COOKSTOWN, NJ — The Air Force may be relaxing their restrictions on turbans while in uniform.
An airman assigned to serve at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is one of the first ever to gain approval to wear a turban.
Base officials are saying that Airman 1st Class Jaspreet Singh is only the third Airman in the entire U.S. Air Force authorized to wear one while in uniform.
The first was Airman 1st Class Harpreetinder Singh Bajwa, a crew chief at McChord Air Force Base, Washington. Previously, the only exceptions for active-duty personnel were medical waivers.
Described as an Operational Camouflage Pattern turban, the item matches the pattern of the rest of his official garb.
Under Sikh tradition, men tie their hair in a bun on top of their head, which is then covered by a turban.
Singh is a Sikh, and he says he joined the Air Force knowing he would be forced to stop wearing the turban worn in accordance with his religious beliefs and heritage.However, he was eventually permitted to wear one under the Air Force's religious accommodation regulations.