Marine donates hair to Wigs for Kids

Kyle Forte has ponytails of his hair cut by stylist Anna Manson for Wigs for Kids on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 at Stylerz Studio in Nash, Texas.
Kyle Forte has ponytails of his hair cut by stylist Anna Manson for Wigs for Kids on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 at Stylerz Studio in Nash, Texas.

From the time he was 10 years old, Kyle Forte of Texarkana, Ark., knew he wanted to join the Marine Corps, regardless of the rigorous reputation of this branch of service.

 

When the Twin Towers came crashing down on Sept. 11, 2001, school was a blur and failed to hold his attention. All he could think of was joining the Marines.

As soon as Forte graduated from Arkansas High School in 2003, he enlisted and served in the Marines for two tours, which totaled just more than eight years. His service took him first for basic training at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and later across the world in places such as Iraq and Japan, where he would train on beaches in the day and in the evenings spearfish for food.

Forte, 30, has always been the kind of person who did things the way he wanted to do them and he has never been the type of person to follow trends. On Wednesday, Forte made another decision that sets him apart by donating his hair to Wigs for Kids so that his hair could be turned into a positive for a child who has lost their own hair due to circumstances such as cancer.

"I've never had long hair before, and I thought why not donate it and help someone else out," he said.

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Justin Lubin/NBC/Episodic

Christina Applegate and Will Arnett play fumbling new parents to baby Amy on the NBC situation comedy Up All Night.

April Dayton, owner of Stylerz Salon in Nash, Texas, said she has seen women donate their hair to various charities in the past, but said she can not remember a man growing his hair out and donating it for a cause. Dayton's salon has been open for about a decade and she previously worked as a stylist at Saturday's Family Hair Care in the 13 years prior.

Forte's mother, Margaret Forte, gets her hair done at Stylerz by Anna Manson, so Forte went to Manson's chair Wednesday and sat down to have about 12 inches of his hair removed. Manson was assisted by stylist Jessica Grissom, who helped ensure the hair was evenly sectioned so that a pile of pony tails could be retrieved from Forte's head.

Forte, who had been living in Santa Barbara, Calif., before moving back to the Texarkana area, said he had not planned to grow out his hair, but haircuts on the West Coast were too pricey. Manson didn't charge him anything for the haircut and even gave him some good advice about how to handle his shorter style now that summer is on its way.

"You might want to just spray some 50 block on your hair," Manson recommended.

Forte has always been a wanderer, and said his wanderlust has him uncertain about where he will settle when he graduates with his welding degree from Texarkana College. He said he is considering Colorado or, perhaps, Hot Springs, Ark.

As far as his hair donation, he said he had no idea the appointment would garner media attention. However, he said it was all worth it if a child somewhere will benefit from hair he was ready to bid "adieu."

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