Air Force security troop wins right to wear braid as symbol of indigenous heritage

MSN ^ | 11/10/23 | Patti Nieberg

[Antihero101607]

On the flip side of it though, in the case of a ponytail, or a Sikh beard, can the individual not forgo these for a few years while they serve in the military? Is AFI 36-2903 going to have to be revised every time a small minority wants to display their culture while in uniform? I understand the culture aspect of it, but realistically, at the end of the day this person joined the military with the expectation of having to conform to dress and appearance standards.

[Redmen4ever]

I’ll quote Arnold, in Predator, what the hell are you?

[Albion Wilde]

Yep. Now an enemy can just grab him by the braid and snap his neck.

[CodeToad]

I’m from the Marshallese tribe and demand to wear my tribe’s uniform or shorts, no shirt, and bare feet!

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

We had several men in 1966 USAF who got mohawk hair cuts. They were ordered to remove them.

[FlingWingFlyer]

ROTFL! I’ve never seen so many idiots obsessed with their hair. I suppose he’ll want the unindigenous airmen to call him “chief”. I suppose the boy will want to be the first Air Force airman to count coup and take ‘em scalps too. Ugh.

[Tommy Revolts]

I’m confused. What is a Native?

[Yo-Yo]

We had several men in 1966 USAF who got mohawk hair cuts. They were ordered to remove them

I just remember my TI in Basic (circa 1977) telling us about the prohibition of Mohawks, and that it didn't make sense since that style of haircut was perfect to keep a Flight Cap in place.

Sgt. Green had a sense of humor...rarely.

[canuck_conservative]

What is a Native?

the new proper term for North American "Indian"

(still correct to refer to someone actually from India as "Indian", though)

[mac_truck]

Could be worse, does he want to use the ladies bathroom too?

[Thommas]

“Not a lot of people understand or know what hair length or having long hair means in a lot of different native stone age cultures,..”

There. Consider this statement clarified.

[silverleaf]

Sure made it easier to scalp your enemy, nice handful to grab

[Thommas]

The next thing is to lower the fitness standards for men to match the already low standards for women...

Oops..too late!

[lodi90]

We will soon be separated by way of our tribes; Euro, Indian, African, Latin, Arab.

---

We’ll soon be one tribe. Miscegenation is a real thing these days.

[Thommas]

when you can show that your ancestors lived in North America for hundreds/thousands of years
in stone age squalor before the United States was even created..

No thanks.

[wita]

You forgot the movement to enshrine killing in the womb a part of the Constitution of quite a few States.

It’s discrimination when there is no place I can move that doesn’t involve killing the yet to be born.

Making that heinous crime against life liberty and the pursuit of happiness a Constitutionally protected right is a slap in the face of the One responsible for our Constitution.

[Tommy Revolts]

I see. Well I live in Arizona and they have a lot of American Indians Natives out here.

Yeah, that does sound better.

[Jotmo]

When you join the military, the military IS your culture.

Any “culture” you had previously is irrelevant.

If you can’t accept that, you have no place in the US military.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

It looks like a girl’s pigtail. In the olden days the most important part of a warrior’s hair was the SCALPLOCK. Well taken care of it was a challenge to the enemy tribe to COME AND TAKE IT!

You don’t see scalplocks even in Hollywood movies. On the other hand you see plenty of them in the paintings of C.M. Russell.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

I remember in 1966, USAF, blacks would often scrape their faces with their razors to cause injury and get an OK to have a beard till the skin healed. If they could not, often they would shave, but leave the spot under the lower lip for a fuzz ball.