North Dakota Airmen Might Get More Facial Hair Freedom

I Mustache You A Question:

Q: Will North Dakota Airmen Be Allowed To Grow Out Their Mustaches A Little Further?

Well... maybe. According to The Military Times, the United States Air Force may soon allow Airmen to sport a slightly different look.

In a leaked memo, Air Force officials are discussing the idea of allowing Airmen to grow their mustaches 1/4th of an inch from the corner of their mouths. That amounts to an extra half-inch of hair, in total.

This is part of The Department of the Air Force's update to its grooming and uniform policies.

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This, according to The Military Times, which also states that the current regulations are that Airmen must keep their facial hair "Moderate," and "Within reasonable limits." This new proposal would replace and/or revise that rule.

The proposal/memo is subject to change and review, and even though it was said a decision would be made by the end of last week, we have yet to get the final word.

AirForgeMag states that our men in uniform have been advocating for quite some time for the force to allow them to grow beards, and while this isn't that, it is progress.

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So, will it be a full-on handlebar movement? -- Probably not. And will they still be very well-kept? In all likeliness, yes. To the outside world, this doesn't seem like a really big deal, but to the men and women serving our county, it matters. This is not only about individuality, but generally, about loosening the force's hair restrictions.

The History Of Air Force Hair Regulations:

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According to Sandboxx.us there's a month designated to honoring arguably, one of that most famous military pilots, Brig. General Robin Olds. He served in both World War II and Vietnam. According to this source, he earned 17 victories. As a personal protest, Olds grew out a handlebar mustache, which, even then was not allowed.

Today, they call it "Mustache March." Men in aviation offer a special salute to the Olds by growing out their mustaches to match his fluffy stash.

Why Is There A Regulation?

According to StubbleAndStache.com, the reason the military and Air Force requires soldiers and Airmen to keep their facial hair short is for hygienic reasons, and so gas masks can fit to their faces properly.

According to AirForceTimes.com, the United States Air Force approved five-year medical beard waivers, allowing men with a doctors note to grow out their facial hair beyond regulation length.

That's All Folks

According to AirForceMag.com, there has been an ongoing push to allow not only wider mustaches, but advocates for women in the military have also helped to change the regulations on braids, ponytails and bangs. So, will this be another change soon to come? Hard to say just yet. You know what they say, keep your eyes on the skies, or... on the men with the mustaches in the skies. -- There's my forced line of the day hahaha.

That's all I've got on the subject for now. Hopefully we get a formal announcement on the decisioning soon.