When I enlisted in the Air Force in Oct 1948, I was 17 years old and looked even younger. When it came to shaving, I only needed to do it once a week. We had been in basic training about 5 days when the Drill Sgt. did a double take in front of me one morning at formation, stopped and put his face about 6 inches from mine and yelled "Did you shave this morning, Airman?" When I answered "No, Sgt." He shouted,"Why not?' I stumbled an answer. "I only need to about once a week." He then yelled, "The Air Force didn't ask you if you need a shave. It said you WILL shave every day. Now go get your razor." I went into the barracks and got my razor and came back. He made me stand in front of the whole flight (60 Men) and "dry" shave twice. When I finished and put the razor back in my pocket, I got back in formation feeling like an idiot. You can bet that I shaved every day from then on, needing to or not. Well, at least while I was in Basic Training.

Richard Oakley, Youngstown, Ohio