HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Taylor’s Barber Shop in Huntsville is known for giving customers a nice haircut with great customer service.
Ronnie Dent is a regular at Taylor’s and said he enjoys his conversations with his barber, Ollie Taylor Jr. “I get words of wisdom from him” Dent said with a chuckle.
The other barbers weren’t surprised at all to see Dent walk through the door on Veterans Day. They all greeted him with a smile as he walked in with two dozen doughnuts from Krispy Kreme, which he wanted to share with the staff and any veteran customers to come in after him.
“When he said free, I couldn’t pass that by!” Dent told News 19 from the barber chair.
Taylor’s offered free haircuts for veterans from 9 a.m. to noon. It’s the 5th year that Taylor’s has offered this service for veterans.
“It’s more than a haircut,” said Ollie Taylor Jr. “It’s a gesture showing respect for the great work that they’ve done for our country, to just let them know that we’re truly thankful.”
That gesture goes a long way for veterans, like Dent.
Along with many other Vietnam-era veterans, military service wasn’t a choice.
“was drafted,” Dent said. “Two weeks after I finished college, I got my draft notice.”
Dent told News 19 that he served in the Vietnam War for five and a half years. He says that time changed the course of his life.
“The military straightened me out, and I was very fortunate I got chosen for leadership training school,” Dent said. “I think that was the big difference, and moving forward going to airborne school and then ranger academy, it just changed my life.”
About two years ago, Dent and his wife moved from New York City to Huntsville.
He said he was pleasantly surprised with the veterans are treated in North Alabama. “When we first came down, we were shocked, because everybody asked ‘Are you a veteran?” he said.
He said he’s been impressed with the veteran care and benefits offered in Alabama, including the Homestead Exemption offered for disabled veterans.
“They really put their hands out to veterans, they’re very welcoming to veterans, and that’s why you have so many moving to Alabama,” Dent told News 19.
He said he encourages more young people to consider a career in the military.
“The military is a good experience for a lot of the people,” Dent said. “I think if they continue taking care of veterans, you’ll find there’ll be more people applying to get into the service.”
One of the bigger struggles for veterans when they leave military service is transitioning to a new career path. That’s something that local author and veteran Dwayne Paro knows well.
Paro is a third-generation military member who transitioned out of military service after 8 years.
When he got out of the military, Paro started working as a government contractor. He told News 19 that the skills he learned in the military helped him succeed in his new career path.
After several years as a civilian, Paro said he wanted to get back to his military roots and “start supporting the veteran community.”
“I wrote the book called The Empowered Veteran, which is which is more of a guide on how to transition successfully from the military,” he told News 19.
Paro said he wants more veterans to understand that they are very marketable in non-military jobs, and that the skills they learn in the military are transferable.
“Take those strengths that you learned in the military and take them forward and use them in the civilian world,” he said. “A lot of veterans feel that those things don’t apply anymore, but they’re actually what gives them a leg up on others that don’t have that background. You know, there’s a lot of opportunity to leverage those skills and that experience.”
Paro released the book in 2017, at a time when he says many Iran and Afghanistan vets were struggling to find their next move.
“There was a lot of negative narratives forming in our country again about whether they [veterans] were capable to, you know, do different things,” Paro said. “So I think, you know, businesses and citizens need to be aware that they [veterans] are the most capable people we have and with their life experience, that they can provide a lot of value in many ways.”
Paro’s book, “The Empowered Veteran” is available for purchase on Amazon, Walmart, and several other places where books are sold. Paro gave out signed copies for free to any veteran who went in for a free haircut at Taylor’s Barber Shop on Veterans Day.
