Army allowing beards and more for off duty soldiers now

Tex232

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Nice to see military leaders allowing soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines to look like bums off duty. I especially like the quote in the article, "“A lot of people have problems with shaving; everyone’s skin is different, everyone’s hair is different.” As if peoples' hair and skin haven't been different for the past 200+ years the US military has been in existence.

https://www.stripes.com/news/off-duty-soldiers-can-now-grow-facial-hair-in-south-korea-1.510267
 
As if peoples' hair and skin haven't been different for the past 200+ years the US military has been in existence.

You're right, and not allowing beards or facial hair in the military is a fairly new regulation when considering that 200 year history. I had a beard for half the time I was in, funny, nobody ever accused me of looking like a "Bum"
 
You do realize the majority of the military can grow facial hair on pass or on leave, right? The stuff that keeps some people up at night...

My DH always grew a beard if we had 30 days’ leave during a PCS move. Until the day came when that Viking red beard started being more salt than pepper.
 
As if peoples' hair and skin haven't been different for the past 200+ years the US military has been in existence.

You're right, and not allowing beards or facial hair in the military is a fairly new regulation when considering that 200 year history. I had a beard for half the time I was in, funny, nobody ever accused me of looking like a "Bum"
You look like a bum! There; you can take that off your list.
 
The logic for shaving is to get a proper seal on a protective chemical mask. That is a significant factor in Korea given the DPRK threat. This modifies previous command position which extended that policy to Soldiers in civilian attire and off duty. Eighth Army just changed command and this really goes down to how two different commanders saw US troops as ambassadors to the local population on weekends and holidays.
 
I like beards, service or civilian, a la Rex Harrison (Ghost and Mrs. Muir):

https://goo.gl/images/cF2SvF

Hubby sports the sea-captain look. I even like man-buns; some guys rock that. I miss our son’s hair (even though it was never long enough for a bun).
 
Most units allow troops to skip shaving on leave, pass, etc. Which includes non-duty weekends. Personally, I rarely shave on the weekends unless I have to. Why bother? It's a pain in the ass, and it's nice to loosen up a little on your off days.
The argument that not shaving for a couple days makes troops look like bums is problematic, to me. What next? Service personnel are required to wear uniforms 24/7 so that we don't look like bums in civilian clothes? I'm with the SECDEF on this one. Focus on problems that increase lethality instead of inane policies and training that do not contribute to readiness. Being clean-shaven when on duty is sufficient, I think.
 
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.

images
 
I definitely cant shave every day. By the third day, i would bleeding all over my face. At best I shave every other day and at worst ever 3-4 days. My face cant take the constant shaving. My son who is in AF Rotc, shaves everyday sometimes with cold water. Crazy kid
 
Nice to see military leaders allowing soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines to look like bums off duty.

You do realize the majority of the military can grow facial hair on pass or on leave, right? The stuff that keeps some people up at night...

Hopefully the ladies will not grow facial hair even if the rules allow it. That would definitely keep me up at night.
 
What next? Service personnel are required to wear uniforms 24/7 so that we don't look like bums in civilian clothes?

Actually, this was in regulation during/shortly after the WWII years.

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.

Those two military members were on leave, which is not the same as being just being off duty. This is the same reason why most regulations state you also cannot wear earrings as a male on or off post, off duty or otherwise (although it looks as if they want to get rid of this rule as well). The point of the matter is you represent the military 24/7 whether you’re in uniform or not, so why look any less professional out of uniform than you do in uniform?
 
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As if peoples' hair and skin haven't been different for the past 200+ years the US military has been in existence.

You're right, and not allowing beards or facial hair in the military is a fairly new regulation when considering that 200 year history. I had a beard for half the time I was in, funny, nobody ever accused me of looking like a "Bum"

Jcleppe, I’m assuming you’re referring to the period in the CG that beards were allowed until 1986. Correct me if I’m wrong but only those assigned to polar operations billets were authorized facial hair for weather reasons.
 
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.
 
Consider yourself corrected, Beards were not exclusive to polar operations in the CG but 1986 does seem about right when they changed the policy, also the Navy allowed beards (maybe not for everyone and not just for special operations)until about 1984 and some Mustaches are still allowed in different branches.
 
The point of the matter is you represent the military 24/7 whether you’re in uniform or not, so why look any less professional out of uniform than you do in uniform?

You may represent the Military 24/7 but you sure don't have to live the Military 24/7. What would you have these soldiers do, wear Khakis and a collard shirt when ever off duty. We have gone past the days of a conscript Military and moved on to a professional volunteer Military where service members are both part of the Military and part of the civilian world. Gone are those days when you were required to travel in your uniform or be in uniform while off duty, in fact it's almost the opposite today. How not shaving on your day or weekend off makes you any less professional in your job makes little sense. Granted, if your on a four day weekend and you get called back to base for something, even if you go in civilian clothes you better shave before going in, I'll give you that, but if you're on a four day and want to not shave, jump into your board shorts and head to the beach, that sure doesn't make you a Bum or unprofessional.
 
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