PLDC-- The Females Get In Trouble

During PLDC we were not allowed to leave the building with out a pass or permission but apparently, some had been doing so.

Downstairs at the end of a hallway was a small female bathroom and next to it a door that went out to the parking lot.  A few of the females discovered this small bathroom, which was nice because you know, we didn't have our own to use and though it was just a toilet and sink, it was still just ours.  But in the discovery of this little gem, some females also discovered they could exit the building through that outside door and not get seen/caught.  And so --that's what some females were doing --sneaking out but in order to get back in they were propping the door open with a small rock.  The door and bathroom were down a long hallway that was mostly unused so unless you were going to use the bathroom, there was no reason to venture down to the end of the hall and you couldn't tell the door was propped open until you got right up to it.  All of the females knew what was going on because we were using the bathroom so we could see the door.  I wasn't sneaking out and really --most of us weren't.  But then one day the propped door was discovered by one of our Instructors and so all of us females got called in and talked to.

We were asked who was sneaking out but of course no one admitted they were and no one narked either --that's not the Army way.  I don't remember if I knew who was sneaking out or not but I know I didn't speak up.  We got chewed out and then we were warned if the door was found propped open again the person(s) responsible would get thrown out of the school and we were not to hold the door open for anyone, let anyone in that door, leave through that door, etc. etc.


Things with my roommates were not going well.  One night after taking a shower I put my PT clothes on because, that's all I really had to wear.  I walk back into my room and my roommate, the girl with the long brown hair, was sitting on the floor (the only furniture we had in our rooms was our bunks and we weren't allowed on them until lights-out), polishing her boots and spitting her chew into her cup.  She looks at me and says, "You're out of uniform!!!"  I wasn't even in uniform so I asked what she meant and she said, "Your hair --it's not put up above your collar."  So I told her I was in my PT clothes, NOT a military uniform and so it didn't matter.  She got soooo very angry with me and told me PT clothes WERE a military uniform ---then she went on and on about my lack of military knowledge, I'd never be a good NCO because I don't even know military standards, girls like me give a bad name to the Army, I was more concerned about being cute with my hair down (really?  It was dripping wet and just hanging down) than about my military presence . . . then she went on to say, "You'll never even pass this course, you are just wasting the Army's time and money.  You don't have what it takes to be a real soldier.  I'm not going back to my unit with my head hung in shame --too bad you can't say the same."

I had no idea why she hated me so much but it was quite obvious, especially after the shower incident in which she was annoyed with me and thought I had made more of a big deal about it than need be.  She rallied our other roommates to her corner as well and eventually, they all hated me as much.  There was one blonde female that seemed to remain neutral, so to speak.  She was one of those soldiers that just wanted to mind her own business and accomplish the mission.  She didn’t want friends or enemies –and only needed you to the extent the military mission required it.  So it wasn’t like to was my friend or nice to me, but she wasn’t against me either and in some small way, that made it a little easier to be in my room –but just a little.  Mostly it was cold and uncomfortable.

What I was happy for is the fact that none of my roommates were in my Platoon so during the day I didn’t have to see them at all.  There were a few other females in our course and I was friendly with them however; it was a rare occasion I even saw them.