Originally Posted by
PingDit
Just left my local pub (so worse for wear!). Met 3 guys, one of which was wearing 2 rings in his pierced bottom lip, had a pony tail......
It transpired that all 3 were serving members of the RAF.
WTF?
Maybe they're just back from an exchange tour with the RNLAF"...................
Although things have changed a bit so maybe not;
New regulations already ban troop use of marijuana and hashish--even though the drugs are tolerated in Dutch civilian life. Since August, first-time military offenders get a warning, and dismissal follows a second offense.
Current rules still allow ponytails and earrings for many recruits serving in the Netherlands, but grooming rules are being tightened. Soldiers, airmen and sailors serving with United Nations or NATO forces abroad must keep their hair short to conform with international standards.
The air force has already gotten a head start on the army and navy in image reshaping. All air force personnel with long hair had to get trims by Sept. 1.
Adriaan Meijer cut off his blond ponytail recently when he joined the air force as a fighter pilot trainee.
"I was strongly advised to get it cut because where I was at, it wasn't considered acceptable," he said. "It's like working for a company now; you choose to take the job and these are the rules and you have to follow them."
Meijer said that during his conscript days eight years ago, "people were high on hashish most of the time or they just sat around and drank coffee."
Life these days on the air force base is quite different.