that was back in Vietnam though. and if its part of your religious beliefs chances are killing people is also against those beliefs. This is straight out of the regulation book for the airforce "AFI 36-2903"
Cleanly shaven heads, military high-and-tight or flat-top cuts are authorized. Prohibited examples (not all inclusive) are Mohawk, mullet, cornrows, dreadlocks or etched design. Men are not authorized hair extensions. See Figure 3.1 for sideburns, mustache and beard and for graphic examples of male hair standards.
the only exception i could find were for beards which read:
3.1.2.3.1. During tours of less than 30 days, Air Force Reserve (AFR) and Air National Guard (ANG) chaplains not on extended active duty may request a beard waiver for religious observance when consistent with their faith. For AFR waiver processing instructions see AFMAN 36-8001, Participation and Training Procedures. For ANG waiver process instructions contact ANG/HC.
But this is only for beards and when doing a tour of less than 30 days.
Here it is from the army "r670_1"
18. Hair and fingernail standards and grooming policies
a. Hair.
(1) General. The requirement for hair grooming standards is necessary to maintain uniformity within a military population. Many hairstyles are acceptable, as long as they are neat and conservative. It is not possible to address every acceptable hairstyle, or what constitutes eccentric or conservative grooming. Therefore, it is the responsibility of leaders at all levels to exercise good judgment in the enforcement of Army policy. All soldiers will comply with the hair, fingernail, and grooming policies while in any military uniform or while in civilian clothes on duty.
(2) Male haircuts will conform to the following standards.
(a) The hair on top of the head must be neatly groomed. The length and bulk of the hair may not be excessive or present a ragged, unkempt, or extreme appearance. The hair must present a tapered appearance. A tapered appearance is one where the outline of the soldiers hair conforms to the shape of the head, curving inward to the natural termination point at the base of the neck. When the hair is combed, it will not fall over the ears or eyebrows, or touch the collar, except for the closely cut hair at the back of the neck. The block-cut fullness in the back is permitted to a moderate degree, as long as the tapered look is maintained. In all cases, the bulk or length of hair may not interfere with the normal wear of headgear (see para 18a(1)(a), above) or protective masks or equipment. Males are not authorized to wear braids, cornrows, or dreadlocks (unkempt, twisted, matted, individual parts of hair) while in uniform or in civilian clothes on duty. Hair that is clipped closely or shaved to the scalp is authorized.
Swat is a special response team and alot of those guys are undercover's so they can look however they want to fit in with criminals. they can probably even get away with having tattoo's on their hands and neck.
I have seen plenty of "professionals" like doctors lawyers with locks but never have i seen the person at McDonald's take my order with some wild ass loc's. If you chose to fight for your rights when you haven't been called back after an interview how will you prove that they didnt hire you based on your hair? they will just say they found someone more qualified than you.
updated by @bummie: 02/14/15 12:31:34PM