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Pentagon relaxes rules on religious apparel, facial hair
Fox News ^ | January 22, 2014 | Fox News

Posted on 01/22/2014 12:35:18 PM PST by maddog55

The Pentagon on Wednesday relaxed its rules governing the religious apparel and facial hair that troops can wear or maintain while in uniform, permitting in some cases tattoos, body piercings and other religious items.

The Defense Department issued the changes via a directive Wednesday afternoon. As part of the military's changing approach to making religious accommodations, the new policy will allow service members to sport different kinds of religious garb and hairstyles so long as they don't have an "adverse effect on military readiness, mission accomplishment, unit cohesion, and good order and discipline."

The changes create several new categories, besides clothing, of religion-based features that can be displayed by troops. These now include facial hair, such as beards, and religious tattoos and piercings.

Immediate commanders will be allowed to grant accommodations to service members in some cases; in others, these items will have to be approved at a higher level.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bhodod; facialgarb; facialhair; islam; jihad; kenyanbornmuzzie; muslims; pentagon; religiousapparel; uniform; usmilitary
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To: vpintheak

This is called Darwin. You can bet that anyone with ‘religiously motivated facial hair’ (ie, muslim) will be in a cushy chair inhabiting REMF.


21 posted on 01/22/2014 1:12:37 PM PST by Black Agnes
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To: vpintheak

Die. Next question?


22 posted on 01/22/2014 1:12:39 PM PST by 17th Miss Regt
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To: NY.SS-Bar9
Ahh, except -

D I V E R S I T Y: the condition of having or being composed of differing elements : variety; especially : the inclusion of different types of people (as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization

Is what is celebrated in today's military. It's all good, so long as it isn't straight, white, Jewish/Christian, and male. Oh yeah, and if it's tradition, it can't have any actual meaning relevant to today.

Quite some time ago, Marines were banned from singing any cadence that described killing of any particular race, group, religion, ethnicity, or country's citizens - even if that particular group, or citizens of said country were at war with the United States.

There were Marines that wore/wear memorial bracelets the same size and colors as the MIA/POW bracelets, authorized by Congress, from the Vietnam era. Only, there isn't that many MIA/POWs in the GWOT, so Marines wore KIA bracelets to memorialize fallen brothers.

The jerk offs that spent their careers on 'B' Billets and get all their combat experience from watching it on television tried to ban the KIA bracelets. It caused enough issue that Congress updated the rules specifically authorizing KIA bracelets so long as they were the same dimensions and colors authorized for the POW/MIA bracelets.

Completely unrelated, (sarc) that same week the Marine Corps went "sleeves down year round" in the utility uniform, despite the tradition of rolling sleeves since before WWI and Marines known the world over as "white sleeves."

What poses as a "Commandant" for the Marines nowadays has stated he wants to get the Marine Corps back to good "morals."

If it is good historic tradition, or of Judeo-Christian value, or promotes esprit de Corps in today's military, it is targeted and to be destroyed.

It is all about the individual and whether someone's feelings may get hurt.

Another example: Previously Marines wore green woodland cammies year round, unless they were deployed to a desert area; then they wore desert cammies.

As the GWOT picked up, the rule became you wore woodlands unless deployed, just returning from a deployment, or just about to deploy - this way you could also break in desert boots prior to deploying etc. There were many that never got out of desert cammies - they were always in one of those three categories. It soon became apparent who was pulling weight in the war and who never deployed. And people complained. So the rule was changed again.

In the winter you wear woodland utilities/jungle uniform (I guess jungles are cold?) and in the summertime you wear desert uniforms - yes even in the field in the barren sandy expanse of Camp Lejeune, NC, (sarcasm for those that need it identified). The concept of "camouflage" completely lost when wearing "camouflage" utilities.

I can only imagine what it is like in the other services (well the Army has to wear glowbelts pretty much every wear they go) and at least on one of their posts in Afghanistan, eye protection was REQUIRED to eat crab legs.

