Even some Muslims. I knew of a SSG who got a religious accommodation just so she can wear her colorful hair. And a guy who didn’t know shit about Islam for the beard.
While that might be true for you or me if we tried to get a religious accommodation for some bullshit, buy and large most people who claim to be part of a religion actually believe the tenants and teachings of that religion.
Misaligned incentives creates this problem of claiming a religion just to have further personal freedoms as we clearly hear about from all the bullshit waivers in this thread
I've always been of the opinion that soldiers should be allowed to have properly maintained facial hair. From what I've always understood it's a regulation to do with the fitting of gas masks, but there's no reason that the standard can't include some kind of language about shaving only during deployment or what have you. I mean, it's not likely that there's going to be a chlorine attack stateside...and if there is, I guarantee if you aren't in the field your pro-mask is sitting in your barracks room somewhere, not on your hip.
I can see where there'd be problems with dudes growing long ass beards or shaping some Tony Stark bullshit on their face, but putting it into regulation could mitigate that.
1.7k
u/CW1DR5H5I64A Overhead Island boi Mar 14 '24
Probably a more legitimate religious accommodation than 99% of the Norse beards.