the (Naval) Safety Center <\/a>has done two surveys and actually in-depth studies here over the last couple of years, the most recent being last year. It came out in December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cAnd the bottom line is that any amount of facial growth, of hair growth, will impede the seal of your oxygen breathing apparatus when either fighting fires or for a gas mask. So we get very little push back on that at sea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But that\u2019s not exactly what happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the Naval Safety Center, its officials have conducted two reviews of the issue since 2016, the second dated Oct. 22, 2018. For that, they contacted the major manufacturers of respirators, each of which \u201cstated they have not changed their policy on respirator usage in that all positive\/negative pressure respirators require clean, smooth faces in order to have a seal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Naval Safety Center records themselves reveal only one event 26 years ago in which a beard played a role in a mishap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In that \u201cClass C\u201d incident \u2014 which today means an accident incurring damages of more than $50,000 but less than $500,000 and\/ or a nonfatal injury causing more than one day\u2019s absence from work \u2014 a civilian employee tried to douse smoldering insulation at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, and was overcome by smoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under Nowell\u2019s new shaving policy, afflicted sailors are required to seek medical attention that\u2019s likely to feature creams and other treatments, perhaps even laser surgery, to beat the bumps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis issue is, we\u2019re not going to kick anybody out,\u201d Nowell promised. \u201cAnybody who works with us on this, we\u2019re going to make sure that we keep you in the Navy and we\u2019re going to try to get that condition treated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We just didn\u2019t want permanent no-shave chits because that wasn\u2019t safe for sailors and that wasn\u2019t safe for your shipmates.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nA bearded sailor and his dog at a Navy salvage depot inside the Anzio beachhead on April 15, 1944. (National Archives)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nNowell\u2019s top enlisted adviser, Fleet Master Chief Wes Koshoffer<\/a>, told the Facebook audience that it\u2019s \u201clogical\u201d for seagoing sailors to be required to shave and he checked out firefighter blogs and federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration<\/a> standards \u201cjust to make sure we weren\u2019t off on an island by ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nBut Koshoffer conceded that for ashore shipmates the argument becomes \u201cmuch more challenging.\u201d The career submariner said that officials are getting feedback from sailors and senior leaders \u201cand it\u2019s not a dead issue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sternly crossing his arms, Nowell then looked into the camera and confided that it \u201cdrives me crazy when a sailor says, \u2018You gave women ponytails and different fingernail polish, why won\u2019t you give me a beard?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not the argument to use with me to go ahead and start that discussion. You don\u2019t have to use that argument with me. It\u2019s not a quid pro quo, OK?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nowell said issues such as grooming standards, uniforms and similar issues are bounced off a bimonthly focus group that\u2019s open to all hands. It helps Navy leaders figure out how to adapt feedback \u201cto make changes that makes sense\u201d deliberately and quickly, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe know that you\u2019re tired of uniform change after uniform change,\u201d Nowell said before vowing to adopt only commonsense sea bag reforms in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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