Meet a facial hair pioneer: Ambrose Everett Burnside. He was a Union General during the American Civil War with a distinctive mustache. His chops were became so famous that this style was named for him, the Sideburn. To be sure, Burnside had an awesome mustache, but unfortunately it wouldn’t fly in today’s Army.
Now the Army standard is much more stringent, barely allowing a ‘stache at all. It confines the mustache to a small place above the upper lip without much room for expression of a man’s personality. But since it is the only facial hair allowed, we’ll take it.
Males will keep their face clean-shaven when in uniform or in civilian clothes on duty. Mustaches are permitted; if worn, males will keep mustaches neatly trimmed, tapered, and tidy. Mustaches will not present a chopped off or bushy appearance, and no portion of the mustache will cover the upper lip line or extend sideways beyond a vertical line drawn upward from the corners of the mouth (see figure 1–1). Handlebar mustaches, goatees, and beards are not authorized.
From AR 670-1, 1-8 paragraph a 2c
What Do You Think?
Doesn’t General Burnside have the coolest chops you’ve ever seen? Which modern-day General would look best sporting something like this? Franks? Petraeus? Odierno?
I wonder why they are so strict about facial hair? Perhaps it could be a potential danger?
Anyway, nice article! I have tweeted.
The reason the Army doesn’t like facial hair is because it messes up the seal on protective (gas) masks. However, if you have a religious or medical reason (you get shaving bumps really bad), you can get an exemption to this policy, as long as gas attacks aren’t imminent.
I don’t know why they keep a tight rein on mustaches. I think it’s a uniformity thing.
Early officers wore different styles of beard, while NCOs would wear mustaches. Your common lower enlisted would generally be clean shaven as it took far too much time to groom.
With WWI and the imminent gas attacks, Soldiers would shave completely for a tighter seal thus allowing them greater opportunity to live through such attack. Now, with rubber seals and better masks, there’s no real need to shave, but tradition states that we do.
Now, the only ones sporting the ‘stache are NCOs and the occasional guy who doesn’t know any better; that is, until Mustache March/May/Stach-tember.