“Exactly what religious group would they be trying to accommodate...”
If you had read the first 5 sentences, you’d have found out they were Sikhs, a proud non-muslum people with centuries of honorable service in both the British and Indian armies. They make good Americans too, by the way. I’m all for accomodating Sikhs in the U.S. Military.
Yeah, the Sikhs played a big role for the left in pushing this nonsense.
I’ve got no problem with Sikhs....but this ruling doesn’t make any sense to me.
The stumbling block? The gas mask.
Our military men used to have beards - just about every civil war general sported one. But that all changed with World War I. Mustard gas was being used, and soldiers had to put masks on their faces - and the masks had to seal well to the face. Nothing has changed, and the same is true today.
WWI also was so industrialized, and each side was able to bring so many men to the battles, that lice and other critters became a major problem - so short hair also became a requirement.
So how is a Sikh going to put on his gas mask? If I recall, at least once a year we had to go through the gas tent, demonstrate we could put the thing on in time, etc. Will the Sikh’s be exempt from this training?
I don't have a problem with Sikhs, as they are generally up for killing muslims wherever they may be, but no, it's not a good idea to accommodate their dress. Military uniforms are, uh, uniform for a reason. It's a matter of discipline if nothing else. This will not help unit cohesion.