ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE BASE TOWNSVILLE, Australia -- Iwakuni Marines have become accustomed to grabbing a number and waiting an hour before getting their weekly Sunday fade. All of this in order to have a fresh high and tight for the first working day of the week. For some, waiting an hour to get a haircut is just fine, because a professional will be giving him the best fade possible.
The Marines currently deployed to Townsville don't have to endure those long lines, but they do have to put their head in the hands of someone with a unique shearing background. The resident barber has been cutting hair ever since he was a child on his parent's farm.
The Pittsburgh native used to shave pigs along with the hair inside a horse's ear to get them ready for competitions.
This is the only experience that Lance Cpl. Justin Stover, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12 aviation ordnance technician, had before he gave his first high and tight in 2002.
"The reason I started giving hair cuts was because we were on a deployment in Kadena, Japan, and there was only Air Force barbers on the base," said Stover, who also added that it is a great way to meet new people. "So there was no place for the guys to go get fades. At that point I started cutting hair for the Marines in my shop."
For someone that has never cut a human being's hair before, doing a fade can prove to be difficult despite any other experience.
"When I first started giving haircuts, it wasn't that hard because the line was already there," said Stover. "So as long as the line was somewhat visible all I had to do was follow it. Not having to fade the line a high and tight leaves made it a lot easier when I started."
"Lance Cpl. Stover has done a good job on all of the haircuts he's given me so far," said Cpl. Ruben Macias, Marine Aircraft Group 12 embarkation clerk. "I have gotten three total haircuts so far and he has done an excellent job in all of them without messing up once."
Although his talents have been refined with time, Stover does not intend to compete with the professionals.
"I only give haircuts to Marines when we go anywhere that there aren't any Marine Corps barbers," said Stover.
After a couple deployments under his belt, Stover is now ready for any location that he may be sent to.
"I now own clippers from Thailand, Australia, Japan and from the United States as well. So now whenever I get sent on a deployment I am ready with the right set of clippers corresponding to the different electrical sockets."
With the time and effort that Stover puts into each person's dome, one might assume he is financially motivated.
"I don't charge for any of the haircuts I give," said Stover. "If you like the work I did and you thank me or tip me then I greatly appreciate it, but I don't expect anything from anyone."
"What Lance Cpl. Stover is doing is a good deed for the Marines who don't have the time to go off base and get a haircut," commented Macias. "On the first haircut, I gave him a $10 tip, for the next two, I have given $5 each."
The deployment barber can usually be seen Thursday through Sunday keeping approximately five Marines high and tight each night.