Military Hair Cut and Uniform Regulations

The requirement for hair grooming standards is necessary to maintain uniformity within a military population. AR 670-1 states that many hairstyles are acceptable as long as the soldier maintains a neat and conservative appearance. I broke this regulation on Saturday, January 25, 2014 when I did not uphold this regulation. My hair was touching my ears, therefore, being out of regulation. The hair and grooming regulation, AR 670-1 was put in place to maintain the appearance and discipline of soldiers. The upkeep of a haircut and a shaved face is a professional look and is important to maintain because people such as civilians look to the Army to be a professional organization. It teaches the soldier to be disciplined by having the soldier have the integrity and responsibility to decide when he needs to get a haircut. This also gives the soldier the chance to show his first line supervisor, as well as the soldier's squad leader and other soldiers in his unit that he doesn't need to be told to shave and get a haircut. It shows that the soldier has the integrity to decide when he needs a haircut. Now, when approached by my first line supervisor about my hair, I failed to go to parade rest and face him. Disrespect to a Non-Commissioned Officer of the United States Army is totally and completely unacceptable. NCO's are the leaders of the Army, and should be treated with respect as such. NCO's are your leaders that are going to provide the soldier with the knowledge of soldier skills and provide the soldier with the skills applicable to his job. Disrespect has no place in the work place, but especially towards NCO's. Disrespect towards NCO's should not and will not be tolerated. Disrespect can be perceived from many different actions such as the rolling of a soldier's eyes to cursing an NCO out. However, disrespect can result in many different repercussions such as a smoking, a counseling, and the NCO can even go as far as recommending the soldier for an article 15,