Sarah’s New Look
Sarah woke up and made her way to the airport. She was soon removed to her family and taken with other recruits to a special area. She had been told to wear her favorite sweater, hoop earings and high heel shoes. When she got to the special area she noticed a room full of girls with hair at least to their shoulders. In fact most of them had hair to their butt.
It wasn’t long and they boarded a plane for San Antonio. Texas. She was going to Lackland Air Force Base. It didn’t take too long for them to reach San Antonio. Before they were allowed to get off the plane, a drill instructor entered. She was wearing a buzzed head and the customary air force uniform. She made a few remarks and told them to file off and onto the waiting bus. One thing she said was they would each be given a pack and to grab it before they headed to the bus.
Sarah watched as they drove off the base. They drove for what seemed like an hour. When the bus stopped she looked out the window and noticed the sign said, “Jo’s Barbershop”. She thought, I don’t remember them mentioning a haircut. About this time the Drill Instructor stood up and said, “Girls, because you are now in San Antonio and it is June, we are going to do you a favor and give you a haircut. Everybody off the bus”, she barked. Just as soon as they were all off, the bus took off.
When she got inside she noticed there were 8 chairs and one barber. The barber was an older lady with a perfect flattop. She ordered 8 girls into the chairs. Sarah was the last one to sit down. The barber then caped each of them. She started at the far end of the shop. She turned on the clippers with no guard and the girls jumped. Before the first one had much of a chance to do anything the clippers were flying down the center of her head. The barber cut a strip down each of the other girls’ heads. They were told to get up and another group of 8 was told to sit down. It wasn’t humiliating enough to be getting a haircut. It was even worse to have a bald strip down the middle.
All 48 girls were given the same look and the first group was ordered back into the chair. This time two more strips were cut off their head, none of them close to the other. Again all the girls received the same look. Finally it was time for Sarah to have the remaining hair removed. She was pleased and relieved.
Before they left the barber shop, the drill instructor jumped into the chair and ordered the barber to shave her head. Without even using the clippers, she lathered her head and began shaving it with a straight razor. Sarah had never seen a bald lady. But she wondered how it would feel. When the Drill Instructor had finished getting her new look she asked if anyone wanted to join her in the land of bald. Sarah raced back to the chair where she was soon a cue ball. In all 39 out of the 48 girls walked out with a bald head.
Each of the girls was ordered to pick up their pack. They were told they would be marching back to base, a distance of 30 miles. As it had taken 5 hours for all the girls to get their haircuts, it was now 100? F. Sarah wished she had not worn a mohair sweater although she was pleased that her hair was gone.