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Forked Tongue Sparks USAF Uniform Controversy 7/31/2002 Forked Tongue Sparks USAF Uniform Controversy The actions of one U.S. Air Force enlisted man have triggered a service-wide review of dress-and-appearance policies. Pentagon officials began the review after learning that Airman First Class Joseph Jarrell Jr. had forked his tongue, by splitting the front of it in two with a scalpel. The mutilation, which Jarrell performed while on leave, does not effect his speech or eating and was not immediately noticeable to his supervisors when he returned to duty. The change only came to light when a fellow service member informed Jarrell’s supervisor. While current Air Force policy does not mention tongue forking, body piercings, brandings and tattoos were strictly limited in 1998. Airmen cannot have bolt piercings evident when on base, and piercings cannot be visible when in uniform. Tattoos are not allowed to cover more than 25 percent of an exposed body part. According to a report in the July 24 issue of The Air Force Times, the policy review was initiated to regulate or ban the more drastic forms of body mutilation, such as Jarrell’s forking, before they get out of hand. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper is expected to make a decision sometime this summer. Jarrell however, has added a new twist to the Air Force’s policy review: He is claiming a religious exemption. Jarrell, who told The Air Force Times that he embraced paganism after his enlistment, says he wishes to become a pagan priest and that priests in his sect have forked tongues. Military service branches are required to accommodate religious practices as long as such accommodations do not harm military readiness, unit cohesion, standards or discipline. For example, circumcision is allowed by the military, but the U.S Supreme Court ruled in 1986 that the armed services didn’t have to allow Jewish servicemen to wear yarmulkes while in uniform. Paganism is recognized by the Department of Defense as a religion. However, its divergent paths will make it hard for Jarrell to prove to Air Force officials that the forking was a religious requirement. Postings on the Military Pagan Network Message Forum indicate that Jarrell will have trouble convincing even fellow military pagans that the action was necessary. “I have just passed my 24th anniversary as far as being initiated [as a pagan] and I have never heard of any pagan sect that said you had to have a forked tongue to be a priest,” wrote member Terra Gazelle. Another military pagan named Cokernutt, who is studying various sects, added, “I did hours of extensive research, Airman Jarrell, and found nothing on the topic of Pagans that require their clergy to have body modifications of any type, let alone split tongues.” Other postings questioned Jarrell’s judgment in violating Air Force uniform policy and the implications on the military should Jarrell’s tongue become infected. Still others worried about the implications for other military pagans, given Jarrell’s reticence in naming his sect and explaining the religious requirement of the forked tongue. Under Air Force policy, Jarrell should have requested a religious accommodation from his commander before splitting the front of his tongue in two. However, there is no military precedent for granting that request. Barry Steinberg, a retired Army JAG now in private practice, told The Air Force Times that while the military is to accommodate religious practice, it is under no obligation to accommodate Jarrell’s attempts to become a priest. “The military isn’t required to do anything,” Steinberg said. While Jarrell’s tongue forking has gained the attention of the Pentagon, whether the airman will be disciplined and how severe that discipline will be is a matter for his commander. Jarrell serves as a munitions specialist with the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina. According to the latest records posted on the Web site of the Air Force Personnel Center, [June 2002] out of the 70,723 active duty officers, three are Druids, five are Pagans, one is Shaman and six are Wiccan. Of the 292,417 active-duty enlisted members, 31 are Druids, 89 are Pagans, 2 are Seax-Wiccan, 18 are Shamen, and 141 are Wiccan. |
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