If you want to wear the uniform..

...you have to play by the rules.

Published on March 14, 2005 By dharmagrl In Misc

There were a bunch of reservists, aka 'Weekend Warriors' at the BX yesterday.

I was saddened by their appearance. See, in the Air Force there are rules about personal appearance. We have (had) weight management programs so that people keep their weight down, fitness tests so that people are in decent shape, rules about haircuts, rules about facial hair.....there's pretty much a rule about everything. Breaking some of these rules is punishable under the UCMJ - I've seen Article 15's for failure to lose wieght, some of which ended up as discharges, for having unauthorized piercings...for all kinds of stuff relating to a person's appearance.

So when I saw all these unshaven, overweight, long-haired Reservists....it kind of ticked me off. These guys are wearing the uniform, but they're not abiding by the rules. They want the paycheck and the benefits, but they don't want to play the same game as the 'regular' Air Force personnel do.

I wasn't the only one who noticed either. After they had left, a couple of people in line were making comments about them. One lady said it made her almost "ashamed to be in the same Air Force as those jokers", and some else wondered if the rules about weight and haircuts had been relaxed but no-one had told him.

I felt much the same way.....to me, when you're wearing the uniform, you're a representative of the US military, regardless of whether you're full time or part-time. Failing to meet the military's standards regaring personal appearance not only shows a lack of respect for the military in general, it also reflects badly on your brothers and sisters in arms. In other words, you're letting everyone down.

It also ticks me off that full-time personnel would have been frog-marched to the barber to get a haircut, told to go home and shave, or sent to the First Sgt or Commander to explain why they thought it was ok to flout the rules had they shown up for duty looking like that (don't laugh, it happens on a regular basis). Reservists, though....they seem to be able to get away with things like that.

Is there a separate set of rules for the reserve that no-one told me about?

Comments

Reiki-House

on Mar 15, 2005

Now I see why someone called it a 'mysterious fraternity'. But really, don't you think you're being a bit harsh over this? They're letting you down? Their being overweight is letting you down? That's kind of shallow I think. Maybe they feel let down by you being so self-righteous and judgemental towards other people, people that don't fit your little clique idea of what a reservist is supposed to be. Like any of the 'weekend warriors' ever suspected they'd ever be deployed overseas on fantastically violent missions on an internationally-illegal invasion and occupation of a sovereign nation. By the way are you serious about the discharges for simple piercings? With the US scraping the bottom of the barrel (65 year old doctors and 45 year old diabetic arthritic hoarks) why would they discharge over piercings?

dharmagrl

on Mar 15, 2005

But really, don't you think you're being a bit harsh over this? They're letting you down? Their being overweight is letting you down? That's kind of shallow I think

Think what you want. Rules are rules, and they're there for a reason. I said that they're letting 'the side' down, meaning that they're doing every servicemember who abides by regs and does what they're supposed to a disservice by not taking care of their appearance. Like I said, I'm not the only one who noticed....so if I'm being judgemental, so's everyone else who complained, and so's the USAF for making and enforcing the regs.

As for their not expecting to be deployed, well, what the fuck did they think they were going to do when they signed up? Any and every member of the US military, be they active, reserve, guard, whatever...they're all subject to deployment. Don't try to manipulate my article for you own personal political agenda, you have you own blog to do that....so go write about your 'illegal' war over there, please.

By the way are you serious about the discharges for simple piercings? With the US scraping the bottom of the barrel (65 year old doctors and 45 year old diabetic arthritic hoarks) why would they discharge over piercings?

Yes, I'm serious, and it's because it's in violation of the UCMJ to have body piercings other than the earlobes for females, just like it's a violation to be overweight, have long hair, 'faddish' haircuts, and tattoos that cover more than 20% of an exposed areas of your body. It's 'prejudicial to good order and discipline'.

Hyperborean Wanderer

on Mar 17, 2005

Army and Air Force regs concerning uniform and appearance have their differences, but they are similar. For the edification of those in the audience who aren't familiar with this, maybe I can help. The reason the uniform and appearance regs exist is to let the members of the military stand our from their civilian counterparts, to show that because they have taken up the mantle of military service, they are held to a higher standard. To folks who think that being judged by the length of your hair or your visible piercings or tattoos is harsh, remember that those things are just a reminder of the discipline that the members of the armed forces are required to show in ALL things. It's not just about how you look in uniform, it's about how you conduct yourself in everything you do. If your fellow soldiers see that you have the self discipline required to meet the service standards, it gives them a better indication that they can depend on your to complete your mission.

I have also seen reservists and National Guard show up looking scruffy because it is just their 'weekend' job, and it bothers me too. Not all of them are like that, it depends on their leadership. I just spent most of the last year with the 1-61 Mechanized Infantry Battalion at Highlander FOB in Baghdad, and those guys were squared away. They did their jobs, and looked good doing it. The armed forces are ambassadors to the rest of the world; in a place like this, the local's first and maybe only impressions of americans will be the soldiers they meet on the street. We should do everything we can to look and act in a professional manner.

Reiki, this is yet another area I've seen you speak up when it's obvious you don't know what you're talking about. Military service may be a mystery to you, but it doesn't have to be. Check out your local recruiting office. Until you do, keep in mind that those of us who've served, who've cut our bones serving the nation have earned the right to be judgemental among our ranks. Political rhetoric aside, you haven't earned the right to judge Dharma's attitudes or beliefs.

greywar

on Mar 17, 2005

Once again simple logic escapes Reiki's rabid anti-americanism. Makes me wish for more trollings...

Myrrander

on Mar 17, 2005

it's in violation of the UCMJ to have body piercings other than the earlobes for females,

That's ridiculous. Being a bunch of fatties I can see, but piercings? The government's going to have to give up being so picky if they keep wanting to fight 'em some wars.

'prejudicial to good order and discipline'

Translation: be a good robot.

I'd rather have a scruffy looking tattooed and pierced guy who can shoot well than a clean cut golden boy who pissed himself at the first sign of trouble.

Judging books by their covers isn't ever wise.

So I guess I'm "anti-American" now, too, because I find the military to be a ludicrous pile of obsessive-controlling dogma. Sorry.

dharmagrl

on Mar 17, 2005

Judging books by their covers isn't ever wise.

So I guess I'm "anti-American" now, too, because I find the military to be a ludicrous pile of obsessive-controlling dogma. Sorry.

Unfortunately, the US military thinks otherwise. They see outward appearances as a direct reflection of personal integrity and discipline.

Don't apologize to me....and no, I don't think that you're anti-American at all.

Myrrander

on Mar 17, 2005

They see outward appearances as a direct reflection of personal integrity and discipline.

They also think killing people can be "fun" and made a video game to suck kids in. So pardon me if I say the military is full of shit.

shadesofgrey

on Mar 17, 2005

This is going to be slightly off topic, so you can feel free to delete it...but I have a problem with the term "Weekend Warrior." Dharmagrl, you are not the first to use it, and I had heard it long before I began blogging, so this is simply my rant and it is not specifically directed at any individual.

The term "Weekend Warrior" implies that the contributions of Reservists and their families aren't valued. Everyone wants respect for the soldiers who are serving this country, but then you have people in the service (or dealing with the service) who use disparging remarks like this. I haven't figured it out--does belittling other servicemen make people feel better about their contribution? If every Reservist walked out tomorrow, I'm sure the military would not be in a comfortable situation. Remember that the next time you feel the need to belittle them.

Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:

Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums.
Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
It's simple, and FREE!