It was requal week at the rifle range, and I had yet to qualify. Fustrating to say the least. Thursday came and went, and I relaxed more on the range, but not enough to shoot well on anything but the rapid-fire. After getting inventoried mid-day, I was told by Drill Instructor Staff Sergeant Morgan, I needed a haircut. My bob cut was too long and touching my collar. Ordered the scribe to write a walking chit to the salon for me.
Off I went. Alone.
Got to the salon, and the hairdresser asked what I needed. "A haircut, ma'am." I replied. She indicated a chair for me to sit down in, and said she'd be with me shortly.
What to get? I kept wondering. It'd have to be in regs. But that still left so many open to choose from. I saw this picture on the wall, and it gave me an idea.
The hairdresser got done with another recruit, and she left the salon and returned to her platoon. "What kind of a haircut you looking to get?"
"Something like a pixie cut." I replied. (A pixie cut is where almost all the hair is two inches long across the whole female head). The hairdresser said she didn't have the tools for any short haircut today, and she'd like to do my hair medium-length, or tell me how to pull it back until it's long enough for a sock bun.
"Short, really short, my Drill Instructors are going to kill me if I don't get it cut today." I kept pressing until out came the sizzors, and off went inches of hair.
An hour or two passed and the lady is doing her best with what she's got to make my hair presentable. But in the end, it didn't look great, but it didnt' look horrible either. I paid for the haircut and returned to my squadbay.
A few fellow recruits (including my bunkmate) recognized me and gave me a very wide range of comments on the cut. Walked to the scribe's desk to sign back in, when Drill Instructor Staff Sergeant Morgan came out of the DI hut.
"Recruit, who are you and what platoon do you belong to?"
Score one for me! I thought before I replied. "This is Recruit Woody, and this is this recruits' platoon!" I shouted back.
"Come here recruit!" So I came forward and before I got to her, she said " Very well, go clean!" I never saw her march so fast to the DI hut as she did then… nor see the blinds and hatch close so swiftly.
At graduation, it wasDrill Instructor Sergant Edwards (Knowledge DI) who said they really didn't know who it was until the nametape, and then the nickname of "Waldo" came about. The reason the blinds and hatch closed was they were all in there laughing. It was the haircut that saved me from being stared at for the remainder of training (every time they'd look at it, they'd end up staring to laugh). I'll honestly say my hair was within regs, but very hideous looking.
M. Branch (LCPL/USMC)