I'm Not Signing In To Pee!!

Things were finally starting to feel better. I was making my way through head start and in processing and very anxious to get settled into my new 71D job. I went back to my barracks to pack up my belongs and move into my permanent room. Being transient makes you feel so displaced. I couldn't wait to get to my room.

I moved over to the headquarters company barracks with the help of the JAG SP4. She was a short-timer, on orders for Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. She took me to my new room, which was a 6 man-room. The front section was separated by wall lockers creating 4 individual spaces. The back section was divided by a wall with an arch-way opening. The two back sections had windows, I was envious. I was placed into the front left side. I was confused when I saw not one but TWO wall lockers in that section and a set of bunk beds. No sooner than I began unpacking my things --in came a soldier that had been staying with me in the make-shift barracks room.

Huh? What's going on? The barracks were still over crowded so the two of us had to share that one section. I was less than thrilled in fact, I was down right angry. This was starting to get really really old. To make things worse, right outside our room was a door leading outside. Between our room and the outside door was the CQ (charge of quarters) desk. There were ALWAYS people milling around the CQ desk. So as soon as the door to my room was open, my bed and whole area was visible to anyone that happened to be standing there. There was ZERO privacy --not to mention the constant chatter and noise that was just outside our door. This meant I couldn't get dressed in my room so I'd have to load everything up and go to the bathroom which, by the way --where is the bathroom? I'm so glad you asked.

Timing seemed to be my worst enemy --like arriving to my new unit on a holiday weekend. The woman's bathroom in our barracks was being renovated so the female soldiers had to share a bathroom with the adjoining PCS company. This entailed walking down our long hall, checking in with PSC CQ, up a flight of stairs and down another long hall to the bathroom. It was a complicated process, complicated even further at night when PSC would lock the double doors that lead into their barracks --so you'd have to stop at the CQ desk, sign for a key THEN proceed to the bathroom. The first time I had to do this in the middle of the night because uh --nature called, I might have had a tiny bit of an angry out burst with the Staff Sergeant on duty.

It was already ridiculous I was bunked in a small space -visible to the entire company! I had to go on a road march just to get to the bathroom --traipsing around the (mostly all male) barracks in my PJ's and robe. I had just hit my limit of what I could take. I felt like ever since I stepped foot in country I had been jerked around. Now as I proceed to tell you what I did, keep in mind how absolutely terrified I was of higher ranking soldiers. Not only would I have never talked back to one, I tired to avoid communication all together!

I stormed my way down the hall, stopped at the CQ desk just long enough to grab the key that was sitting on the desk. The Staff Sergeant asked me to sign for the key but I ignored him and proceeded to unlock the door --which was a chain and pad lock connecting two doors. I kept going despite the fact the Staff Sergeant kept calling me back. I yelled out to him, "I'm not signing in to pee!!!" On my way back, I didn't even slow down as I passed the CQ desk and threw that key on the desk. The last thing I heard was the Staff Sergeant yelling, "Who do you think you are???!!! What is your name?!" Okay, so that only meant I was probably in trouble but at the time I was too upset to care. I yelled back, "Private Dodge, Headquarters Company!" and kept going!

Not really a proud highlight of my military career, I agree with that. As I got back into my bed I laid there and wondered just how much trouble I was going to be in the next day.