Written by Amanda Coers – Clarence Hickerson served his country for over 20 years in the United States Military. His family moved to Brownwood in 1972, and he graduated in 1988, after which he joined the Navy, where he served for 10 years. He then served another 14 years in the Army National Guard. He is now a retired veteran.
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Hickerson has a wide smile, and an engaging warmth in his voice. Standing in his barber shop on Adams Street in downtown Brownwood, he looks perfectly at ease. You would never know the amount of work it has taken to get him to this point in his life.
Like countless other veterans, Hickerson suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder due to his experiences in battle.
“In the Navy I was in Desert Shield and Desert Storm for that whole conflict,” he explained. “In the National Guard I was in Iraq for a year.”
His voice is lower, and the occasional pauses feel heavy with painful memories unspoken.
“I needed something totally different from the Army, the military regiment, something… that would not remind me of war,” Hickerson said. “When I got back, I was hiding. I was withdrawn. I had tried to commit suicide a couple of times.”
After returning home, he had received treatment through in-house programs, intensive counseling, group therapy, and trial and error through medication.
“Over the last three years, we finally got my medication straight, and the doctor here at the V.A. did ‘talk therapy’ with me. I’ve been working with him for four years. He pretty much got me where I’m at today.”
Hickerson’s doctor advised him to find a new outlet, to not only help him heal emotionally, but to also connect with the community and draw himself out from his self-imposed isolation.
“I thought and I thought, and the furthest thing from the Army I could think of was doing hair,” he smiled, with a soft laugh. With that in mind, Hickerson attended Ranger Cosmetology School in 2016, graduating a year later, and then went on for an intensive barber course, finishing in May 2017. He opened his own Barber Shop and Salon in August.
Though his new career is quite different from his military path, Hickerson feels it is another type of service, explaining, “You’re still helping people.”
At first, Hickerson felt nervous reintegrating with the community and interacting with people. But as he began to cut and style hair, he found a surprising perk.
“It has a very calming effect. It’s nice, it’s peaceful,” he said. “I like mathematics, and if you look at hair, it’s like mathematics. You can see the angles, the formulas. If you do it right, you can see the right angles. And that’s all you can think about. You don’t have time to think about anything else.”
Though he admits he could participate more in veteran organizations, he still struggles. But the barber shop has become more than a new career and business. It’s become a therapy of its own.
“This is my comfort zone right here,” Hickerson said, spreading his arms to indicate his barber shop.
Clarence Hickerson’s salon, “Hair Nation,” is located at 201 Adams Street, Suite D, in downtown Brownwood. The salon is open Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., on Friday and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The salon is open by appointment only on Monday, and closed on Wednesday and Sunday. Appointments can be scheduled by calling: 325-430-0829.
