The Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Eric Smith, declared that there would be no beards for Marines outside of medical waivers. Smith argued that Marines have a standard and a brand. There is a medical waiver for pseudofolliculitis barbae. Without the conditions needed for the medical waiver, Marines won’t be able to obtain a waiver simply for fashion purposes.
From Task & Purpose
When asked on Wednesday if he could foresee any circumstances in the coming years under which Marines would be allowed to grow beards, Smith replied with a definitive “No.”
“Because we’re Marines and we’re different,” Smith told reporters at a Defense Writers Group event, which is based at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
“The Marine Corps has a brand, and we’re making our recruiting mission,” Smith continued. “We’ve always made our recruiting mission, and what we don’t want to do is tinker with the ethos of the Marine Corps — you joined us, we didn’t join you. You knew that coming in. You signed up. We don’t have beards, and you knew that coming in.”
The Corps currently has a waiver process for Marines with pseudofolliculitis barbae, a painful condition known as “razor bumps” in which facial hair curves back into the skin, causing inflammation. The condition, which is exacerbated by shaving, is a common problem in up to 60% of Black men, according to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.
“That’s a medical waiver, not a fashion waiver,” Smith told reporters at a Defense Writers Group breakfast “It’s not a ‘well, I decided I wanted to;’ it’s a medical waiver that’s for pseudofolliculitis barbae.”
Additional Reading:
Schogol, J. (2025, January 15). Top Marine general rules out beards ‘because we’re Marines and we’re different’. Task & Purpose. Link.
Double Edge razors are known to work well against razor bumps, Dump the 5 or 6 bladed b.s.! My Gillette NEW Open Comb, circa late ‘30s early’40s
Cutthroats work well too
What about the stach? Is that considered facial or nasal?
I’d vote for a stache like this.
That’s the guy who Hack Stone will be calling the next time he and Psul of The Ballsack get pulled over by Rockville Police for driving a 1980’s vintage Jaguar for expired registration.
By the way, any of you Adorable Deplorable Garbage listening to The Chris Plante Show on WMAL at 09:30 Eastern this morning? He had some asshole named Hack from Bethesda taking up a good 5 minutes of precious air time.
This picture is worth a 1000 words.
It is a representation of what looks like Paul-mer (of the Ballsack) Wickre no longer working at All-Points Logistics after The False Commander “Phony” Phil Monkress (CEO of All-Points Logistics) gave him the boot after stiffing him (Wickre) for 20k based upon his (Wickre) failure to cover up Phil Monkress’ theft from the American Taxpayers based upon his (Phil Monkress) highly questionable and potentially felonious Native American, law enforcement and Navy SEAL claims.
Perhaps he needs an attitude adjustment. We’re running a special: BOGO… make a new man out’n him.
Custers adjutant Cooke had a beauty but that’s Army for you.
Gen Custer should have stayed making soft ice cream at his last stand, open 12noon to 5 Pm.
Custer was the little prince hairy of the Calvary, just didn’t know when to retreat.
Speaking of Custer, you know that he wore an Arrow Shirt the day he died?
We were allowed what we called the “Hitler stash” back in the 80’s as you had to see skin above and below the hair line and it had to be just short of the ends of your mouth.
Was like that on the Army, reasonable till some CSMs (command level gunnies to you) decided the end of the mouth wasn’t at the horizontal ends of the splits, but the vertical end of the lip. My mustache shrank over an inch on that one.
Why is this even being addressed? These whiney little man boys want beards now, or they wont join the Marines? I remember back in 1985 when the Corpsmen at Camp Johnson put a little gravestone up the said “RIP Navy Beard”.
As posted before, this is where they want to go to go for their “individuality” or so:
https://haircutinspiration.com/wp-content/uploads/Top-Knot-and-Beard_.jpg
“Because we’re Marines and we’re different,”
Got that straight!
Commandant John Harris grins through his whiskers.
“Because we’re Army and we’re different,”
An Engineer.
No pro mask needed!
What a clown.
How the mudda’-fuck does he successfully participate in NBC Training?
Hey, keep that neatly trimmed, bucko!
Does that mean the sikh who made it through boot camp with a turban and a beard will have to shave.I didn’t want to believe that the Corps bowed to him
Didn’t stop these dudes from absolutely stomping asses wherever they went.
Finally, common sense.
Go USMC.
Great news. Why the fuck would anyone want to be able to grow a beard in the Marines? I knew a several dark green devildogs in my unit who got razor bumps really bad and had shaving chits, but I still recall them shaving, just not every day. They used a special shaving cream (this was back in the early 80″s) but that’s about it. We were an infantry unit so we were out in the bush fairly often and I believe they were cut some slack while in the bush in regard to the shaving regs, but I never recall any of them having anything that resembled a beard.
Magic shaving Powder, had some dark green roomies back in the day.
Good.
Tell ’em, Gnrl. Y’all are “Devil Dogs” not “Shaggy Dogs”!
I had a mustache for most of my time active not counting boot camp . They forbidden as well? We just weren’t allowed handlebars and some of those were seen occasionally depending on where you were.
No, but probably just the Molestasche or the Adolph (as we called the two forms effectively allowed).
Saw a Drill Sergeant with a beard this week. (WTF?)
Make them shave with semen….
Yup, there’s at least one here. UAS school. He’s Norse Pagan.
Not him– this was at Ft Sill. He was wrangling new small, pudgy females with ponytails (probably AIT) in vicinity of the ID cards desk. Getting my retiree ID card, wasn’t impressed.
Nothing like a shave with a straight razor in a Barber Shop.
I agree. I’ve been using nothing but fixed blade cutthroats for 25 years
I have my dad’s. If anyone wants it.
I bet the Lance Corporal Mafia wept at the sound of “GROOOOOOMING STANDARDS!!!!”
Catch 22.
We were told we could grow a mustache if it was on our ID cards. Of course, to have it on your ID card you first had to grow it.
It’s the best catch there is!