Soldiers with skin conditions like razor bumps will no longer be granted permanent medical waivers that allow them to grow beards and could be kicked out of the Army if they are not clean shaven.
“This update reinforces our culture that fosters discipline — and discipline equals readiness,” Michael R. Weimer, the sergeant major of the Army, said in the statement
Threatening to kick out 40,000 people doesn’t equal readiness.
A 2021 study in the journal Military Medicine said that grooming techniques and topical medications could be effective in treating mild-to-moderate cases of pseudofolliculitis barbae, but more severe cases responded best to laser therapy. Long-term shaving exemptions “may be needed for treatment-resistant cases,” the study said.
I saw many cases first-hand that did not resolve with topical treatments and would have led to scarring unless a permanent waiver was granted. Laser treatment is a terrible compromise on this issue - would you permanently alter yourself to conform to the standards or would you say “Fuck that” and get out when your contract ends?
With how bad the military as a whole is hurting for people, I’m surprised they’re threatening more bullshit like this.
Always remember who Trump works for. Then it all makes sense.
Satan?
Putin, a real person, not the fictional adversary from bronze age mythology
Close.
Whole lot easier to use the military for violent racism when there’s less brown people in it.
This is exactly why they’re doing it, thin out the soldiers who stand a chance of saying no to questionable orders.
This is intentional.
A lot of people don’t realize gas masks don’t work with beards. My father was military. Shaving isn’t just about appearances, it’s about practicality. When there’s a chance of chemical or bio warfare, you have to be able to effectively use a gas mask!
I was military too. Protective masks work perfectly well with a trimmed beard. It’s full beards that get caught in the seal and prevent the formation of an airtight seal. Guys with shaving profiles have like 1/4” of hair on their faces not ZZ Top beards.
Makes sense if you plan on tear gassing civilian protesters.
As was mentioned last time this was posted, it’s a matter of being able to use gas masks properly. If the masks don’t form a seal with the skin the wearer is dead.
When was the last time the US fought an enemy with a credible chemical stockpile? That’s why it hasn’t been important the last 30years. But Russia has shown to still possess chemical weapons and the will to use them. North Korea is known to have CW in their arsenal, and it would be naïve to assume that the PRC doesn’t.
At the moment allies for WW3 are still blurry, but I guess it’s better safe than sorry. So it’s not a rule intentionally targeting black people, it’s protecting all soldiers. The rest of NATO should probably enforce the same rule.
Hello veteran here. You are kinda right but like with most things MAGA you can find a legit excuse, but it immediately gets undermined by the Uber racist Steve Miller being the right hand man to Trump. No need to this extra work when the policy discussion with that guy is only focused on advancing the white race.
Shaving profiles allow for minimal amounts of facial hair. Like 1/4 inch or so. Gas masks work fine with trimmed beards. It’s the full on mountain men beards that don’t work for gas masks and those weren’t allowed. When i was in a few of my black friends used their pro mask with shaving profiles. It isn’t an issue.
I’ve shared the same data on other similar posts around this topic, and gotten downvoted for it too.
That’s because it’s been debunked and what you’re sharing is misinformation.
Modern M50 has masks happily seal on a 1/4 inch beard. Additionally, if the intentions of this policy were protective rather than racist, why would they apply all the time? Making soldiers shave in garrison to be ready for a gas attack is stupid. They only issue masks when deploying, because nobody is about to gas Fort Hood.
I thought real men had beards.
looks fuckin ready to me.What a mighty warrior, he’d be dead with the first chemical strike.
Can’t handle a little chemical warfare? What a bitch.
