Photo By Master Sgt. Brittany Jones | Grow big or go home for Mustache March. (U.S. Air Force graphic)... read more read more
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WASHINGTON - It happens every March like clockwork—men from all across the Air Force, who may otherwise normally be clean-shaven, grow out their cookie dusters, much to the amusement of many around them.
But where does this strange tradition come from? We find the answer to this question in history.
Brig. Gen. Robin Olds was an Air Force fighter pilot with a combined total of 16 victories in World War II and the Vietnam War, as well as a penchant for drinking and asserting his maverick views on Air Force policy.
He was the son of regular Army Maj. Gen. Robert Olds, educated at West Point and served from 1943-1973, witnessing the transition from Army Air Corps to U.S. Air Force.
Olds was frequently at odds with senior leaders, and had his ways of defying the establishment—most famously (or infamously), the decidedly out-of-regs, heavily waxed handlebar mustache he sported in Vietnam.
Airmen in that day held the superstition of growing “bulletproof mustaches.” However, when Olds was given the direct order upon his return home by then-Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. McConnell to, “Take it off,” Olds politely replied, “Yes, sir.” He called it, “…the most direct order I had ever received in 24 years of service.”
This is thought to have given rise to the Mustache March tradition, where Air Force men stand in symbolic solidarity to good-naturedly “protest” Air Force facial hair regulations, which state that, “Mustaches will not extend downward beyond the lip-line of the upper lip or extend sideways beyond a vertical line drawn upward from the corner of the mouth.” (From Air Force Instruction 36-2903.)
A recent visit to JBAB Security Services proved that the tradition is still very much alive and well.
“It’s about boosting morale and embracing our inner Neanderthal manliness,” Joshua J. Gage, JBAB Security Services anti-terrorism officer and physical security supervisor, said of Mustache March, which coincidentally (maybe even ironically) shares its month-long observance with Women’s History Month. “We do it just because we can, and because it’s a celebration of manhood.”
“My wife begs me to shave mine all the time,” said Staff Sgt. Kristopher Parsons, who said he is debating the idea of keeping his mustache until he separates from active duty in September.
He also advised anyone attempting to grow an impressive soup-strainer to start by applying unscented lotion to the upper lip as part of their evening routine.
“The lotion stimulates the hair follicles, which helps grow a nice full mustache,” he said. He commented on his own, saying the problem with it is that tends to be dark in the center and lighter on the ends, making it appear to be a “Hitler mustache” from a distance.
Staff Sgt. Andrew Eia joked that his makes him “look like a serial killer,” but explained that, at the same time, it’s a “status symbol.”
“My mustache is like a freight train,” Staff Sgt. Christopher Turfitt said. “It’s slow to get started, but once it gains momentum there’s no stopping it!”
Sometimes growing mustaches becomes competitive, he said.
“When I was deployed, I won two awards—one for worst mustache and then another one for most improved mustache.”
His only complaint about his mustache is that it becomes difficult to eat certain foods, like spaghetti.
There are those airmen who don’t participate in Mustache March for one reason or another.
Senior Airman Nicholas Poehler is one of the remaining clean-shaven JBAB Security Services members, simply because his mustache grows in blond and therefore isn’t very well visible, he said.
Senior Airman Adam Zelenka has to defend his mustache constantly, deflecting jokes about its not-yet-impressive growth.
“I got started late with mine!” he said. “I’ve only had it for a few days!”
| Date Taken: | 03.15.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 03.16.2012 12:18 |
| Story ID: | 85359 |
| Location: | WASHINGTON, DC, US |
| Web Views: | 1,060 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Mustache March: Grow big or go home, by SSgt Susan Davis, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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