Jason

Bearded since: 2010. I am a dedicated, permanent beard grower.

Comments:
Why did I grow my beard? Honestly, I stopped shaving just to see how long it would take my boss to mention something. I am a civilian employee of the Navy and, despite hundreds of years of beautiful Navy beard tradition, facial hair is frowned upon. It took him sixteen months and an impending deployment to the Middle East to finally mention something to me about it. So, I had to shave. Once I arrived here, though, I missed having the beard. It was a warm, comforting companion. Several times I caught myself idly stroking my jaw line and wondering why it felt so bare. So, a few weeks into my deployment I started letting it grow. It's filling in nicely (with some hearty encouragement from some sailor buddies who want to beard vicariously through me) and I can't wait to get to full beard status again.

How do I feel about my beard? Aside from marrying my wife, growing a full beard was one of the most rewarding things I've done.