The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-03-20
WACS RUN MESS
 FOR 2,OOO GI'SAT
 CALCUTTA BASE
BY McQUOWN WRIGHT United Press Staff Correspondent

(Un1te0 Press StatI COrrcsponuemtl
 Calcutta, March 2O.-UP)-En- listed personnel at Eastern Air Com mand headquarters near CalcuttS reU9r.tly have been geeting their nearest thing to home cooking avail able in the Far Eastern theaters ot operation.
 The reason l5 Wacs have ccarge os the kitcner' and food preparation for nearly 2,J0O men This IS the only mess operated Dy WACS in either the India Burma,
 The results reports of grip ing" about army food at the base on a steady decrease and praise for the cooking on almost parallel increase.
 More than three tons of food daily, including fresh foods bought here, frozen meat, as well as field ration A supplies, are prepared daily at the mess. This means 1t is on a 24-hour basis and while one meal is being eaten preparation for the next one has begun. Each enlisted man and women gets 4,000 calories per day.
 Hire Indians For KIP
 Tn addition to the WACS there are 10 enlisted men and about 30 Indians. One of the jobs for which the Indians are hired is dishwash- ing and such tasks as ,peeling potatoes, making this mess one of the few at which there is no KIP.
 YNfo oiV DncIVyV1 Kofu nf (1Q0 Mansfield streeD Hartford, Conn. is mess officer.
 She explained that in addition to better geenral preparation of the food, work of the WACs he's meant the appearance of such delicacies as pies, cakes and cinna- mon rolls on the menu - which were seldom or never seen when just GIs and Indians had charge of the mess.
 "The food is now favored more to American tastes" Captain Katz continued. "The Indian cooks tend to overfavor. The WACs now do all thst work"
 Mess personnel is divided into three shifts, under the direction of a shift leader. each of which re- main on duty for "A hours. The shift also has the responsibility of serving the food which is done cafeteria style. The bakers work at night.
 Varied Peacetime Jobs
 Peacetime occupations of the WACs who handle this mess vary from cooks and housewives to beautician, cloth-cutter and clerk typist. One Sergeant Claire M. Par riott of (554 34th Street) Oakland, Cal, was a restaurant manager. The mess sergeant Technical Sergeant Edna L. Possiel of (383 Union streetO Jersey City, N. J., was a home economics teacher.
 Near relatives in forces of these enlisted women total 12 brothers, a sister, a son, and three husbands.
 Staff Sergeant Margaret L. Bra sus of (3006 West 6Oth street) Chi cago, H., is the mother. Her son is Corporal Edward Brasus. 8 marine stationed at Charleston Navy Yard, s. c.
 Other members of the staff are: Staff Sergeant Helen c. Robertson, (300 Lowenhill avenue) Pittsburgh, Pa, shift leader; Sergeant Ira E. Harrison, (701 Hines streeD La Grange, Ga, shift leader; Corporal Leota L. Hinkle, Bloomington, Ind, baker; Corporal Anna s. Kovach Q504 East 28th street) Lorain, O., cook; Private First Class Minnie Bohlander, Pekin, H., cook; Private First Class Claire R. Kuba, 1913 Washington streeD Hokoben, N. J., cook; Sergeant Sophie T. Kiewlak, Shenandoah, Pa, assistant mess sergeant; Sergeant Helen Matson, G Weisner Parkway Metheun, Mass, cook; Corporal Florence L. Benfield, (2621 Montgomery street) Louisville, Ky, cook; Corporal Dor othy E. Schaefer, (522 East 38th streeD Baltimore, Md, cook; Pri- vate Marcia Cavell, Laurell, Iowa, cook; Private Theresa T. Sarabia, Winslow, AriZ., cook.