Stryker squadron chaplain team is a cut above the rest

  • Published
  • 2nd Brigade Combat Team 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs
SHAH WALI KOT, Afghanistan --  When Capt. Jeffery Ellis, squadron chaplain with 5th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, found out he was going to Afghanistan, it was nothing unusual.

That was until his squadron commander, Lt. Col. David Raugh, wanted him to do something out of the ordinary - provide free haircuts for Soldiers.

Prior to leaving Fort Wainwright, Alaska, Ellis and Spc. Corey Penton, a chaplain's assistant with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 5-1st, both received lessons in cutting hair from a local salon owner, who donated clippers and supplies to get them started.

Ellis and Penton have provided more than 234 haircuts since that lesson.
Penton is often seen out on Forward Operating Base Frontenac, encouraging Soldiers and civilians to take advantage of the free offer.

"It puts [Penton] and me in the position to talk to a lot more Soldiers and see how they are doing," Ellis said. "It is fun - and it creates a bond with some of the Soldiers."
"Getting out and being with the troops is done through battlefield circulation, and more and more I am seeing the joy of just laughing with Soldiers while giving them a trim," he said.

"The Soldiers enjoy a great cut in the [air conditioning] with cold water and freeze pops available to them," Penton said.

Soldiers are speculating how many haircuts the team will give by the end of tour.
"I say 3,000 by April," said Spc. Justin Scott, a signal support systems specialist with HHT.

Both Ellis and Penton have their specialties when it comes to cutting hair.

"I believe that [Penton] has found a second job in it," Ellis said. "He is pretty good and we both have our own niche - he doesn't like doing scissor cuts, and I like doing the scissor cuts."

Penton agrees.

"I have found that I am fairly talented at cutting hair, and will likely continue to do so after redeployment," Penton said.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity. I enjoy being able to make a tangible difference in Soldiers' lives.

"It gives me the opportunity to get a general feel for the level of morale, and in so doing I can help Chaplain Ellis in his ministry to the troops," Penton said.

This mission is already a success, according to Ellis and Penton, as Soldiers and civilians get free haircuts - and talk  freely to the chaplain if they choose.

"I think it makes me a little more accessible and we just have fun and visit with everyone," Ellis said.