Whenever I watch either a documentary or a fiction about war in Afghanistan or Iraq, you see a lot of bearded soldiers. Is there a reason that the grooming standards are relaxed? Is it war zone sop or something? Always been curious.
Question for vets
- Thread starter Loonhunter
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Cultural assimilation for a better working relationship.
SF or unconventional warfare thinking to blend in with your allies, dressing and looking like them, eating their food, respecting their way, to cement your relationship as allies.
Much like SF in RVN, where thr slaying of the water buffalo, drinking of the liquor from the big jar, and wearing the copper bracelet, signified joining the tribe and their customs, to become the brotherhood of allies.
You know, where the infidel children of the great satan grow beards, eat nan bread, yada, to convince the peaceful they are just like them, to get the peaceful to fight with the infidels against their more strictly peaceful brothers, so .....
Pretty simple, right ?
(Just a little sarcasm in the last paragraph people, sarcasm, not serious...)(Like when AJ acts and dresses gay to get the LGBT crew on his side...?)...
Its operator as fuck......
SF or unconventional warfare thinking to blend in with your allies, dressing and looking like them, eating their food, respecting their way, to cement your relationship as allies.
Much like SF in RVN, where thr slaying of the water buffalo, drinking of the liquor from the big jar, and wearing the copper bracelet, signified joining the tribe and their customs, to become the brotherhood of allies.
You know, where the infidel children of the great satan grow beards, eat nan bread, yada, to convince the peaceful they are just like them, to get the peaceful to fight with the infidels against their more strictly peaceful brothers, so .....
Pretty simple, right ?
(Just a little sarcasm in the last paragraph people, sarcasm, not serious...)(Like when AJ acts and dresses gay to get the LGBT crew on his side...?)...
Its operator as fuck......
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It’s not as flagrant as you might think. In fact, it’s largely frowned upon across the board for several reasons that I won’t get into here. There were certain groups that were allowed to grow a beard for operational purposes that J Huskey hit on. Easier to blend in with the locals for recon for one. Again, please don’t think everyone in the military is sporting their manly beards. Haha. But, you got to admit it does look cool and sales shit no?
Most if what you see on TV in any form is embellishment to add to the sale of entertainment value.
Most if what you see on TV in any form is embellishment to add to the sale of entertainment value.
M 1st cousin was in the 2/75th Rangers for six trips to Afg and Iraq. On a couple of those deployments to Afg they grew full beards and wore local garb with soviet weapons and drove around in the ubiquitous white truck, (aka Toyota diesel pickups). They went through small towns? villages? whatever they were where locals sometimes thought them to be foreign Taliban. In a few cases, locals came up and asked to join up! They were happy to take them in…
The beards were not in play for the two deployments to Iraq though.
The beards were not in play for the two deployments to Iraq though.
If there are locals attached always go local, as brother jhuskey point out. If your a single or slightly better operating away from your control, always go 100% local. Many forget one thing huskey said, only eat local, an bathing should be local as well, no issue/care package niceties at all. Many have been outed by smell alone if their height did not stand out, in the land of little people.
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