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Posted on 06/28/2025 4:36:34 AM PDT by where's_the_Outrage?
The U.S. Army is now rolling out a new policy that disproportionately impacts Black soldiers, and one officer is questioning the motivations behind the announcement.
Military.com reported Friday that the Army is now planning to prohibit shaving waivers, requiring all soldiers to adhere to strict new grooming standards. Previously, soldiers who suffered from the skin condition pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB) were allowed to ask for a waiver to bypass requirements to stay clean-shaven, as PFB patients can often have painful bumps and scarring from the use of a razor.
Soldiers who have PFB — which causes ingrown hairs that lead to skin irritation — may be able to have laser treatments covered by the Department of Defense. However, those treatments are costly and could amount to thousands of dollars per service member, and even laser treatments can cause scarring and may even alter skin pigmentation. Under the new policy, which is slated to take effect in the coming weeks, Soldiers who request shaving waivers for more than 12 months over a two-year period could be kicked out of the Army.
According to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, up to 60% of Black men suffer from PFB. And Military.com reported that Black Americans make up roughly one in four new Army recruits over the past several years even though they make up just 14% of the U.S. population......
Typically, the military has required soldiers to be clean shaven in order to maintain the integrity of the seal around a gas mask. However, only a small number of units are at risk of being realistically involved in a chemical warfare scenario, and a peer-reviewed study from a 2021 issue of the Military Medicine journal found that a well-maintained beard does not change the effectiveness of a gas mask.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
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Many years ago, I was a brigade surgeon for a mechanized infantry brigade. I hadn’t thought about PFB for years, but I recall a significant chunk of Sick Call time spent dealing with treating it and writing waivers for “clippers, not razors.”
They don’t have well maintained beards. I’ve seen many that look like Grizzly Adams.
They need to do away with pony tails too. It just doesn’t look professional.
The infiltrating muslims will not be pleased...
PFB is pretty rare. I remember when I was in military Academy some seniors would claim PFB so they didn’t have to shave. Like 25%of them.
*Up to*???
How about a realistic number, because if that's the case, why are there so many clean shaven blacks we see all the time? If this number were realistic then I'd expect to see far more blacks with breads and stubble.
And racists gotta race bait. Everything is about race fir them. Those are the true racists.
I’m a white guy and have this. Thick curly hair.
On deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan it was standard for us to have a close cropped beard. Made my life much more pleasant.
I personally think the clean shaven policy is stupid. It’s a vestige of when gas masks didn’t work with a beard and is a recent (WWI) development. That’s hasn’t been a problem since the 1970s.
Let men be men and grow beards.
Discount ANYTHING coming coming from Military.com. It’s garbage.
Nailed it
On your face? Ouch.
As an aside it wouldn’t work. The problem is the hair is curly and grows in crooked.
It’s damn near everyone with curly hair. Me included.
Nasty painful zit-like bumps.
Geez. We went through this retarded bullsh*t in the 60s and 70s in the Army. It ended up that we had AMERICAN GIs running around like idiots wearing turbans. If the maggots don’t want to shave, go get a job at a fast food joint. I’m saying “See, I told you so”, about how the politicians passed legislation so black females should be allowed to wear their “crowns” at work and right off the bat one of them got her head caught in the luggage moving machinery at her job at the airport and died. You can’t fix stupid. This “military officer” is a moron.
Nor us whose ancestors were Vikings.
BEARDS not *breads*!
Sheesh, need more sleep. Not a good morning.
I knew a white guy who had this too. If he shaved, his neck would be a mass of red bumps. He kept his beard very close trimmed, and it looked good. I think this is a condition that deserves to be accommodated since it can be without real loss of effectiveness.
Let men be men and grow beards.
Some of our troops look like the pictures we used to see of Scandinavian troops -— long hair, pony tails, unkempt facial hair. If it’s medically necessary for a man to have a beard, I’m guessing it’s a mighty rare situation. I seriously doubt its 60%, but whatever the number, any beards should be extremely close cut. And only if medically necessary. Imho.
My b-i-l has trouble with that. He suffered during his 4 years in the military.
It’s such an issue I picked a third deployment in Iraq over going to a soft deployment in Korea.
In short it’s a real problem. Making it a racial issue, however, is stupid. It’s true black men get this a lot more, but most white guys with curly hair do, too.
I agree but it needs to be verified that the person actually has it, not just claims to have it to avoid following orders.
Far too many people these days seem way yo comfortable about lying to get preferential treatment.
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