The WAVES Take the Floor

The reason we eight girls had room enough in our one closet was that only certain specified items were allowed to hang there. Our luggage was in a storage room elsewhere, where we kept our clothes we wore to get to New York. Each of us had one spare dress uniform, two short-sleeved gray seersucker work dresses with one matching jacket, two white shirts, one medium blue work shirt (office work), and a dark blue all-weather coat, double-breasted and with Raglan sleeves. When we had a fire drill in the night, we donned our raincoats, rolled up our blanket—which was called an admiral—and carried it under our left arms. We had no robes. After boot training, if we wished to have a white summer dress uniform, we bought it with our own money. This choice was based on the weather conditions of one’s new location. I never needed a white uniform after I left New York.

Although we would never serve on a Navy ship, we used the same terms as if we were on a ship. Those who ran the buildings, the personnel, the programs, etc., were called ship’s crew. The personnel who got run were ship’s company. We had classes about ships, physical exercise in a gym, swimming for just one platoon (not mine), classes on health and first aid, but we never had a class about what was happening in the war zones. It was possible to go through training without being aware a war was on. However, on Sunday morning, right after breakfast, we found a truckload of the New York Times for our taking. This was my first experience with a newspaper with far too many ads. I don’t recall how we got those to our barracks, for we did not march carrying anything. I recall turning the pages of the Book Review section and nothing else. We needed newspapers, for that is what we cleaned our one mirror with and the inside of our six windows with Venetian blinds, two in each bedroom, one in the bath, and one in the kitchen. We were not allowed to use the kitchen; we just had to keep it clean, even behind the refrigerator. Captain’s inspection with white gloves was usually announced ahead of time, but could also be a surprise.

I often thought about a family’s living in this apartment. The entry hall was square-shaped and could probably accommodate a dining table, if it were a drop-leaf type. To its right was the full-sized kitchen. Our first bedroom could have been a living room, if the family needed only one bedroom. But it, or even both of them, could have been what the British call a bed-sit. Between these two bedrooms was the bathroom with the closet opposite in a hallway. The hallway itself was only big enough to allow two persons to pass each other. Floors throughout the huge complex, about a city block in size, were hardwood.

About those floors now. Of course, the girls got demerits for simple infractions of the rules. Punishment was scrubbing the floor of the main lobby (for all three wings) for two hours on hands and knees. This was a lark for most, for we were in such great physical shape from all that marching. Yes, I got a demerit once, for a handkerchief on the floor in our closet, right under my laundry bag, during inspection. It was not my handkerchief, but in my territory. There was no redress for grievances, of course. I scrubbed that floor for two hours (with others doing the same all around me), only to give my spot to the next demeritee when I finished. I learned years later that the Navy had to pay for a new floor, for we had worn it out by scrubbing it! To be continued.

♥