The Army has granted a religious exception to a Nevada soldier who wanted to grow a Norse pagan beard as a sign of his heathenism. Benjamin Hopper, 34, a sergeant in the Nevada Army Guard who is serving in Afghanistan, said the “skegg” is a symbol of his personal faith and “deeply tied to the modern warrior lifestyle that I have been able to live during my military career.” The military has granted other exceptions to its no-beards rule, though Hopper is the first pagan. It turned down a request from a soldier who claimed he was a Pastafarian from the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
Read it at Army TimesU.S. News
Army Sergeant Granted Permission to Wear Norse Pagan Beard
HAIRY SITUATION
Benjamin Hopper, who is serving in Afghanistan, convinced the military that he’s a real heathen.
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