Femme Fatale'

This is coolbert:

Here is the original headline from the early part of the war in Afghanistan.

"Close shave for special ops forces in Afghanistan"

September 13, 2002

"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. special operations forces in Afghanistan have been ordered to shave and wear regular uniforms to look more like U.S. soldiers rather than locals, according to an official at the U.S. Special Operations Command in Tampa, Florida."

American special operations troops, primarily the Special Forces ["Green Berets"], spotted and photographed wearing non-regulation uniforms to include the baggy, pantaloons style pants as favored by the Afghan, the tan baseball style caps, a scarf, and wearing BEARDS. Entirely out-of-uniform! Much to the disgust of high command in Florida who ordered the SF men to conform to regulation.

Now, only from today, this additional headline immediately catches my attention. The no-beard rule for American troops in Afghan still applies. A rule that has many American troops, again, primarily the SF, chafing.

"U.S. Troops Question Military No-Beard Rules in Afghanistan"

"The American clean-shaven look is a drawback in a land where facial hair is seen as a sign of manhood"

November 17, 2008

"KABUL—As the U.S. military garners increasing counterinsurgency experience in America's long-standing war in Afghanistan, soldiers are questioning one military restriction that has long been the norm within the U.S. armed forces: the prohibition against beards."

"The military says it has good reasons for the beard ban for most American troops—including":

* "hygiene"
* "soldierly discipline"
* "the ability to get a good seal on gas masks should troops need them."

YES, all true. BUT - - there is also a severe drawback here!?

Men - - within the Afghan cultural context, lacking a beard, are CONSIDERED TO BE EFFEMINATE!! NOT REALLY A MAN - - AND NOT SOMEONE TO BE LISTENED TO, OBEYED, OR RESPECTED!!

ESPECIALLY WITHIN THE ISLAMIC CONTEXT!! EVEN MORE SO IN BACK-COUNTRY AFGHANISTAN!!

For those American troops, especially those deploying with and fighting side-by-side with the Afghan military or irregular forces friendly to the Afghan government of Karzai, beardless American troops are femmes', not worthy of respect?!

Does this stretch credulity?! I think NOT! The Afghan people, for the most part, outside of Kabul, are a sixteenth century people still living a sixteenth century existence. Mostly out of choice, but still the case?!

Cultural norms must be taken into consideration in the case of allowing especially SF men the choice of wearing a beard?!

Senior authority, thousands of miles away in FLA. are making decisions for cosmetic reasons that ACTUALLY ENDANGERING THE TROOPS THEY COMMAND WITHOUT THOSE COMMANDERS EVEN REALIZING IT!!??

Dig this stuff:

"One soldier in the violent border area of Kunar province estimates that his combat outpost gets attacked almost daily. But when the base received a visit recently from a commanding officer, the soldier recalls, 'the main thing' he told the soldiers is that they needed to shave more frequently. They did shave, but they felt they gathered better intelligence with locals when they were unshaven, as locals felt more comfortable talking to bearded men."

That commander, saying that the "main thing" is to shave on a regular basis, needs to remember these names:

* J.E.B. Stuart.
* Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.
* R.E. Lee.
* U.S. Grant.

Need I say more??!!

Beards si, Castro no!!

coolbert.