Caption Reads:
U.S. Army Sgt. Ethan Miller (L) shaves PFC Christopher Miller with Task Force Thor Route Clearance Patrol from 23rd Engineering Company, Airborne before embarking on a day-long mission July 6, 2010 in Jeluwar, Afghanistan. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Boq
Pun intended.
Back during my all-expense-paid tour of sunny Southeast Asia, we would go to the bush for 30-40 days at a time due to the miracle of then modern airmobility. Not many guys shaved, unless we did a river crossing or found a very recent flooded bomb crater. Officers, (appearances are important) mostly. My partner's "nom de guerre" was "Wolfman". The joke was that he could grow a beard on the helicopter ride out.
One day our CO told me that battalion was looking for a barber. We knew these opportunities as "strap jobs". Basically, it was an opportunity for a good infantryman to get a job in the rear for part of his tour. I had a guy in my squad who had a wife and child so I told him about the opportunity. He didn't want to leave the squad and told me he didn't know anything about barbering. In my best Bronx deadpan, I told him, "You're Italian; you'll figure it out. Get on the bird."
As for the Sergeant, he was probably hit by an IED and lost a portion of skin on that location.
I can only imagine what that was like, dry shaving. Navy-wise, it wasn't pleasant when the fresh-water condensers went down and you had to shave and shower with salt water.
One of the reasons I grew a beard.
"This is my razor. There are many like it, but this is mine. ..."