Article about: Gents you just thought the Dutch armed forces were liberal when it came to long hair, see this link and marvel at the 1970's Bundeswehr.........words just fail me ! :shock: sz.de - 404 ... -
Wow, I never knew they had allowed this lol By the time I got there in the late 80s, it was back to short hair again. I remember the first Dutch soldier I saw, his beard was better than ZZ Top. I thought maybe he was someone who had been to a costume party, and couldn't be in the military. I learned a few things when I was there.
This ministerial decree was one of the reforms worked by the young Helmut Schmidt at a time when the Bw was beset by a variety of problems of command, obedience and morale. Such problems also adhered to USAREUR, as well, which, in fact, had far worse problems of discipline and obedience in the waning part of the Indochina episode, which had a powerful effect on US troops in the FRG.
I know this conflict. There was also a fighting between german policemen with long hair and the interior ministry. The Federal Constitutional Court decided, that the officers can have long hair, but they have to braid the hair. Lol. Visbible tats are also forbidden, a neutral look is important. But long hair is a super camo for snipers in the woods.
I remember a visit to Amsterdam in the mid 80s and there was a parade including the Dutch armed forces, they looked like a bunch of rejects from Woodstock!...
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