It’s a safety thing. Can’t wear damage control gear with a beard. Admin separation.
He considers his beard more important than his oath?
As well as unit cohesion.
Maybe they should spend an hour in a DC training smoke house with a respirator over the beard. If they are still alive they can stay.
Exactly*. Firefighters everywhere are beardless for this very reason.
If the Navy bends for this, the armed forces are lost to the Muzzies, with the camel's nose inserted firmly under the tent.
*Besides, if Stephen Decatur was magically transported to the future, boarding cutlass in hand, to this man's ship, it would go ill with the towelhead...