US military relaxes uniform rules for religious items

by Irn Bru Thu Jan 23, 2014 1:09 am

The US military is easing its uniform rules to allow religious wear including turbans, skullcaps, beards and tattoos, officials have said.

Muslim, Sikh, Jewish and Wiccan soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen can now request exemptions to strict military uniform and grooming policies.

Requests will be evaluated individually and can be denied if they hinder military readiness.

Previously, at least three Sikhs had won specific accommodation.

Read more from the BBC...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25853546

Quite a reversal on previous policy for what was acceptable in the US military.

Was quite common to see US Army soldiers wearing combat uniforms around Crystal City and this is a step further in what is now acceptable in certain circumstances.

Nothing wrong in that, is there?

by Ben Reilly Thu Jan 23, 2014 1:48 am

Not at all, and it sends a powerful message. My country has always fancied itself a melting pot, egalitarian sort of society but has often not lived up to that in practise. Funny how in the U.S., the military can be more progressive than segments of civilian society (like how it desegregated years before the South).

by Original Quill Thu Jan 23, 2014 4:32 am

Yes, the US military was the precursor for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Did you know that the Yellow Tails could only fly out of a single air base in Italy, because they had to have an all Black staff. It was illegal for a Black man to give an order to a white man.

The US military desegregated largely as a result of Eleanor Roosevelt. It was a huge step forward...but more so for how far behind they were.

by Guest Thu Jan 23, 2014 9:48 am

Do you mean Red Tails or Tuskegee Airmen?

by Guest Thu Jan 23, 2014 10:16 am

Warren Moon wrote:Do you mean Red Tails or Tuskegee Airmen?

same thing aren`t they ?

by Guest Thu Jan 23, 2014 10:25 am

Sure, just asking if he meant them.

by Guest Thu Jan 23, 2014 10:54 am

Isn't that a bit dangerous? Or do the turbans have bulletproof reinforcements?

by scrat Thu Jan 23, 2014 10:59 am

Tess. wrote:Isn't that a bit dangerous? Or do the turbans have bulletproof reinforcements?

Good morning Tess,

Good to see you here, I think battle dress would include a Kevlar helmet!

by Original Quill Thu Jan 23, 2014 7:47 pm

Warren Moon wrote:Do you mean Red Tails or Tuskegee Airmen?

Same thing...well, no...you are asking about "Red" tails. I said "Yellow Tails." They flew North American P-51 D aircraft, and the unit's marking was a painted red tail. So the Tuskegee Airmen, when they were deployed to their base in Italy, were called "Red Tails."

by Guest Thu Jan 23, 2014 7:57 pm

Lots of info about them here:

http://www.tuskegee.edu/sites/www/Uploads/files/About%20US/Airmen/Nine_Myths_About_the_Tuskegee_Airmen.pdf

by Original Quill Thu Jan 23, 2014 8:24 pm

Sassy wrote:Lots of info about them here:

Tuskegee Airmen

Gd read. I would only point out that no white men were among the inferior ranks, even among officers. Obviously, there were field ranks and four-star generals that were above the African officers. The Tuskegee group was assembled because a black man was not allowed to give an order to a white man. So, while the higher superior officers were white, they made sure that there were no whites in lower ranks. In fact, there was an incident:

wiki wrote:
During training, Tuskegee Army Air Field was commanded first by Major James Ellison. Ellison made great progress in organizing the construction of the facilities needed for the military program at Tuskegee. However, he was transferred on 12 January 1942, reputedly because of his insistence that his African-American sentries and Military Police had police authority over local Caucasian civilians.

by Guest Thu Jan 23, 2014 9:27 pm

We had segregation and Britain did not.

by Irn Bru Fri Jan 24, 2014 1:07 am

Tess. wrote:Isn't that a bit dangerous? Or do the turbans have bulletproof reinforcements?

The Sikhs made a great contribution to the defence of our nation Tess and it was their choice to fight with their Turbans on instead of metal helmets as was their right.

We must never forget the contribution they made and that was acknowledged with these words from Winston Churchill...

British people are highly indebted and obliged to Sikhs for a long time. I know that within this century we needed their help twice and they did help us very well. As a result of their timely help, we are today able to live with honour, dignity, and independence. In the war, they fought and died for us, wearing the turbans

Wise words indeed

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