NewsMissoula County

Actions

New soldier got his first haircut in 15 years to join the Army

Reynaldo Arroyo donated his locks to a charitable organization
Posted at 2:02 PM, Aug 16, 2019
and last updated 2019-08-19 13:59:37-04

There's a humorous take on an old phrase that says, "Hair today, gone tomorrow," and that certainly applies in the case of Reynaldo Arroyo.

On Thursday in Missoula, Arroyo cut his hair for the first time in fifteen years in order to join the U.S. Army.

Once his hair was cut, the 23-year old man donated 150 inches of the hair to Locks Of Love , an organization that provides high-quality hair prosthetics to children who need them, free of charge.

The Locks Of Love website states: "Most of our recipients suffer from the autoimmune disease, alopecia areata. Others have experienced hair loss from radiation therapy and chemotherapy, severe burns or trauma, and various other genetic and dermatological conditions."

A press release from the U.S. Army notes that although Pvt. Arroyo is originally from Riverside, California, he enlisted to serve in the airborne infantry at the U.S. Army’s Missoula Recruiting Station.