I can't wait to see what constitutes "religious apparel" and "facial hair" and what will be allowed vs. what will not.

Glad I'm out.

23 posted on 01/22/2014 1:20:05 PM PST by Repeat Offender (What good are conservative principles if we don't stand by them?)
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To: maddog55

Sikh's have been serving in our military for a while, and in general have been killing muzzies for centuries.

24 posted on 01/22/2014 1:21:11 PM PST by Theoria (End Socialism : No more GOP and Dem candidates)
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To: Irenic

fine with me


25 posted on 01/22/2014 1:22:18 PM PST by MNDude
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To: 17th Miss Regt

And it’s the Sergeants job to let them die. Yep. I’m amazed at the stupidity of our government.


26 posted on 01/22/2014 1:25:05 PM PST by vpintheak (Thankful to be God blessed & chosen!)
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To: Irenic

The original reason why armies forbade their soldiers from wearing beards is because it gave their enemy something to grab onto while they wielded their swords down on the neck.

It’s true that there aren’t too many sword fights in the war arenas these days, so one can only assume that this is Obama’s way of destroying morale and discipline amongst his military, probably in order to make them more easily controlled.

Or, it’s an appeasement his God, Allah. Beats me.


27 posted on 01/22/2014 1:29:47 PM PST by ObamaMustGo2012 (Obama Must Go In 2012)
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To: maddog55

Was it the military brass relaxing the rule, or the imbedded commissar from the White house?


28 posted on 01/22/2014 1:31:23 PM PST by elpadre (AfganistaMr Obama said the goal was to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-hereQaeda" and its allies.)
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To: maddog55

Undermining discipline and the clean-cut image of the military. Making room for the ex-cons and gang members they want in their ranks who won’t think twice about blowing your head off.


29 posted on 01/22/2014 1:32:14 PM PST by informavoracious (Open your eyes, people!)
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To: maddog55

Our troops will consist of homosexuals and women...what a country!


30 posted on 01/22/2014 1:32:48 PM PST by txrefugee
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To: maddog55

Used to be a “body piercing” would get you a Purple Heart.


31 posted on 01/22/2014 1:35:17 PM PST by Scrambler Bob ( Concerning bo -- that refers to the president. If I capitalize it, I mean the dog.)
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To: informavoracious

You can bet soon they will waive the no felony conviction.


32 posted on 01/22/2014 1:37:13 PM PST by Resolute Conservative
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To: maddog55
"Pentagon relaxes rules on religious apparel"

Under the new rules, anything will be allowable, unless of course, it can be traced to Christianity....
33 posted on 01/22/2014 1:53:33 PM PST by indthkr
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To: elpadre

Is there a difference these days?


34 posted on 01/22/2014 2:13:32 PM PST by onedoug
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To: maddog55

I knew a Gurkha years ago in the army. He wore a turban and a beard.


35 posted on 01/22/2014 2:38:18 PM PST by R. Scott (Humanity i love you because when you're hard up you pawn your Intelligence to buy a drink)
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To: maddog55

Crosses are probably banned


36 posted on 01/22/2014 2:48:54 PM PST by GeronL (Extra Large Cheesy Over-Stuffed Hobbit)
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To: Resolute Conservative

bump


37 posted on 01/22/2014 2:49:12 PM PST by GeronL (Extra Large Cheesy Over-Stuffed Hobbit)
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To: Gamecock

Yes. All you have to do is find a pastor who’ll say it’s a requirement of your branch of Presbyterian.


38 posted on 01/22/2014 3:01:28 PM PST by xzins ( Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! Those who truly support our troops pray for victory!)
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To: onedoug

I have a hard time believing our military leaders would make such divisive rules unless under duress.


39 posted on 01/22/2014 3:30:49 PM PST by elpadre (AfganistaMr Obama said the goal was to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-hereQaeda" and its allies.)
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To: maddog55

What religion requires tattoos and piercings?


40 posted on 01/22/2014 3:34:37 PM PST by rey
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