The Barracks ...

Perhaps the thing least looked forward to about NIACT is the accommodations: open bay barracks. You've seen it before in several movies (Stripes, Full Metal Jacket, Biloxi Blues), two long rows of steel framed bunk beds separated by foot lockers. Here at McCrady the barracks are in relatively new buildings. Our group is separated into the barracks by rank so I'm in a building of twenty-five or so Lieutenant Commanders (O-4s). The Commanders (O-5s) are in another and Ensigns (O-1s) through Lieutenants (O-3s) are in another. The ten or so Captains (O-6s) have their own building where they sleep two to a room. The enlisted ranks have several buildings. The female barracks include both officers and enlisted due to their small numbers.

Barracks living isn't as bad as I thought it would be -- at least in the O-4 "Hootch" as we call it. We do our own cleaning on a rotating schedule and everyone is good about personal space and keeping quiet.

Of course, there is a lot of snoring which most people can't help. In the middle of the night it's akin to a frog pond where one frog calls to another. Every few minutes, all the frogs call out in unison.

Thankfully, I have ear plugs.