WAAC AWOL

Pete DeCenzie manages Des Moines' Casino Theater, where customers pay 20-c- before 1 p.m., 30-c- before 5 p.m. and thereafter 40-c- to see second-rate movies and bush-league burlesque ("Midnight Show Tonight . . . Red Hot Thrills . . . Adults Only"). Last week Manager DeCenzie was full of woe. Said he: "I had no idea. . . . I certainly was surprised. ... I was shocked to death. . . ."

The thing that shocked him (and Des Moines too) was that henna-haired, sexy Amber D'Georg, the Casino's stripteaser, billed as "direct from Hollywood," was really direct from Fort Des Moines. Her billing there: Auxiliary Kathryn Doris Gregory, 15th Company, 3rd Regiment, Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. Her home: Fort Worth.

On Nov. 22, finding WAAC life dull, she had posed as a stranded showgirl and landed a job in the Casino's chorus. Four days later she had been upped to "Samoan Love Dancer" (the drummer beat a tomtom while she wiggled in a lei) and stripteaser (blue lights followed her around the stage as she teased off a gown borrowed from Mrs. DeCenzie). By Nov. 28 WAAC authorities had discovered where she was and quietly hauled her back to Fort Des Moines. Last week the news leaked and reporters persuaded the Fort's genial commandant, Colonel John A. Hoag, to part with details.

In the Army a soldier who goes AWOL gets guardhouse sentence. But the WAACs are of the Army but not in it, have no hard & fast rules as yet about going AWOL. Colonel Hoag, not yet decided what to do with Private Gregory (22 years old Dec. 12), kept her confined to quarters. Said he: "She was just a girl who had no understanding of her responsibilities."

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