Posted on 06/10/2019 3:49:38 PM PDT by devane617
It will be interesting if he has to work in a chem atmosphere with that beard. The M40, the replacement for the M17, is the most common now as far as I know and both masks suffer from the inadequate protective capabilities of their face pieces especially from blister agents. But if he tries to don that silicone and get a workable seal with a beard, it won’t and he can expect to die. So I guess his religion worked in his favor as he will see his God sooner than expected.
But so it isn’t all bad, his trying to pull the mask over a turban is going to be more interesting than the seal problem. And getting rid of the turban to don is going to cost him time, of which he won’t survive for more than about 13 seconds to clear and seal. My students were taught tricks how to take advantage of things and the average was between 7 to 8 seconds, mask and hood, helping each other. Unless there’s is something I don’t know, he will be on the casualty list.
rwood
Is this a re-hashed story? I seem to remember this from a while back.
Bottom line, he is freaking screwed in an NBC event. And lets say one happens; his gas mask will not make a seal and then lots of med’s materials will be wasted on the guy. He wanted to join OUR military; abide by the rules. They are in place for a reason.
Wonder how many of them would have survived trench warfare in WWI?
RE - Is he allowed to carry his religiously required kirpan dagger?
I also noticed that yahoo did not mention their knife(kirpan) one of their five required articles of faith. I can only guess that was intentional by yahoo. shave and haircuut would be a better idea. If he wants it bad enough,let him join the indian army.
Whoever made that decision needs to be removed immediately...............
That is why Hitler had his shaved mustache.
Horrible. There was a reason to keep people in the military wearing short hair, no head covering and no facial hair.
hahaha.... less than one minute apart.
Every exception establishes a precedent. Once you set a precedent standards and traditions no longer have any meaning and can be discarded at will.
That's why we have an immigration nightmare. We kept expanding exceptions and set precedent.
Bingo
I have met sikhs and I like em but this is now pandoras box
Some of the above is why the Army lost its lawsuit. And other services will lose too for at least the same reasons if they don't let Sikhs serve with beards.
Yep - he got hit with mustard gas in the trenches of WWI. Too bad it didn’t finish him off...
There were fully outfitted Sieks at Ft Lewis WA in 1970.
Wong, wrong, wrong, wrong.....
If he can pass the gas chamber, fine.
This is one of those military urban legends that really grind my gears. First off, it's not true that you can't have a beard and wear a gas mask, anyone who welds Galvanized metal for a living knows that and so does the Indian military, and the Israelis, and so on and so on.
Second, when was the last time anyone in the US military deployed to a likely chemical environment? 2004? We're making hundreds of thousands of men shave daily because they may someday deploy to a warfront that doesn't exist? Speaking of soldiers deployed into harm's way... All them special ops troops poking around the desert for Saddam's chemical weapons... Beards and wild hair.
Lastly, the modern military and the military of the future aren't going to be fighting mass formations, force-on-force infantry and armor enemies. They're going to fight with technology, asymmetric tactics, and with brains more than brawn. If you deliberately limit your talent pool and training rules to young men who could land on the beaches of Normandy and march in a line into machine gun fire, we are going to lose. Times change and war changes. I remember the weeping and gnashing of teeth when the Marines went to suede boots, as if a Marine without Lincoln wax in his foot locker couldn't shoot straight. Discipline is a lot more than a haircut.
In the British Military if a man could grow a mustache he was required to. At least up until after WW2.
Many British officers had beards
I’m NOT sure about in 2019 (as I retired in 2006) BUT Sikhs WERE ALLOWED to wear their DAGGER, TURBAN & BEARD by the US Army for decades.
(I don’t know about the USAF, USCG or Navy department.)
Also, “back in the day” women soldiers of “certain very conservative Christian religious sects” (for example: River Baptists) were allowed to wear their small white lace cap indoors at work, IF their denomination required that they were always to be “covered”.
Yours, TMN78247
yup... now cut his hair and beard and get rid of the turban or separation
1) The services grant thousands of beard waivers for medical reasons
Yes, I am aware of many in the service walking around with butter knives trying to “pop” in-grown hairs. Been there, seen that; mostly blacks and anyone else that catches on that they don’t have to shave if they can med out.
2) Deployed special ops units are often allowed to grow beards
Because it is counter productive for the enemy to unleash chem or bio in their own area. A no brainer as they are forward deployed and blending into culture.
3) Beards were not universally barred until the 1980s
Selectivity. Get real and quit cherry picking. Commands would not allow beards prior to 1980. Maybe way out in the Pacific when Navy and Marines were nowhere near port. Otherwise, nah.
4) Sikhs with beards have used gas masks and they work fine
Bullshit. I have been through a CS “gas attack” in the open in 29 palms back in 1990 with wind blowing after not shaving for 14 days. Snot for days and eyes watering to boot. Gas masks did not seal. Get the fuq outta here...A beard will not allow a good seal.
You seem to think I have something against a Sihk. I do not. What I have is something against guys going the extra effort because one guy out of many can’t seem to grasp that he is putting others at risk because he wants to join our services and then claim a special privilege. Fuq that. Mr. Bearded needs to quit being selfish and make a damn decision.
Sikhs are a true warrior class.
They did when I was in. Every single day at guardmount. Then again, I was Security Police/Security Forces, not a desk jockey or a wrench turner. We were expected to be sharp as a tack at all times.
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