Free haircuts bring together WNY veterans

Dozens of military veterans took advantage of free haircuts Monday, as the staff at Armstrong's Barber Shop in West Seneca observed Veterans Day.

"I've got a lot of respect for that," Zachary Armstrong, the shop's owner, said. "All these guys that come in. Everything they do."

Armstrong and the other barbers cleared the schedule Monday and tended only to veterans. No payments were asked for, or accepted, the entire day. The shop also hosted a free party for veterans and their families at the Seneca Hose Fire Company in West Seneca.

"We're not doing much," Armstrong said. "We're giving some haircuts. We're giving some slices. They did a lot more than we'll ever do. But, we're trying. We're trying to give back more."

Joseph Tobin, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, brought his father Charles in for a haircut. Charles Tobin served with the U.S. Navy for eight years, spending time stationed in the Mediterranean.

"The comradery that you had with all the guys you were traveling with. I don't want to tell you the bad stuff," Charles said with a chuckle. "We were a wild bunch."

Seeing how important military service was to his father and uncles was one of the big reasons Joseph decided to serve.

"Discipline. Integrity. Having pride. It's all stuff that they teach you in the military and these are the things that he taught me growing up," he said, speaking about his father.

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