Garrett Sopchak mythology, a collection of interesting stories but little more. 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. Seven months later, this reporter could not immediately find any such progress reports. Sopchak, an aerospace ground equipment craftsman at Hill Air Force Base in Utah,said other airmen have been emailing him with questions about his faith. The push to create a new Space National Guard got a major boost last week as a bipartisan team of Senators offered new legislationeven as the Pentagon works to craft details on a competing plan. Full text of "Planar Handbook" In 2018, Staff Sgt. 3 0 obj Does anyone have any information on how you actually get a religious exemption for shaving? Sorry airmen, you're not getting beards without a medical or religious waiver anytime soon, as Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles 'CQ' Brown and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force . 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. Gurchetan Singh, the first Sikh American to secure a religious accommodation to serve in the Air National Guard, said Wednesday that hes grateful for the Air Forces policy change. 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. 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. Abdul Rahman Gaitain, an airman with the 821st. Garrett Sopchak, a 28-year-old aerospace . No Sikh American should have to choose between their religious beliefs and their career ambitions, Klapper said in a statement Wednesday. addresses the Air Force grooming standard for beards: "[b]eards are not authorizedunless for medical reasons, when authorized by a commander on the advice of a medical official." An Airmen who requests an accommodation waiver to grow a beard for religious reasons must follow Copyright 2023. 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 AFI allows the Air Force to deny a request for a waiver only if it furthers a compelling government interest., Groups such as the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Sikh Coalition, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations announced their support for the decision, with CAIR saying Feb. 12 it is a step toward religious accommodation and inclusion for military personnel of all faiths., No Sikh American should have to choose between their religious beliefs and their career ambitions, Giselle Klapper, a Sikh Coalition staff attorney, said in a release. It must also include a photo or description of the head covering, religious-affiliated item, grooming standard or personal appearance that is being requested. Its kind of a big thing, culturally.. % AFSOC Airman first in command to gain Sikh religious accommodation waiver This causes inflammation and a foreign body reaction, and over time, can result in scarring. Here are some active soldiers who have been allowed to keep their facial hair. First Air Force JAG officer to wear hijab featured in short NBC documentary, 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. Air Force top enlisted leader wants to remove stigma of beard waivers The religious beard exemption in the US army was created for the benefit of Sikhs. David Roza | <>>> Thanks for attaching this, it seems like a simple enough process to get the accommodation. Religious Accommodation: Growing trend around the USAF Still, it seems the Honor Guard has not completely embraced shaving waivers. 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. Published Jul 14, 2021 8:57 AM EDT. ooming and uniform standards for members who wear turbans, hijabs and beards for religious reasons. An airmans rank will be displayed on the turban or under-turban when worn in circumstances where military headgear is customarily worn, and removed in circumstances where military headgear is not typically worn, such as indoors or in no-hat or no-salute areas. The U.S. Air Force granted its first religious waivers to the military-wide COVID-19 vaccine mandate this week. Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Air Force says recent beard approvals have not sparked an influx of Rather than delay his enlistment, Comer decided to shave his beard and apply for the accommodation at a later date. The DAF will remove adverse information from records of those currently serving service members who sought. He is now about two weeks into growing his beard, and is waiting for it to come in a little more before he can start shaping it. In 2018, the Air Force granted its first "religious accommodation beard waiver" to a Muslim airman, allowing him to wear a beard while in uniform. Isnt the whole point of religious freedom that people CANT do that? At the end of the day, while we are continually out in front with initiatives that provide more opportunities for our airmen to serve to their full potential, we are cognizant that we are part of a broader military force.. The study would require only 100 to 150 service members, he said. "Sikhs are allowed to wear beards and turbans because it actually is a religious requirement of their faith that they do so. The Air Force has granted several airmen permission to wear beards, turbans and the hijab for religious reasons in recent years. Paragraph 1.5.2.3 added: Members requesting a medical waiver to wear a beard must submit a letter Wing commanders or other leaders at major commands, numbered air forces or other organizations will then approve or deny such a request. If you saw a man that had a beard, you could almost guarantee that they were a good person, that you could go to them for help," Sopchak said. I cant tell you how many hundreds of times, probably thousands, that weve gotten [that] question. Airmen can use styling products on their beards, but petroleum-based products are not allowed while wearing a protective mask. The research studied the effect of shaving waivers on the careers of active duty male airmen. 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. The religious accommodation process is designed to accommodate individuals who can cite specific teachings, traditions, or texts that Air Force policies contradict. David Roza Given the racial distribution of waivers, this may have an unintended discriminatory effect by limiting the opportunities that these members are offered, the study authors wrote. The military branch said it will remove "adverse information" from the records of those who sought an exemption on "religious, administrative, or medical grounds and who received adverse actions solely due to their . >_fn7dw)>S#a\7]zdWwgsZMA2!2/af>]]I+ .$sMOr])0`F\>-vxX|K h%&ZG2xI%#}pxg@;%rE*q"TY(kfIeWgh&*$|- F'$_L2;&"bw.%i^XxzS\'Z+gQI,=b6)J|Se{Sl)xog`7^}T# N7 x+|B7 The real challenge is how do you change the culture, not just in the Air Force but in the services period.. 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.. Hijabs, turbans and under-turbans (also known as patkas) should be free of designs and made of a subdued material in a color that closely resembles ones uniform. 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. Tim Chacon/Air National Guard. Air Force issues new guidelines for beards, turbans and hijabs PDF Office of The United States Air Force Auxiliary Memorandum for All Cap Rather than delay his enlistment, Comer decided to shave his beard and apply for the accommodation at a later date. Black/African American Employment Strategy Team, Department of the Air Force Barrier Analysis Working Group, How the Navy's beard policy discriminates against Black sailors, Shaving waivers disproportionately affect Black airmen, delay promotions, Racist text spurs Air Force investigation into alleged squadron job discrimination, 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.