As I walked into the chief's exam, the officer in charge asked if I had studied. I told him the blanket story. The best officers and senior enlisted are the ones who will check out the rumors to see if they are true, and then do what they can to fix them. They are leaders who want to make a difference for those under their command. Junior people sometimes fall through the cracks.
Blankets are easy, but maintaining the motivation to stay in the service is a tougher problem.
You have to take care of your troops. In November 1998 I began active duty at Joint Analysis Center Molesworth in the United Kingdom. I was picked up at London Heathrow Airport by a yeoman second class, Anne Hyde, who told me what to expect at the barracks. Only officers get bathtubs. It's 40 degrees outside.