MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. (AFNS) —
For most, the days and hours leading up to their basic military training departure are filled with excitement and anticipation for what’s to come in the next four to six years. For others, the feelings are tainted with fear and anxiety.
For Connor Crawn, the day before he shipped off to boot camp was one of the worst in his life.
The 18-year-old graduated high school only six months earlier as the class of 2020, eager to enlist in the U.S. Air Force but curious about whether he could keep his hair long in accordance with his Kanien’kehà:ka faith.
When Crawn decided to speak to a recruiter his dark, neatly braided hair draped straight down the length of his spine.
For the Kanien’kehà:ka, Crawn explained, keeping the hair long reflects spiritual strength, protection and resilience. Certain styles, like braids, signify even greater strength.
His recruiter took the steps necessary to request a religious accommodation and Crawn went through military entrance processing successfully, but his BMT departure date continued to get pushed as he waited for an answer about his hair.
“I was at the point where I couldn’t wait any longer,” Crawn described of the hurry-up-and-wait process. “I had to get out of my situation.”
Crawn agreed to cut his hair if it meant getting an earlier departure date. He kept his hair long until the last minute, hoping approval would arrive at the last-minute to spare him from the trauma of severing his symbolic strength. He waited, fruitlessly, until the day before he left for BMT.
“My dad and I cut our braids together,” Crawn began, eyes saddening. “I wish I never had to go through that. I felt like a part of me died when I lost my braid.”
Now officially branded as an Airman, the next chapter in Crawn’s life began: BMT and technical training simply became two obstacles to overcome before the fight for accommodation resumed.
In July of 2021, Crawn was stationed at the 341st Missile Wing as part of the security forces group. Before he was even assigned a flight, his priority was visiting the base chapel to begin the request process all over again.
Capt. Trevor Wilson, one of the chaplains on duty at the time of Crawn’s visit, cemented himself as an ally and quickly went to work figuring out the requirements of a process that, just one month earlier, had been introduced to the Department of the Air Force.
The duo spent hours together during that first meeting, poring over instructions, regulations and guidelines for a reality Crawn hoped would soon come to fruition.
My dad and I cut our braids together. I wish I never had to go through that. I felt like a part of me died when I lost my braid.
Airman 1st Class Connor Crawn
According to the process for religious accommodation, as lined out in the DAF Instruction 52-201, the timeline from request to approval was supposed to take no longer than 60 days. Considering the overwhelming number of religious requests being vetted at that time due to COVID-19 pandemic, though, goalposts had to be moved and Crawn’s request would not be approved until October of 2022.
“I knew it was going to take longer than expected,” Crawn explained. “But as the time dragged on, my hope started to waver a little bit. After a year passed, people used to joke that it would be the end of my contract before I heard anything—and honestly, that’s what I was beginning to expect.”
Though the timeline dragged on like a heavy-burdened traveler, Crawn’s case was carefully corralled through coordination by Wilson.
“I know how hard his leadership and the wing worked to get his package up,” Wilson shared. “I had to ensure his request would not get lost or overlooked in the bulk of all that [COVID-19] paperwork. I regularly followed up and tracked his request, because part of my role as the chaplain is to be an advocate.”
Nearly halfway into his contract is when Crawn finally received the good news that he could grow his hair out in accordance with his faith. For him, this was not just a personal win, but a Department of the Air Force-wide win for all his native brothers.
With the approved accommodation, Crawn was authorized to abide by female standards in DAFI 36-2903, Dress and Personal Appearance.
“It was incredible,” he chuckled. “I mean, I thought I was dreaming for the next few days. I kept thinking I would wake up and learn it wasn’t real.”
Crawn’s excitement did not end with reception of the news; immediately after learning about the approved accommodation, the first thing he did was call his family to share. Then, he decided to share with the world.
“My first thought after calling my family was, ‘I gotta let other native men know that it’s possible,’” Crawn eagerly said, grin widening to meet the corners of his eyes. “I could not find a single person who received a religious accommodation like mine as I was going through the process, so I wanted to put the information out there. It wasn’t until I made a TikTok video about it that I began to hear from other people.”
Crawn’s video went viral, sparking an important conversation for U.S. military members and those interested in joining. His statement served as a spark of hope for a demographic who, previously, was uncertain that their organization would be true to their word.
