Team

n.  a set of people working together

Team player.  

Taking one for the team.  

There is no "I" in "Team".  

All great sayings centered around working as one.

But sometimes...well sometimes, there should be exceptions.  Take for instance the month of March in the Air Force.  AKA:  Mustache March.  Not a good look yet a tradition that continues to inspire men to forgo their razors (and subsequently carnal knowledge of their wives) and be a team player.  

It is that time of year.  

We can blame thank legendary fighter pilot, retired Brigadier General Robin Olds, for this annual phenomenon.  Olds was known for his decidedly non-regulation mustache he proudly sported during his days in Vietnam.  It was a common among airmen to grow such a stache, but Olds also used his as a mark of individuality ( a concept also decidedly non-regulation).

Olds:  "Generals visiting Vietnam would kind of laugh at the mustache.  I was far away from home.  It was a gesture of defiance.  The kids on base loved it.  Most everybody grew a mustache."

The man, the myth, the mustache.

Upon returning home, he learned that not everyone was a fan of his individuality. When he reported to an interview with Air Force Chief of Staff General John P. McConnell, McConnell walked up to Olds, stuck a finger under his nose and said, "Take it off."  Wisely, Olds replied, "Yes, sir."  Why none of this appears on his official Air Force bio is beyond me.  

Each March, pilots, those deployed, and in certain locations all who want to display their inner Magnum PI, show military solidarity by a symbolic and good natured protest against Air Force facial hair regulations.

Last year our household fell victim to this tradition.  My husband loves a competition and he won "Best Mustache" as voted by his peers.  His plaque read, "With great mustache comes great responsibility". 

Hero to zero in four weeks flat.

He was proud of his ability to grow such an impressive mustache in a short period of time.  

I was nauseated and armed with his razor.  This "thing" was removed from his face immediately after the awards ceremony.  Happily, situations at home returned to normal.  

Wives around base who are currently suffering through this month of madness have kicked around ideas of what would happen, say, if we decided not to shave our armpits in protest of the protest. But we quickly realized that two wrongs would not make a right in this situation, especially since we are in the South and it is already bleeping hot.  Tank tops and shaggy pits don't mix.

We women don't get it and don't think we are supposed to.  The men complain about their mustaches, yet also brag whether their stache rivals Wyatt Earp or John Holmes.  So if you are suffering through this month with a man who is growing a mustache, I hope he wins "Best in Show" and not "Most Disturbing".  Go Team.