The three young men who saved the day on the Paris 15:17 train were not all clean shaven while on vacation (two of them were military).
I don't think they look like bums.
Here is the Marine Commandant's position on tattoos.
https://taskandpurpose.com/general-neller-tattoos/
SMA Dailey is enormously popular among the troops for relaxing certain tattoo and uniform requirements, among many other things.
While it's true that it's not required to be liked as a leader, the amount of respect troops have for leadership often directly correlates to their effectiveness.
Tex, the military for years segregated African Americans too. It changed.
For many years we had the draft that ensured all the branches achieved their mission. Now with an all volunteer force the military has made various adjustments to better recruit the best officers and enlisted personnel.
I don't disagree that looking professional and squared away is important, but we should make reasonable adjustments to best attract talent.
What would you have these soldiers do, wear Khakis and a collard shirt when ever off duty.
But I would have them shave their faces if they didn’t have a medical waiver,
Contract and everything else considered, I still don't see the need to punish me for not wanting to commission. It's not as if I'm telling them to let me out without paying them back. They're basically saying they'd rather force me into the AF against my will and have someone that just does an average job at best, than get their money returned to them no questions asked. I'd be wasting my time with the AF and they'd be wasting their time with me.
I am always proud to say I was a draft dodger. I enlisted
I want a percentage.
When the Draft ended we were still using vacuum tubes in electronic gear. It wasn't technology that ended the Draft.