Through DAFI 52-201, Religious Freedom in the Department of the Air Force, the DAF maintains an environment in which members can realize their highest potential. For Crawn, this environment was established when he felt that the leadership around him was willing to fight for something he cared about deeply.
Our Airmen chose us once; the environment we create must encourage them to choose us again.”
Col. Barry Little
Wilson, spearhead for Crawn’s request, felt pride knowing other Airmen would be encouraged to use their voice to be a beacon of change.
“Crawn chose to speak up, to ask for something he believed in, to place trust in the process, and it worked,” Wilson enthused. “The Air Force cannot help if Airmen’s needs are not communicated, and if you share your concerns and requests professionally, you can often get the results you need.”
Col. Barry Little, 341st MW commander, praised Crawn’s dedication as an example of the direction that the total force needs to continue moving toward.
“There has never been a time where what our Airmen do for this country has been so important,” Little said. “Creating an environment of dignity and respect is critical to winning the strategic competition for talent. Our Airmen chose us once; the environment we create must encourage them to choose us again.”
Little’s message, targeted to leaders, is partnered by Crawn’s sentiments to fellow Airmen looking for motivation in times where they may feel defeated by bureaucracy.
“I think it’s all about the person and how much they fight from the start,” he encouraged. “I think that [attitude] really shows your leadership and the people around you how dedicated you are. I never gave up; I never shut up about it to anyone who asked.”
Two years into his career, Airman 1st Class Connor Crawn has some time before needing to decide which direction he prefers the next chapters of his life to go in. Currently, he serves as a convoy team leader with the 341st Missile Security Operations Squadron, and with a recent win in his back pocket, he is optimistic about a future in uniform.
“I might as well stay in, now that I’m able to grow my hair,” Crawn chuckled. “I’m definitely considering it. It’s incredible being able to express my heritage in uniform.”
For more information on diversity and inclusion efforts across the DAF, please visit here.
Story by SSgt Elora J. McCutcheon, 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs
Some photos by A1C May A. Bowers
Jesus Christ.
Up next, religious accommodations for lipstick and nosestuds for believers in the flying spaghetti monster.
No, you seem confused, the USAF are providing an accommodation based on a specifically different faith system.
Since when could any man with long hair learn to fight for his country…?
Zero difference between this and Sikh and Muslim exemptions. Functionally it was the right choice to go with women’s grooming standards. We’ll see how it goes with the Odinists-I believe there are some nuanced meanings with beards and hair length having to do with slavery.
Spot on. Preach.
Although somehow I suspect people mad at this are also mad at Sikhs and Muslims and it has nothing to do with accomodations.
Incredible to see people being mad at this accommodation, but somehow seeing nothing wrong about accomodations made to the majority faiths.
Y’all might want to change your perspective. People like this guy are volunteering for service. They’re not complaining from the sidelines. They’re stepping up to serve.
Literally EVERYONE is “special” as long as they are not Christians. At what point do we say, screw it, and end all grooming standards? Either throw it all out or have a standard everyone has to abide by; too many “exceptions” undermines the definition of “standard”.
Likewise if we continue to pretend that grooming “standards” are needed and also those standards just conveniently always fall to the benefit of everyone who is not Christian or Black and wants a beard, when do we finally admit the DOD has an Anti-Christian bias? When do we admit that African-American men are disproportionally effected by the so-called shaving “standards”.
And for the Air Force to go so far as to run an expose on this Airman is nothing more than patting themselves on the back for being “virtuous” while also rubbing it in the face of every other service member in the Air Force that can’t get an exemption because they are just a regular Christian or black male.
The Emperor has no clothes, there are no standards but what is convenient at the moment in order to virtue signal, this is a farce and we all know it.
Is there some religious belief or practice by Christians that needs an exception?
Lifelong Catholic here and I cannot think of anything in wear and appearance of uniform that inhibits practice of Christian faith…
I guess the Air Force loves religious service members until they ask for a Vaccine Exemption.
I had to retire. No one gave a shit about my exemption request. Our chaplain, of my same religious faith, was exceptionally useless.
Imagine believing that long hair = unable to fight for your nation.
It is 2022. Quit being such snowflakes.
Isn’t the USA based on a fundamental belief in individual freedom to practice religion without government control?
Imagine believing that most people inany military actually “fight for their country”.
Imagine believing that the only way to “fight for your country” is to join the military that he already knew had certain standards.
