The U.S. Special Forces, aka Green Berets, are a special operations force of the U.S. Army tasked with six primary missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, hostage rescue and counter-terrorism. The first two emphasize language, cultural, and training skills in working with foreign troops.
So it comes as sad news to BaB, that after almost a decade of growing long beards to emphasize deep respect for Afghanistan's bearded culture, many of our elite have been ordered to shave their beards. Seems veteran ops are complaining that they are not taken seriously by local leaders due to their facial fuzz, and they need these pillars of the community to trust them in order to gain intelligence into another bearded force - the Taliban.
Those in charge have stated clearly that they want "a professional looking" soldier in the field. Do those sporting beards really have the stigma of being uncouth amateurs incapable of serving our country? Wouldn't the beard also offer some sort of natural camouflage to our troops, as I'd assume it is pretty easy to tell who the American is when all, but two guys have beards?
Commanders report that beards are "sending the wrong message" to the communities overseas, but that said, special ops living in or near villages can keep their beards, "but are encouraged to adopt the traditional Afghan pokol cap instead of a billed cap."
*sigh*
What do you think? Should special ops be forced to shave? Does it send the wrong message? Ever have a personal experience at work where you were asked to run to a razor? Professionalism questioned?
