Why is it that officers are considered unprofessional who wear mustaches?

I thought it was expected of Warrants. Isn't it a requirement for your packet that you have a mustache?

if its in AR 670-1; does it really matter? I am not concerned if someone doesn't "think" it looks professional. If I am in reg, go find some grass that needs to be cut

Don't forget those unpainted rocks or the bumpers that aren't aligned perfectly in the motor pool, Chief!

CPT Zachary Brooks , sir I would hope that not the case, however there was an old school mental process that placed it on warrants, much like they all smoked Marlboro, drank Jack Daniels and gallons of coffee. My mentors did not wear the "stache" and I was told quite promptly when I returned from the deployment by the ones who know best, HH06 and the kids, that the stache just isn't gonna go far in my house.

SFC Clark Adams , painted rocks that were already painted way to many times and I like the alignment of aircraft much more than bumpers at the motor pool!

Thanks for the clarification, sir.

Clean shaven for 30 years of active duty service. grew a full beard in retirement, wife loves it, keeps me warm skiing and kayaking. I will not, however, wear a uniform unless I get hair (all of it) into standards. The upside is I now go to Halloween as "the worlds most interesting man"

Well i like to be clean shaven MOST of the time but as a cadet in ROTC, i am the only one with a stache right now so I stick out in formation. You just have to practice good judgment with staches. I really only grow the stache in November(Movember) and use it as a unit competition for who can grow a "well regulated and distinguished stache". Judgement is key ultimately.

Reminds me of day one of Air Assault when I took a gig for moustache out of regulation, it wasn't. The Black Hat 1Sgt informed me that by the next morning, it had to be like his. He was clean shaven.
I shaved that night. Finally shaved it permanently when it developed a solid gray section right below one nostril that at a distance didn't look like gray hair.

It is a little known fact that many uniform and appearance standards are taken out of pop culture from the original time they were created. And everytime we get new commanders or chiefs of staff and it comes time to review and update those regulations, instead of going into them and seeing what is still relevant they just go with "if it isn't broke don't fix it". Gas masks in WWI did have a part to play in the banning of beards and mustache regulation but certain units that are not only allowed but encouraged to wear facial hair have different pro masks (got this information from a chemical bubba i knew several years ago). the main retort to why we have to be clean shaven is the seal on a pro mask, hair grows even when wearing a promask and is also alot stiffer in the first few days of growing, therefore basic physics tells us that we are more likely to break the seal on our masks in the first 48-72 hours after shaving then if we were allowed to have facial hair, of a well groomed and neat appearance, and it would be made to lay flat by the mask. The biggest problem I can see with updating the reg to allow facial hair is the wording of it and enforcing of it. you could spend years in one unit and their idea of a "neat appearance" may not match up with your next units or even the next 1SG or Commander coming in. now with mustaches, the whole argument about the seal could be thrown out the window if you look at where the seal is actually applied, the outside of your face. even a tom selleck stache would not interfere with the primary seal on a pro mask.

A reason that so many good Medics I served with left the Army, Poultry Scatology by Officers who felt their standards trumped DA Regulations right up there with folks passing the Tape Test but being sent to remedial PT "because they don't look good". Yep so glad I am out of the environment of power driven pettiness!! My old PSG used to speak of how the VC kicked his unit's butt with sandals , baggy clothes, scruffy hair......

SFC Clark Adams

I can't disagree with you about that, in many respects.

The medics, in my experience, were the world's worse when it came to meeting the uniform/appearance regs. They typically "pushed the limit" more so than any other MOS, although I don't mean that to be an indictment on the entire career field. Part of the reason for that was their medical chain of command (MDs) perpetuated that idea that they were not really part of the Army and were, somehow, special. The Medical Service Corps officers, on the other hand, seemed to not display that attitude.

I had more than my fair share of run-ins with Army medical personnel over uniforms and appearance, among other things.

If many good medics left, it was probably more of a case of not wanting to meet the standards of the Army regs and less a case of Poultry Scatology by officers who felt their standards trumped DA Regulations. Just my opinion... Down vote me again, if you want, speaking of Poultry Scatology. It does not bother me...

Since we are on a opinion board I'm all about folks expressing their views. My observations were based on service in maneuver units often the first assignment for young Medics. In MEDDACS/MEDCENs you are correct they are pretty slack on things "military" as a good number of field grade O's aren't held to the standards that are imposed on most Soldiers. Funny you mention MSC O's they were by far the most inept 2LTs I ever served with , and and like supernumerary appendage in the platoons. I did not let my personal foibles enter into how a regulation compliant Solder was treated or evaluated. Doing the job correctly, following the rules were the parameters of my guidance to Soldiers in my sections. My down vote wasn't on you but your opinion, I don't know you so I can't down vote you.

COL Jean (John) F. Burleson,

The problem I have with the post I disagreed with is that good leaders should not discriminate for trivial reasons such as this. If whatever facial hair someone decides to groom themselves with is in regulation it is a bad characteristic to discriminate (where there’s fallout) on that individual for it. Someone’s dislike of moustaches should in no way outweigh a subordinate’s worth or what that person brings to the table. If someone uses their power or rank to punish someone for something like a moustache; they are not a good leader. This is one of the big differences between a leader and a boss.

Started the beard the day I retired.

^ What he said, minus retirement. The Army told me how to make my face conform for ten years, albeit ignored the times when downrange and we had facial hair. Now that I'm a Private Freakin' Civilian, the facial kevlar is here to stay. Beard on, brother!

I didn't know there was a thing over officers not wearing marksmanship badges? why wouldn't you?

SGT Gabriel G., the thinking goes "Officers are implied to be experts at everything".

No offense Sir, but it was my experience that O's didn't wear marksmanship badges for the same reason most don't take physical fitness test with subordinates ... They can't look less than the Soldiers they command.

Yep another subpar officer who will not fit in or succeed!Just like those Tier 1 Operators in Asscrackistan wearing beards, sorry lot of "good Soldiers" they are!

I'll have to find a picture of one of my old NCO's. This guy had the most epic 'stache you've ever seen. Pretty sure he would have given the BG a run for his money