new thread
Hi
Did the Dutch Army have long hair and beards from the early 1970s until the 1990s?
Thanks
Chris
I don't know about the Dutch Army, but here is an interesting photo of a military officer from one of the former Soviet republics. In a frigid climate, a long beard and long hair can save you from freezing to death. Note how the beard is neatly trimmed around his nose and mouth. A gas mask would not make a good seal if this was not done.
Scott
Good old Soviet Union. It's a shame the Russian army doesn't have bearded or long haired men.
No, it definitely not the Soviet Union, it's Al Qa'eda (see my previous posting)! And I really would wonder if the Soviet army had tolerated long hair and beards with their ordinary soldiers (special forces for undercover operations in 1980s Afghanistan would have been a different story...)... but it's even a look rarely seen on militant Islamists!
See you in Khyberspace!
Yadgar
High!
If I think somewhat more thoroughly about it, I come to the conclusion that of course there are bearded longhairs in the (nowadays) Russian army - Orthodox army priests of course!
Some years ago, I've seen a documentary on German TV in which such a priest in fact consecrated a nuclear rocket - how perverse!
No, not even waist-long hair and beard make a man a saint...
See you in Khyberspace!
Yadgar
The Soviet Army recruited people from all over the union, and certainly had people from minority cultures that had it traditional to wear beards and/or long hair. In fact, they often formed battallions of these people, with the commanders themselves being of that nationality. So yes it did exist, though of course it was fairly rare.
High!
Er... this is not a "military officer" in a strict sense, but Amir Al-Khattab, a Jordanian-born Islamist fighting alongside with Chechen rebels and suspected (if not confirmed) of having ties with Al Qa'eda...
...but nevertheless, it's a look often seen with guerilla movements... the Communist partisans of the Greek civil war in the late 1940s were also said to be mostly bearded and long-haired, not to mention the Cuban guerilla under Fidel Castro and Che Guevara...
See you in Khyberspace!
Yadgar
I stand corrected. Thank you Yadgar, I had no idea
that this guy had possible ties with Al Qaeda. I
thought all along that he was a soldier from one
of the Soviet republics.
Scott
Here is a link to some information about him. At the bottom of the page are more links to information. He fought against Russin oppression of the Chechens (who are Muslim). Part of the Jihad...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_Al-Khattab
High!
I have to correct myself once more: according the Wikipedia article mentioned in a posting here before, Al-Khattab is Saudi-born rather than Jordanian (which is quite symptomatic - but I doubt whether such, admittedly, impressive locks would be tolerated by the puritanic Wahhabites of his home country - perhaps I should ask my long-time gay Muslim friend Ismail about it, he once went on pilgrimage to Mecca...)
See you in Khyberspace!
Yadgar
This does make a lot of sense, considering that long hair is god's way of helping a human retain body heat; the majority of a person's body heat, especially if winter wear is worn, is lost through the head; your blood must flow through the head since it is part of the cardiovascular circuit, much like how coolant must always flow through a radiator since it's part of the circuit for that kind of fluid in an automobile.
The blood acts like coolant where it carries heat emitted by the body and the head acts like a radiator (or, rather, a convector); when blood flows, the heat it carries is dissipated away from the body through the head primarily through convection. The effect is worsened with wind.
Long locks is nature's way of insulating the head to minimize the loss of heat through this avenue. So, definitely, long hair is more than just vanity or identity, it's also practical in certain situations.
And it will certainly be a practical consideration when I fly to Budapest in the first of next year. - Reinhart
Could possibly be Chechan rebels who knows but I would be surprised
if they were part of a state military. You never know though.
Kevin
Yeah it sure looks cold and frigid with all that green foliage
behind him...:P
I think the Dutch army allowed long hair since the 80's. Was in the dutch army myself in the 90's.