HOUSTON - Devontae Smith has grown out his dreadlocks for the past five years but on Wednesday, he said good bye to his locks and hello to the U.S. Army.
Smith and KHOU 11 anchor Russ Lewis went live on the KHOU 11 Facebook page Wednesday morning at the KHOU 11 studios.
They were joined by Smith's barber named Roosevelt and two Army recruiters.
Smith told Lewis he is from Jackson, Mississippi and came to Houston 3 years ago for more employment opportunities.
As Roosevelt began cutting away, Lewis talked to Smith about what attracted him to enroll in the Army. Smith said his dad is a military veteran as well as a lot of other men in his family.
He said he wants to make a career out of it but he also wants to get a college degree. He said he's actually thought about going into broadcasting because he likes to talk and is not afraid of the camera.
"Well, this is a heck of a start! This is your debut!" Lewis said.
Smith also said he would like to donate the dreads if anyone could use them.
Lewis spoke to Roosevelt too who shared he is also a veteran and served in Iraq in 2004 and 2005.
After he returned to civilian life, Roosevelt said he opened up a barber shop in Katy called Roosevelt's Barbershop.
The entire process took around 20 minutes and after Lewis held up the mirror for him to see his new cut, Lewis was stunned.
"Whoa! I haven't seen this kid since like 9th grade!" Smith said looking in the mirror. "He did good though! I like it!"
Smith leaves for basic training on November 19th.
