G.I. Dormitories

"Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers, standard barracks, prototype design. Objective: To provide a totally new living environment for the individual soldier of The Modern Volunteer Army." So begins an official Defense Department plan that shows how far Sad Sack has come. With the draft ended, military authorities have made many changes aimed at luring recruits, including pay increases and more relaxed dress codes. The most startling innovation, however, is a new design for Government Issue barracks.

Gone will be the long rows of narrow beds and communal lavatories. In their place, the modern Army envisions three-story townhouse-style buildings with a campus dormitory atmosphere. Each floor will have a central living room surrounded by four apartments. Set up to accommodate three soldiers, each suite consists of a bedroom, bathroom and lounge area. The carpeted, air-conditioned townhouses, furnished in motel-modern plastic and veneer, will be nestled together with landscaped courtyards and lawns as well as training areas.

Construction on the new barracks has already begun at Fort Sill, Okla., Fort Hood, Texas, and Fort Carson, Colo. Three other posts will start on new quarters this year, and 15 more are slated for barracks renewal in 1974. Comments Army Chief of Staff General Creighton Abrams, who undoubtedly has known drabber digs: "It is a splendid design. It is admirably suited to both male and female soldiers and will make their lives better, happier and healthier." Which raises the question of whether co-ed dorms are next for The Modern Volunteer Army.

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