By D. Kevin McNeir
Special to the AFRO
kmcneir@afro.com
Members of the armed forces, both active duty and reserve personnel, recently learned that effective immediately, they must be clean-shaven when in uniform or on duty. In addition, the new policy severely limits medical shaving waivers, with the Army, for example, reducing exemptions to a temporary 12-month period and requiring a treatment plan.
In a memorandum dated Aug. 20, Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Pete Hegseth instructed the military services to strictly enforce facial hair grooming standards across the force, citing reasons for the change in policy.
“The grooming standard set by the U.S. military is to be clean-shaven and neat in presentation for a proper military appearance,” he said. “Service members with certain medical conditions, such as pseudofolliculitis barbae or eczema, for instance, are eligible to apply for medical waivers that allow them to abstain from shaving.”
Hegseth further noted that while the DOD realizes that certain medical conditions may lead to challenges for those who shave daily, waivers can no longer be approved for an indefinite period.
“Some of those medical waivers were issued on a long-term basis, meaning that some service members could go for years without having to meet the standard of being clean-shaven,” he said. “That is no longer the case. Now, service members who have medical waivers for shaving will have one year to address the underlying medical issues that keep them from meeting the standard.”
The new direction from the secretary does not affect shaving waivers related to religious accommodations, nor does it impact growing mustaches if the military departments permit their service members to do so, according to a Pentagon official.
However, those who find it impossible to comply with grooming standards may be administratively separated.
“Each individual case will require an individual review by the service member’s medical provider and commander before the initiation of separation takes place. Commanders are charged with determining if retention is appropriate based upon the service member’s progress, or if separation is in the best interest of the service and the member,” the official said.
Black vets debate ramifications of new policy
Rip Preston, a native of Washington, D.C., who reported to bootcamp in 1968 and retired from the Army and National Guard as a command sergeant in 2000 after 32 years of both active and reserve duty, said members of the armed forces understand that they must adhere to uniform codes and that policy changes are inevitable as societal norms shift or evolve.
“During my years in service, most Blacks soldiers could get a shaving waiver and really needed it because they suffered from pseudofolliculitis barbae,” he said. “But I’ve noticed that today they’re allowed to wear much longer beards than we were.
“For me, joining the military was a good decision and I believe it still is for young Blacks. But it depends on your interests and if the skills you possess line up with the kinds of military occupation skills required today. If you’re looking for guidance in shaping your future it’s still a great career.”
Larry Rentz 56, who began service in the ROTC and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in August 1987, retired in September 2020. Rentz, who also counts as the first and only African American to hold the position of Professor of Military Science at the University of Maryland, said he believes there are several factors at play with the newly enforced grooming standards.
“I think it’s about placing a greater emphasis on conformity and uniformity within the armed forces,” he said. “However, I can’t rule out race as a possible factor since the policy disproportionately impacts Black men. But I do believe that more people have taken advantage of shaving waivers than we did in the past.
“We were trained to shave our mustaches and shine our boots – things like that. From my vantage point, those who were granted shaving waivers were rarely, if ever, promoted to leadership positions. Your appearance, including being overweight, had a lot to do with your chances of moving up the ranks. It wasn’t an official policy, but it was pretty apparent,” said Rentz, who added that he would not be surprised if new policies are announced in the future about tattoos.
As for Staff Sgt. Eugene Groves, USMC retired, a proud member of the Montford Point Marine Association Inc., Washington, D.C., Chapter 6, he expressed disdain of the new policy.
“I started bootcamp at Montford Point in 1946 and served for 30 years, active and reserve, and I simply do not agree with what the president and the secretary are doing,” said Groves, 96, who was married for 46 years and now, as a widower, lives with his niece in Upper Marlboro, Md.
“Being in the Marines helped me become a man and taught me responsibility,” he said. “I was able to earn my high school degree, and I did something positive with my life. But this policy brings back memories of what life was like after we returned from the battlefield overseas.
“Soldiers we once fought with reverted to using the ‘N’ word. Even worse, we were treated like second class citizens. I’m just not convinced that eliminating shaving waivers doesn’t have something to do with race because it’s Black men who, because of their health, may be forced to leave the military.”