Imagine believing that practical concerns do not outweigh absurdisms. Here, let’s say a Muslim attains a high rank and demands that all female soldiers must walk on a certain side and that their testimony is only 1/4 as valid as a man’s and that infidels have no valid testimony period? Denying him this would be “government control” over his faith.
What if my faith demands that I be overweight? What about cannibalistic religions? Those that do not frown upon sexual relations between adults and minors? Those that encourage regular use of hallucenogenic drugs?
How does long hair impact in any way women from serving their nation?
Now, explain how hair length matters based on gender?
I suspect you probably oppose DADT. You probably oppose women in combat roles. You probably oppose racially integrated units.
As a Catholic, I haven’t seen any inhibition of my cannibalistic religion…
America is based on homosexuality and abortion.
And weed, porn, and Netflix.
Good thing we won WWII.
wow Dave….unsubstantiated ad hominem much?
The standard is you can request an exception to policy on religious grounds by submitting the request through the proper procedure.
Granting an exception here is pretty reasonable as it doesn’t effect the Airman’s ability to perform his duty, and doesn’t have a negative effect on other servicemembers. The other examples listed above don’t meet that criteria and would be denied.
I don’t know if Dave is tracking but Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, No Women in Combat and Racial Segregation (bad I know) were all DOD policies at one time or another. They had zero exceptions.
This Airman, who is probably a really good guy, got a special exception. Good for him. I think a lot of the heartburn here is the willingness for the AF or DOD in general to pick and choose who gets special exemptions on a whole host of topics (grooming, housing, separation, etc) and who does not based on no discernible metric. DOD generally will let service members suffer without a shred of concern but the moment they will get thrashed by congress or can make an accommodation that will get them applause inside of the Washington Beltway, then suddenly they are all for the Troops and care deeply about their welfare and feelings.
EXAMPLES:
-If you want custom grooming standards for your religion….sure.
-You want special meals for your religion…sure.
-You want to call yourself a girl and force other women to watch you change in the women’s locker room…sure.
-You are girl that wants to shave your head like a guy…sure.
-You are a girl who is pregnant and wants to get out of the military via chapter 8…sure.
-You want to stop shaving because it gives you severe razor burn…NO
-You are a guy that wants to grow your hair out because it is cold in the winter…NO
-You are a guy who wants to grow your hair out because women can have both long hair and shaved heads and you want the same options…NO
-Your wife is pregnant and you want to get out of the military…NO
-You want to get time off staff duty to go to Church…NO
-You want to put your hands in your pockets because it is cold…NO
-You want to decline getting a pointless “vaccine” that was tested using aborted baby cells and does nothing to prevent you from getting the disease or spreading it…NO
-You want to live in a building without black mold…NO
-You want the DFAC to serve food intended for human consumption…NO
The DOD has thousands of standard they do not bend on for any reason and now because they want some good press for their “inclusiveness” they bend the rules for this Airmen. And good on him for playing his cards well and getting one over on the man. Hats off to him. But lets not ever buy the party line that the AF or anyone else in DOD actually cares about any of this stuff. They have their priorities and you or I are not among them.
@Drew ^ Best SSD Comment ever. I have no problems with relaxed grooming standards. The US military was more than happy to have scouts, trackers, and friendly American Indian forces during the War for Independence, The Civil War, and the Various Indian Wars. Beards, goatee, braids, and mustaches do NOT affect the mission. They boost morale. The DOD only cares about exemptions and exceptions to rules if it gets them brownie points with people who want to see the American Military destroyed from within so it can be easier destroyed from without.
Huh, wow, imagine if they actually cared about other recent religious accommodation requests. Wouldn’t that be amazing.
Yup, that about sums it up. Zero COVAX religious exemptions approved but will proudly write a feature article about how caring, inclusive and tolerant of religious beliefs they are. Gaslight much? Glad to hear that Air Force hypocrisy is alive and well.
Big Air Force loves you. They just threw you a bone.
Because if there is one thing a haircut is similar to..it’s a communicable disease….
Regardless of your opinion due process is due process and people didn’t get it.
People like you are running the same Air Force I left which couldn’t fight its way out of a paper bag.
If covid was the only vaccine you asked for a religious exemption from, it was never about religion in the first place.
The COOF Shot was an eye opener. It made for a more aware and educated population, both in and out of the military. Anyone that voluntarily gets a vaccine after this failed the intelligence test.