March 18, 1931: The Schick Hits the Fans

That's a great story. I wish I could have used them. I was cursed in life with hair like copper wire. Literally, that's what my barber called it when I was a young lad. His electric shears would jam. I could never shave with electric razors. My face became irritated as they pulled the hairs out rather than cut them. BTW, each hair was thick enough that sergeants (later Tac Officers in OCS) were always berating me to get a hair cut even as I walked out of the barbershop. You can imagine how bad it was on my face.

However, the story I really want to share is my experience in Vietnam. Each infantry company was issued a barber kit with hand shears. Most people have never seen them unless they have a long haired pet. Fortunately, my company had a lieutenant who worked his way through college as a barber and he had his wife send him his kit with the best professional equipment. When he DEROS'd, we had a problem. How were we going to cut our hair? We had purchased his good electric shears before he left and decided to give each other haircuts. We made it a circular arrangement. No one would be allowed to cut the hair of the person who cut theirs. The results were rather funny inasmuch as alcohol was involved.

That for a nice pun SGT John " Mac " McConnell. I wonder if the first electric shavers were properly grounded. Otherwise it could have been a shocking experience to be one of the first to use an electric shaver.