Now it can be told (continued)

From the point of view of the men, this was an ideal assignment. From the vantage point of our guarded and secure position, they could follow the progress of the war, safe from combat on the beaches of Iwo Jima and the hedges of Normandy and Germany. Everything was provided for us, from food, shelter and clothing, to recreation and stimulation. There was a theater, mess hall, recreation room, base exchange – we never felt the need to go off base. Periodically we were called to assembly and told how important we were to the war effort. As I said, this was an ideal assignment.
The barracks were partitioned off into cubicles, each cubicle containing two beds and facilities for hanging our uniforms and personal items. At the foot of the bed was a foot locker, with certain specified items packed just so according to regulations. These were opened during inspection, and if we were found to be derelict in our presentation, we were given a demerit and made to do some extra duty around the base. One time my bed wasn’t made tight enough and I was given the task of washing the windows of the library. It was the only demerit I remember getting and I can’t remember actually doing it.
The assignment of cubicle mates was of vital importance. We had no choice in the matter, and I was lucky enough to have one with whom I was fairly compatible. She was a brash, sophisticated woman from Brooklyn, and at about 32 or 33 seemed quite old to me. Sensing my naïve approach to life, she attempted to indoctrinate me into the basics of living in which she felt I was deficient. She had a tattoo on her thigh, and dyed her hair jet black. She made no claim to high moral standards, but since there was little opportunity for hanky-panky, her influence was fairly benign. We had no privacy whatever, and if someone wanted to set up a liaison with someone of the opposite sex, they would have been immediately discovered and routed out. The men were vastly outnumbered by the women, anyway. There wouldn’t have been enough of them to go around.