air force religious beard waiver

Air Force Global Strike Command is launching a new study of cancer risks among Airmen and Guardians who worked near intercontinental ballistic missiles and is developing new resources for current and former service members and their families. We are working to take away the stigma attached to airmen who have a medical need or a religious accommodation for facial hair. 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. The DAF will remove adverse information from records of those currently serving service members who sought. A1C Rathour is the first Sikh Airman to receive religious accommodation, and may grow his beard and wear his turban while in uniform. . The study would require only 100 to 150 service members, he said. 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. 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. 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. And. Thanks for attaching this, it seems like a simple enough process to get the accommodation. Sounds like you might want to talk to your local chaplain team. 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 . 0. 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. Sopchak said he was originally raised Baptist, but has not been a Christian for a long time. That matches the length allowed for people who are medically exempt from the requirement to be clean-shaven. Now, updated Air Force regulations make clearer and smoother the path for personnel to request and obtain a similar religious waiver. 1 0 obj Meet this Norse Heathen airman approved to grow a beard in the Air Force, 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. All are welcome. 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. 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. 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. See Beard News in Air Force for more information. The Nevada Army Guard said that Sgt. We recommend further study of gas mask and respirator fit testing with facial hair in the military population to clarify this.. 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 Sikh Coalition, an advocacy group that has pushed for changes to the Air Forces dress and appearance policy, commended the move. We speculate that these members, irrespective of race/ethnicity, may perceive this bias against shaving waivers and choose to leave the service earlier.. It is a sincerely held belief, but I have not been a Muslim for long, only a couple weeks. Many airmens dearest wish may soon come true if the Air Force greenlights a pilot program allowing some men to grow beards. It is unclear how many Norse pagans, Heathen, or Asatru followers are in the military, but they have become increasingly visible in recent years. While the Air Force prohibits male members from growing beards, waivers are issued to airmen who, for medical and religious reasons, are not able to shave in line with regulations. 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.. 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 Air Force style authorities have spoken: neck and hand tattoos are in, beards are still out. The Air Force has updated its grooming standards to formally allow Airmen to grow neatly trimmed beards, standardizing the religious or medical exemption process. The standards for growing a beard for medical reasons remain unchanged, the Air Force said. He also hopes to grow the Heathen community in the area around Hill. 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. It was approved in September, which means Singh will soon head to basic training. As of Jan. 21, the Air Force has administratively separated 111 active duty Airmen. Theres a lot of things that we learn from the past and our ancestry, and its just carrying on the line, really.. Capt. 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. By On Monday, Captain Toor and three other Sikhs sued the Marine Corps in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, saying the corps's refusal to grant a religious waiver is arbitrary and. But so far, the call for beards seems to fall on deaf ears. <> In the words of the Hungarian scholar Goldziher, 'The history of religion . US Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jackson Manske. 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. 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. 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. (U.S. Air Force) Airmen will be allowed to wear up to. 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. such as an exemption uniform policy; the from a purchase of suitable, alternative personal protective . 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. I want to go all out with practing the religion (including reading the Quran like it is recommened during Ramadan. 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. Part of HuffPost Politics. 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 review directed Air Force commanders to conduct a root cause analysis of racial disparities within their commands, develop an action plan for reporting them, then release a progress report within six months. 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. ;NNB6 j~X3E]4]euu((m#/S>c9K71,E304a;97la@Ejrf-o eP9_$)'"?#EO!orCi=5P@C5TmJY;^qzU/nWXvvRH~]/C >K)a2MuOzZ.VsDNOr%rZR[TINcCPBi!U;$TXA9%9;?&>k37{X]sa`p3Wc1^CKtjBrx\5uI3 David Roza Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future. 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. Those interested in pursuing a shaving waiver at Al Dhafra can attend shaving waiver clinic walk-in hours on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., or schedule an appointment at the 380th EMDG clinic during walk-in hours from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. When requests are precluded by military necessity, commanders and supervisors should seek reasonable alternatives.. Central figures in Norse mythology such as Odin and Thor are commonly depicted as wearing beards. So I am not some expert I just watch YouTube videos of the teachings of Islam. 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. 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 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. Though. USAF photo by Alexander Goad. Previously, the only exceptions for active-duty personnel were medical waivers. Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. 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. Ou5g(O5b5md8_ -+'.$Dvqx)YDTwXD`m_~G ArVT+`oo 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. The religious beard exemption in the US army was created for the benefit of Sikhs. Paragraph 1.5.2.3 added: Members requesting a medical waiver to wear a beard must submit a letter Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. Seven months later, this reporter could not immediately find any such progress reports. t7be,2/gQ u7|O;(?lKHfm'*g' I{C 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. 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. 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 . Staff Sgt. Don't lie about your belief. Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. 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. 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. | Many airmen on social media called for abandoning the beard prohibition altogether. According to an Air Force press . Religious exemptions to the rule allow for beards up to 2 inches long. 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. The problem is how to convince the rest of the Air Force to follow suit. Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today. Published Jul 14, 2021 8:57 AM EDT. Still, it seems the Honor Guard has not completely embraced shaving waivers. In an email to Task & Purpose, Bass said the Air Force is continually reevaluating its policies. Paragraph 1.5.2 changed to read: Submitting Requests for Religious, Gender , or Medical Waivers. Contact the author here. 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. 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. Singh wanted to serve in the U.S. military to defend the country that had taken his family in, according to the Sikh Coalition. 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. . 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. Sens. dx xE28;eN0ORG*sMhw_2iL!o@/dUKS0sD~-dd!7r.7ucOjP0GH#_&F%)wr-' 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. 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. endobj The research studied the effect of shaving waivers on the careers of active duty male airmen. It was more relatable.. He also consulted with The Asatru Community, a nonprofit group that advocates for followers of Norse pagan religions. 