Wednesday, March 02, 2005
By VINCE STATEN
Columnist
When I write about my barber, I usually refer to him as World Famous Barber Claude Russell. A response to Friday's column about Claude proved the wisdom of that label. Claude really is world famous. Witness this e-mail from a group of Claude's regular customers … who are stationed in Iraq.
SFC Jerry Steadman, with the 2/278th, sent this request. "If it is possible, could you please stop by and say hello from Jerry, Hoss, Jeff Webb, Shawn Roark and others who stop in and see Claude once every two weeks. Tell him we are cutting each other's hair, and his name is always in the conversation when hair starts to fly."
When Jerry and the other Claude customers shipped out, Claude gave them a pair of clippers and a chair cloth so they could cut each other's hair while in Iraq.
"We have almost worn out the clippers he sent. They did come in handy. It's just the sandy conditions we have been in that takes the toll. And I never knew how much I appreciated Claude's vacuum cleaner after a haircut." Jerry says his unit also has an Iraqi barber. "We have nicknamed a local Haji who cuts hair ‘Claude Jr.' in his honor. You may want to tell Claude the local barber only charges us $2 for haircuts and we don't have to listen to all the stories. He cannot speak very much English. But to tell the truth, we all miss the experience at Claude's and cannot wait to get home and go see him for a $7 haircut."
Jerry attached a photo of the 278's version of Claude's Barber Shop. "Notice we even have a sign-in book."
Just like Claude.
I took a copy of Jerry's photo to Claude, who hasn't yet joined the e-mail world. Claude showed me a death notice on the back page of a 1942 Johnson City Press-Chronicle he's been showing off lately. It was an obituary for Charles DeWitt Byrd, a 19-year-old Kingsport sailor who was killed at Pearl Harbor. Byrd, who was stationed on the USS Arizona, was the first Kingsport man to die in World War II. And that's why the local VFW post was named for him: the Charles Dewitt Byrd VFW Post #3382.
Story Copyright to Kingsport TimesNews