The group is one of the Air Forces volunteer teams that considers ways to make policies more equitable for all airmen. [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. 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. 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 . 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 is a sincerely held belief, but I have not been a Muslim for long, only a couple weeks. The updated Air Force Instruction, released Feb. 7, also formally allows Sikh airmen to wear turbans and Muslim women to wear hijabs. As we work to build a more inclusive force, we are constantly assessing and evaluating all of the processes and programs that affect our Airmen, she said. 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. endobj 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. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. Save Page Now. 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. The majority of the waiver group was Black (64.18%), despite that group making up only 12.85% of the cohort. Abdul Rahman Gaitan became the first Muslim airman to receive a religious accommodation beard waiver. +BEeB5JiTx Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future. thx. 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. The religious accommodation process is designed to accommodate individuals who can cite specific teachings, traditions, or texts that Air Force policies contradict. 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. 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. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Maysaa Ouza became the first Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps officer to wear hijab. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. 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 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. I was willfully ignorant about the impact it was having on young Black men, he said. Copyright 2023. 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. In 2020, the department extended shaving waivers for those diagnosed with razor bumps from one year to five years. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost. 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. Since then, 21 Honor Guard airmen now have a pass to grow neatly-trimmed beards, according to Military.com. 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 . 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. 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. He also hopes to grow the Heathen community in the area around Hill. Theres a lot of things that we learn from the past and our ancestry, and its just carrying on the line, really.. Chaplains typically can tell if you're trying to BS them and it can affect the perceived credibility of real requests in the future. 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. Beards should have been approved years ago, Facebook commenter Heather Britten wrote. Chapter IV - Four Eyes Were Reading the Passage I was running the head of my pencil-case along the line as I read it, and something caused me to raise my eyes. Guidelines for requesting a religious accommodation for a Heathen beard in the U.S. Air Force 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.. Ou5g(O5b5md8_ -+'.$Dvqx)YDTwXD`m_~G ArVT+`oo FILE PHOTO: U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Any links to regs would be appricated. And. The Sikh Coalition, an advocacy group that has pushed for changes to the Air Forces dress and appearance policy, commended the move. The research studied the effect of shaving waivers on the careers of active duty male airmen. By The Air Force separated 610 Airmen for declining the once-mandated COVID-19 vaccination. Turbans and under-turbans have similar color and material requirements as the hijab. 3.1.2.3.1. . Does anyone have any information on how you actually get a religious exemption for shaving? 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. Here are some active soldiers who have been allowed to keep their facial hair. 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. 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 . <>/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>> 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. No Sikh American should have to choose between their religious beliefs and their career ambitions, Klapper said in a statement Wednesday. 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 and hijabs. Tim Chacon/Air National Guard. 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. Meanwhile, about 76.83% of the no-waiver group was White. Beard News in Air Force Copyright 2022 Beard Waiver - All Rights Reserved. Heres how. Garrett Sopchak mythology, a collection of interesting stories but little more. The Air Force also granted its first religious accommodation beard waiver, to a Muslim airman, in 2018. t7be,2/gQ u7|O;(?lKHfm'*g' I{C It gradually worked its way up through the bureaucracy before ultimately being approved July 8 by Air Force personnel chief Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly. 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. 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. of the Air Force Kaleth Wright, said in April on a panel discussion on male grooming standards in the Air Force. 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. 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. A staff judge advocate must also review the request package. 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. Contact the author here. David covers the Air Force, Space Force and anything Star Wars-related. 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. Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily. 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. There are many religious reasons why people might choose to grow a beard. 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. The airmans unit commander would then decide whether to endorse the request. ooming and uniform standards for members who wear turbans, hijabs and beards for religious reasons. such as an exemption uniform policy; the from a purchase of suitable, alternative personal protective . A1C Rathour is the first Sikh Airman to receive religious accommodation, and may grow his beard and wear his turban while in uniform. Despite being in line with regulations, airmen with waivers reported feeling stigmatized for wearing facial hair. In such cases, an airman's command could order an immediate removal of the turban, hijab or facial hair (although it's not clear how much time an airman would have to shave). In an email to Task & Purpose, Bass said the Air Force is continually reevaluating its policies. 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. William Bailey, a beard waiver. Staff Sgt. However, most airmen who have waivers are Black, because they are more likely to be affected by pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB) than White airmen. There's no more reliable source for news about your Air Force. The Army granted a similar waiver last year, and beard exemptions have been granted for a growing number of Sikhs and Muslims . With regards to promotions, the wait grows longer the more time airmen have shaving waivers. And last December, a group of sailors on the aircraft carrier John C. Stennis held the Navys first Heathen lay service. Master Sgt. The regulation formalizes a waiver process for future airmen seeking to wear turbans, hijab or beards, By
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