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. And in June, a Sikh airman received approval to wear a beard and turban. 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. 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. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost. If substantiated, then the benefits of the grooming standards, as defined in Air Force Instruction 36-2903, should be re-evaluated in the context of these findings, they wrote. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. Air & Space Forces Magazine is the official publication of the Air & Space Forces Association, 1501 Langston Boulevard, Arlington, Va., 22209-1198. Air Force Special Operations Command has made history by granting a religious accommodation waiver to a Sikh service member. Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel, Airman 1st Class Harpreetinder Singh Bajwa. of the Air Force Kaleth Wright, said in April on a panel discussion on male grooming standards in the Air Force. 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. Isnt the whole point of religious freedom that people CANT do that? 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. The airmans unit commander would then decide whether to endorse the request. Community for current and past members of the US Air Force. But on July 18, the amn/nco/snco page posted a March 1 memo granting another Heathen airman, Staff Sgt. Caitlyn Smoyer). 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. 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. endobj The Air Force has granted several airmen permission to wear beards, turbans and the hijab for religious reasons in recent years. The Reserve or Guard, before finally denying a request, will first consult with the Air Force personnel directorate and obtain a legal review from the Air Force. Click here. David covers the Air Force, Space Force and anything Star Wars-related. The Army granted a similar waiver last year, and beard exemptions have been granted for a growing number of Sikhs and Muslims . Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily. It is is up to the wing commander (or the unit's equivalent of such a commander) to make the final decision. While the Air Force prohibits male members from growing beards, waivers are issued to airmen who,. 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.. The authors called for wider research in the area in order to refute or substantiate their findings. 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. The Hammer of Thor is available to be placed on government headstones and markers in the United States. 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. Beards should have been approved years ago, Facebook commenter Heather Britten wrote. 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. Eugene Oliver/U.S. 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.. The U. S. Air Force has published new guidance for religious accommodations that allow airmen to wear beards, turbans and hijabs. 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. 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. There are also exceptions for Air Force Reservists serving less than 30 days. 173rd Fighter Wing Airmen may begin taking advantage of new uniform regulations allowing religious exemptions such as beards, hijabs, and turbans while in uniform. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. % 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. 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.. 19 July 2019. 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. There currently is no clear evidence showing that is the case, the study said. <>>> Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? thx. Her work has appeared in Air Force Magazine, Inside Defense, Inside Health Policy, the Frederick News-Post (Md. 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. 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. Beard News in Air Force Copyright 2022 Beard Waiver - All Rights Reserved. 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. 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. ooming and uniform standards for members who wear turbans, hijabs and beards for religious reasons. Some pagans might choose to grow a beard in order to express their religious identity or beliefs. The Army last year granted its first beard authorization to a Norse pagan soldier. Despite being in line with regulations, airmen with waivers reported feeling stigmatized for wearing facial hair. A sample memo also said that an airman wearing a turban could be ordered to remove it if he goes within 25 feet of an operating aircraft. Meanwhile, about 76.83% of the no-waiver group was White. other similar condition s that prohibits regular facial shaving may requ est a waiver to wear a beard . I will also add, the whole reason I want a beard is to help me with my faith during Ramadan. Because its a faith that hasnt been practiced in about 1,000 years, he said, theres no set way to practice it. Market-leading rankings and editorial commentary - see the top law firms & lawyers for Not-for-profit (nonprofit and tax exempt organizations) in United States Any links to regs would be appricated. Those encounters, along with studies like the one published last year, convinced Wright to change his position. 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. Shaving Waiver stigma Air Force Medicine medical beard Al Dhafra . "They were well-respected. This condition can appear in a person of any ethnicity but is predominantly seen in Blacks/African Americans, study authors wrote. Beard hair longer than two inches must be rolled and/or tied to achieve the required length. A California-based airman has become the first Muslim airman to receive a beard waiver after a 2014 policy. 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. 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. Yes, Navy Seals can grow beards. Maysaa Ouza became the first Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps officer to wear hijab. safety) or when precluded by a compelling (i.e., especially important) governmental and/or Air Force interest. [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. I have an approved religious accommodation and have gotten pretty knowledgeable on the process. And at least two airmen who follow the Norse Heathen, or pagan, faiths have been granted permission to wear a beard. That assessment, and ability to address and adjust, is critical to our force, and our people. Military Approving Beards for Pagan Worshipers. Asking questions is fine, but how is that even legal? 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. Get the latest 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. In December, the Air Force commissioned its first female Muslim chaplain . 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. Wright said he was opposed to facial hair in the Air Force for 29 of his 32 years in service. It also specifically looked at the time it took airmen with shaving waivers to get promoted relative to airmen without waivers, and whether that association led to racial bias. The Air Force on Friday updated its regulations to formally allow airmen to ask for a waiver to wear religious apparel such as turbans or hijabs, or beards worn for religious reasons. 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. 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. The group is one of the Air Forces volunteer teams that considers ways to make policies more equitable for all airmen. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. The conventional view of facial hair is that it looks unprofessional in uniform. William Bailey, a beard waiver. 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. 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. Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. The religious accommodation process is designed to accommodate individuals who can cite specific teachings, traditions, or texts that Air Force policies contradict. Legacy sites goang.com and afreserve.com will now direct users to the central airforce.com site. That was followed up by more leaked slides in October which promised that an updated facial hair standard would be considered at a November meeting of the Air Force Uniform Board, Coffee or Die Magazine reported. 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. 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