%l|hJ He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. 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. 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. 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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. 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. addresses the Air Force grooming standard for beards: "[b]eards are not authorizedunless for medical reasons, when authorized by a commander on the advice of a medical official." An Airmen who requests an accommodation waiver to grow a beard for religious reasons must follow It took Sopchak about 11 months to get his beard approved. Paragraph 1.5.2.3 should be renumbered as 1.5.2.4. 28, beards are generally allowed in the military "provided they are neatly trimmed, present a professional and well-groomed appearance, and are not excessive in bulk or length," with the caveat that beards may have to be removed for medical reasons or under orders from a superior. Airmen can use styling products on their beards, but petroleum-based products are not allowed while wearing a protective mask. Abdul Rahman Gaitan in 2018 became the first Muslim airman to receive a beard waiver for religious reasons. The US Air Force has updated its dress code policy to outline a clear approval process for Sikhs and Muslims who want to serve while wearing their articles of faith. Theres a lot of things that we learn from the past and our ancestry, and its just carrying on the line, really.. 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. Shaving Waiver stigma Air Force Medicine medical beard Al Dhafra . Sorry airmen, you're not getting beards without a medical or religious waiver anytime soon, as Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles 'CQ' Brown and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force . 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 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. 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. 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. With regards to promotions, the wait grows longer the more time airmen have shaving waivers. 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. Caitlyn Smoyer). David Roza The new AFI formally allows requests for waivers, and for neat and conservative beards that present a professional appearance. Those encounters, along with studies like the one published last year, convinced Wright to change his position. Staff Sgt. are divided over that study showing beard waivers hurt careers. Also in 2019, Airman 1st Class Harpreetinder Singh Bajwa became the first Sikh airman to receive an accommodation for a turban, beard and unshorn hair, and two Norse Heathen airmen were also allowed to grow beards. The facial hair cannot exceed one-quarter of an inch, must be grown out naturally and cannot be shaped or styled. 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. The group is one of the Air Forces volunteer teams that considers ways to make policies more equitable for all airmen. For some pagans, it is seen as a way of honoring the gods and goddesses. 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. For example, it took airmen with eight or more years with a waiver about a year longer on average to get promoted to the rank of technical sergeant (E-6) compared to airmen who had a waiver for just a year or two. 3.1.2.3.1. Despite being in line with regulations, airmen with waivers reported feeling stigmatized for wearing facial hair. Action on Requests for Religious Accommodation that Require the Waiver of Department of the Air Force Regulations or Policies or Directives . 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. Air & Space Forces Magazine is the official publication of the Air & Space Forces Association, 1501 Langston Boulevard, Arlington, Va., 22209-1198. 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. 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. 3 0 obj
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. The Nevada Army Guard said that Sgt. 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. Save Page Now. Rathour graduated Security Forces technical training on Sept. 26, 2019. There are also exceptions for Air Force Reservists serving less than 30 days. In addition to promoting one's own well-being and four pillars, respecting others whose viewpoints differ from them is expected from the total force. 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. If youre willing to learn, we are willing to teach.. Staff Sgt. For AFR waiver processing instructions see AFMAN 36-8001, Participation and Training Procedures. But if they deny a religious accommodation request, it will go up to the Air Force headquarters manpower, personnel and services directorate, Air Force reserve or the Air National Guard for a final review and decision. 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. One Facebook commenter questioned why the Air Force needs a separate pilot program when it could study those who already have shaving waivers. It is is up to the wing commander (or the unit's equivalent of such a commander) to make the final decision. William Bailey, received a waiver to grow a beard in March. Any links to regs would be appricated. . Its a little scraggly right now, 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 heathen lore . 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. Less of having to work with skeleton crews, he said. Later, every religious trend sought and found the hadiths that justified its principles. A staff judge advocate must also review the request package. 4 0 obj
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. 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. And in June, a Sikh airman received approval to wear a beard and turban. David covers the Air Force, Space Force and anything Star Wars-related. Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel, Airman 1st Class Harpreetinder Singh Bajwa. 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. The demographics of the respondents closely match those of the Air Force in general, the study authors wrote. So I am not some expert I just watch YouTube videos of the teachings of Islam. I have an approved religious accommodation and have gotten pretty knowledgeable on the process. 1 0 obj
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. 3.1.2.3.1. He received a beard waiver on July 8, 2019. By 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. Sopchak said that something about the Heathen religion felt more real to him. Wing commanders or other leaders at major commands, numbered air forces or other organizations will then approve or deny such a request. Her work has appeared in Air Force Magazine, Inside Defense, Inside Health Policy, the Frederick News-Post (Md. +BEeB5JiTx 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. The Sikh Coalition said the Air Force regulation closely resembles the Army's. 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.
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