Not everything about the American Military is practical , some of it is just for the usual uniformity arguments . While there ' s some benefit to be had it ' s not really needed . Shaving comes with a certain hygiene aspect but when in combat you won ' t get a chance to get that razor out . Allowing infantry men certain exceptions for religious reasons when at base won ' t hurt anything . As for turbans , I ' m sure that the exception isn ' t allowed in combat and that no one would make a complaint in this case even the strictest religions make exemptions where life is involved , if not in dogmatic text then in practical social terms . This is the problem with a lot of far right thinking , they take any potential challenge to the established order as an affront to whole systems upholding the familiar as sacred and decrying any adjustment or variation as profane and offensive .