Pick up the ol' history books--or, these days, go to Google--and compare the look of the armed forces back during the Civil War and today. The dress was different, sure. But so were the hairstyles.
General Custer was known for his flowing locks. Though he was said to have had a brand-new haircut before his last march, and the Indians at Little Big Horn didn't recognize him as he lay dying. Whether true or not, that makes for a good story: a modern Samson who lost everything to the shears.
But even after the Indian wars on this continent, the Union army's brass still sported the look. Big bushy 'staches, mounds of hair piled high--there was even a general, Ambrose Burnside, who helped popularize the term sideburns, a play on his name and a fair description of his look.
So what caused all that hair to disappear? One generation, everybody has combs in their gear, the next, everybody's wearing high-and-tights.
Answer: Gas.
When poison gas was first introduced to the battlefield in World War One, the soldier's gear included the gas mask. And because masks were hard to don with long hair and beards, long hair and beards were sent packing. From then on, the American soldier, airman and Marine would be clean-shaven. And are today.
The Navy had other reasons for keeping everybody trimmed. Sailors aboard ships and subs had to be handy with fire-fighting hoses and fire-fighting masks and other naval breathing apparatuses. Thus, the ban on beards.
Now the grunts want them back.
Why? Who knows. Something about the ladies being allowed ponytails these days, so the guys want their fair share. This being 2018, there's a hashtag going around about it: #WeWantBeards, and we're not kidding. It's become a social media thing, or as the kids say, it's gone viral.
The Navy isn't budging, yet. The brass still points to a recent study that shows facial hair interferes with the fitting of respirators.
Our considered editorial opinion: Safety first. These masks, whether protecting against gas or smoke, require a sealed fit. Hair interferes with that.
Grow a beard on your own time, sailors. It's become a tradition in the Army: Shave every day, retire after 20 years, grow a ZZ Top beard in the first year out. We've seen it happen to first sergeants and colonels. If the Army can do it, surely the Navy can do it too. (And, in a great Navy tradition, claim to be better at it.)
Editorial on 07/25/2018