And obviously not everyone looked at the old story but the Captain wears current Army uniforms so that argument is out the window.
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And obviously not everyone looked at the old story but the Captain wears current Army uniforms so that argument is out the window.
This is an old story, but it's bothered me since I first heard about it a couple/few years back.
While I was SD (retired almost 11 years ago), other than Christian chaplains, Christians were not allowed to visibly wear a cross. If worn, they had to be worn concealed under your short/blouse. As far as I know, this hasn't changed, yet accommodations are being made for other religious beliefs?
Christian chaplains aren't allowed to wear their crosses on their uniforms, nor be in possession of a bible while off base while assigned to Saudi Arabia. Do the Sikhs get to wear their non-muslim religious items while off base in Saudi?
I have no objections to Sikh's, but in the military, uniformity is an essential element to maintaining morale, unit cohesion and discipline. When you start making exceptions for one reason or another you risk destroying each of these things which puts the ability to accomplish the mission in jeopardy.
Just my personal opinion after serving for 20 years and supporting shoulder to shoulder with those still serving for 10 years as a .mil contractor.
I'm cool with it. Sikhs are badass.
Yes, in Saudi, it's Saudi law - punishable by beheading. But I still wonder what their perspective is on the Sikh's.
That still fails to address the issue that Christians can't wear their crosses visibly while Sikh's are not permitted to visibly wear their articles of faith.
I have nothing but respect for Sikhs so didn't think this was newsworthy when I saw it. As was noted, the permission came with conditions AND is going to be revisited in a year. The guy is just trying to live according to his religious faith while upholding what he feels is a duty to the country. More power to him, we need more of that.
Thank you. That is what being uniform is all about. It is not just about wearing the same dress.Quote:
Originally Posted by theGinsue
Frankly I am blown away by all the people saying "Oh Sikhs are badass, I am fine with that". You can't make rules based off of how cool you think someone is or even if they served ten years and got a bronze star. That defeats the purpose of being uniform. Picking and choosing is a slippery slope and it will bite you far more often than it will help you.
Maybe he should just go to SF, CAG, RECCE, PSYOPS, or any of the other multiple units where beards and funny hats are totally acceptable.
I'm fine with religious exemptions being made for people of any faith, with operational needs coming first.
Chaplains DO wear the symbol of their faith on their uniforms.
The Air Force policy is for the member to submit a religious waiver request. The manual also states that these request should generally be approved unless there is an impact on safety or there are other military readiness issues. The Navy is similar but more strict in that the waiver has to go to the SECNAV. Religious jewelry follows the same rules as regular jewelry.