A brand new Marine Corps coverage permits for the separation or discharge of service members who are suffering from a pores and skin situation that causes ache and scarring from shaving. The brand new coverage reverses one carried out in 2022 that protected such army personnel from having any administrative motion taken in opposition to them in any respect. So, why the coverage change now?
Properly, it’s unclear why the change has been carried out, however one little truth concerning the pores and skin situation ought to elevate eyebrows — particularly now, with the army underneath the management of President Donald Trump’s underqualified white supremacy rent, Secretary of Protection Pete Hegseth, who helps his MAGA messiah rid the army of all issues range, fairness and inclusion.
The pores and skin situation referred to as pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB) primarily impacts Black males.
From Army.com:
The “interim steerage” issued Thursday provides army well being care suppliers 90 days to reevaluate Marines identified with pseudofolliculitis barbae, or PFB. In the event that they don’t recuperate based mostly on a four-phase remedy program outlined within the message, have to stay on a shaving waiver for greater than a 12 months, and a commander deems it match, the Corps can administratively separate them “as a result of incompatibility with service,” in response to the message.
The directive marks a reversal from a earlier Marine Corps coverage issued in 2022 that prohibited the service from administratively separating Marines solely based mostly on the situation, which is brought on when curled hairs develop again into the pores and skin, leading to irritation.
It additionally comes on the similar time Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a military-wide overview of requirements particularly centered on points similar to shaving waivers and physique fats.
“In instances the place a medical situation prevents a Marine from assembly required requirements for an prolonged interval — exceeding one 12 months — administrative separation could also be thought-about if it impacts long-term service compatibility,” Maj. Jacoby Getty, a spokesperson for the Corps’ Manpower and Reserve Affairs, mentioned in an emailed assertion Friday when requested why Marines are not exempt from separation as a result of PFB.
“Nonetheless, each effort shall be made to assist Marines by way of remedy and restoration earlier than such selections are thought-about,” he added. Getty emphasised that the brand new steerage is supposed to imbue consistency throughout medical exemptions and that the service stays “absolutely dedicated” to supporting Marines with PFB.
“Totally dedicated,” huh? I imply, it looks as if an affordable individual would contemplate refraining from penalizing a veteran over a medical situation they haven’t any management over to be a naked minimal present of dedication, however what do I do know?
Anyway, in response to Army.com, “Black service members make up about 15% to 16% of the active-duty drive, they mentioned, however 66% of shaving waiver holders are Black.”
And it’s not simply that having PFB might get an individual discharged or “separated” from the remainder of the army personnel (no matter meaning). In response to a army dermatologist who spoke to the publication underneath the situation of anonymity (as a result of they aren’t licensed to talk to the press), shaving waiver holders get promoted much less continuously than their beardless counterparts, they usually have a tendency to depart the army earlier “as a result of its cultural aversion to beards.”
“You may have a white individual, Black individual, a Hispanic individual, Asian individual on a shaving waiver, they’re all going to get discriminated in opposition to. They’re all going to advertise slower,” they mentioned. “However once more, the overwhelming majority of the waiver holders are Black and African People, in order that’s the place the racial discriminatory impression comes.”
“So something that could be a unfavorable which you can apply broadly to shaving waiver holders — whether or not they promote slower, whether or not we’re going to separate them from service, whether or not they acquired disciplinary motion extra usually — something that’s unfavorable you apply broad strokes to a shaving waiver group goes to disproportionately have an effect on Black and African American people,” they added.
Maj. Getty was requested if he had issues that the brand new coverage would discriminate in opposition to Black veterans and he gave a solution that, effectively, did under no circumstances tackle the difficulty of potential discrimination in opposition to Black veterans.
“This MARADMIN doesn’t decrease our requirements however supplies clear, standardized steerage on how medical situations might quickly impression grooming and uniform compliance,” Getty mentioned. “Our precedence is to make sure the well being and resilience of our Marines whereas sustaining our warfighting functionality. These updates guarantee consistency within the administration of medical situations whereas reinforcing our dedication to returning Marines to full compliance each time potential. The energy of our drive has at all times been our folks, and this coverage ensures they continue to be able to battle and win.”
“The final word objective is for each Marine identified with PFB to efficiently full the phased remedy method, recuperate, and return to full compliance — guaranteeing they continue to be prepared, resilient, and absolutely engaged within the battle,” he continued.
Right here’s a query: Why not simply allow them to folks have beards?
Why is Getty out right here pretending that the existence of service members who’ve facial hair over their chins prevents the Marines from “sustaining our warfighting functionality?” Why is he performing like “uniform compliance” is necessary, particularly on this case, the place the uniform itself isn’t affected in any respect?
Simply admit that the army, underneath Trump, Hegseth and the remainder of the MAGA world’s DEI demolition crew have carried out yet one more arbitrary coverage change that’s instantly, not directly, deliberately or inadvertently racist. (And, actually, I’m being very beneficiant by together with the phrases “not directly” and “inadvertently.”)
As an alternative of even acknowledging the racism, purposeful or in any other case, Getty would somewhat soft-serve the brand new coverage as “standardized steerage on how medical situations might quickly impression” uniform compliance. Besides, the pores and skin situation in query isn’t short-term.
“We are able to’t undo genetics,” the army dermatologist mentioned. “And so actually the one manner round is you simply shave and also you endure the ache and the scarring; you do laser hair removing; or a shaving waiver. That’s actually the tip of it.”
And in case anybody thinks laser hair removing is a viable possibility — it’s not.
“Once more, going again to the truth that two-thirds of those people are Black/African American and sure have true PFB, they’re going to be caught, they usually’re going to go, ‘What the hell do I do now?’” the dermatologist mentioned.
“I don’t know what the Marine Corps thinks goes to occur right here, however when you’re in elements of Japan or Korea, you possibly can’t simply stroll to the on-base dermatologist and get laser hair removing. That’s not going to work,” they continued. “In lots of elements of the U.S., there’s no active-duty dermatologist, and Tricare can’t pay for civilian laser hair removing. There’s no mechanism by which they’ll reimburse any person for that — not at present, no less than.”
Not that any individual ought to be pressured to endure such a everlasting process simply to maintain their army careers intact in a rustic that may nonetheless declare it “helps our troops.”
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