Forced March

Dot entered the latrine, hoping she could soon withdraw the first rank and send in the second. The scene that greeted her was almost insane with chaos; both toilets were occupied, with a second woman standing by each in obvious distress. Four women were squatting in the shower stall, pouring out forceful steams near the drain, while two stood at the urinals, male style, their pants and underclothes off, as they tried to maneuver themselves in position to use the fixtures. Three more were on hands and knees, scrubbing the floor and pipes. The soldier positioned on the first toilet was noisily crooning, "Oh, paradise is when you've had to pee for hours and finally they let you!"

Shaking her head, Dot quickly moved the women to cleaning work as they relieved themselves, then sent several out to bring in the next rank.

The procedure continued, amid loud clanging of buckets, dumping of water, and much evidence of activity as women went back and forth through the door. At one point, Dot unfastened her own pants as she went into the shower, squatted with the others while she emptied her bladder onto the floor, now awash with female urine gradually running down the drain.

Half an hour after they had started, the women were relieved and the latrine was gleaming from the work of many hands. Approvingly, Dot inspected the results and recalled her charges to the positions in the column of march.

Loudly, she again scolded them for their poor performance, but the smiles on their faces belied her sincerity. The women, refreshed and much relieved, were ready to resume.

The afternoon was extremely hot, and Dot knew she wouldn't easily find another place like to station to relieve her group. Nonetheless, she insisted that they partake heavily of water to fend off heat stroke. They trudged along, their spirits lifted with confidence in their leader.

Dot was hoping they could last until dark before another bathroom break. The women were sweating profusely in the heat and with their continued exertion. In mid-afternoon they experienced a moment of triumph when they saw a male soldier fall out of ranks and collapse in exhaustion. At least it wasn't a woman who was the first to fall!

As dusk settled, the women had been six hours without a bathroom break, longer, Dot noted, than most of the men around them who were seen to be taking opportunities to relieve themselves whenever there was a rest stop. Dot was feeling fullness in her own bladder, but nothing like what she had forced herself to endure in the morning.

"Sarge, when can we pee again?" one of her women asked her, now showing obvious anxiety. Rather than bully them with her rough mannerisms, she answered quietly, "when it's dark enough - it won't be much longer!"

Dark fell, but there were no rest stops soon. In the darkness, with cooler temperatures, soldiers were expected to last longer, and the pace was kept up. Around eight o 'clock word was passed to break for half an hour, and allow the troops to break out rations. No lights, it was noted, could be allowed. They were to stay in blacked-out condition, no smoking, no fires, no lights. There was little moon, and it was difficult to see beyond one's closest neighbor.

As they halted, Dot loudly commanded them to fall out, but remain within touch of each other. Then, much more quietly, she instructed them, "The area within our perimeter is your latrine - use it, and keep yourselves dry. The holding time is over, for now." Grateful soldiers did as instructed.

The night was long, and they were exhausted. They were allowed a two hour break, to sleep if they could, before resuming the final stage at about one in the morning. At long last, they were able to meet the trucks at their terminal point, and the tired and dirty soldiers climbed into the trucks for the ride back to their barracks.

Dot had not seen Capt. McCaulley since the march began. She began to wonder what had become of her. Finally she spotted her Captain as the trucks unloaded. Mary McCaulley summoned her for a report. At some length, Dot recited the events of the day. The captain seemed pleased. "I don't think there should be any real complaints about our women soldiers. I'll be interested in hearing what the male officers have to say, later."

About to depart, Dot hesitated. "Captain, could I ask you one very personal question?" "Of course," Mary replied.

"Well, Captain, you were with the headquarters group - all men, except yourself, as I understand."

"Right, Dot. Your old Captain and a dozen or so men."

"Just for my future guidance, Captain, would you tell me - how did you, er, handle the bathroom problem?"

Mary laughed. "Dot, when I first saw the men starting to step off to the side to, well, we all knew it was to pee, they would often excuse themselves with some remark, like 'I need to take a leak' and I tried to ignore them. Usually they turned their backs to me, and they weren't trying to offend me. None of them made any suggestion as to what I should do; and I kept hoping there might be a tree or somewhere sheltered to which I could excuse myself; but, as you know, the country was pretty bare. By the time I saw men taking their relief the second or third time, my bladder was hurting so bad that I didn't care who was watching or what they thought. So when one Major stepped aside after giving some remark to excuse himself, I simply said to him, 'I need to, too - I'll join you' and I did. I just squatted down beside him when he got ready, and I think I shot out the biggest stream I've ever done in my life. He just stared at me, but I didn't care!"

"Weren't you considered a 'distraction' to the men?"

"No one said I was! I'm supposed to be an officer and a lady - but just then it was a lot more of being an officer and a woman! I may not have been a lady, but I felt a lot better!"

"Captain, you will be glad to know that the members of my platoon were soldiers AND ladies!" Dot responded, reflecting to herself that they would probably have much preferred to have acted as the Captain had.

END