Troops Get Away with Doing WHAT?!

Jan 26, 2019 1:49 AM PST

1 minute read

SUMMARY

Unless you’re married, you better plan on living in the barracks — or prepare to be homeless. Although the idea of sharing a room with two or three other people sounds sh*tty, you can get away with some pretty interesting things if no one hates o…

Unless you're married, you better plan on living in the barracks — or prepare to be homeless. Although the idea of sharing a room with two or three other people sounds sh*tty, you can get away with some pretty interesting things ... if no one hates on you.

Many troops will try and bend the rules as far as they can, just to see what they can get away with.

Related: 7 ways barracks parties prepare you for college life

1. Having an unauthorized roommate.

Since staying in the barracks is like living in a cramped studio apartment. Some service members occasionally invite a special someone to stay with them for various periods of time. Although it's against the rules to allow a civilian to live in the barracks temporarily, you won't get in trouble for it if they stay hidden in the closet while you're off at work.

Unless you have plenty of haters around, you can manage to keep your civilian roommate a secret for a while.

2. Collecting BAH.

The barracks are usually run by what we call, "Barrack Sergeants." If you're cool with this guy or gal, you might be able to get yourself a free room, even though you're collecting BAH.

3. Throwing loud parties.

How well someone can get away with throwing loud parties boils down to the number of people who like the person hosting the bash. If the barracks duty is a friend of yours, you can party all freakin' night long.

4. Running a side-hustle business.

Contrary to popular belief, young enlisted troops can operate a business out of their barracks room. Since nobody pays rent, running a business requires little overhead. Although it sounds like a good idea to make some extra cash, the practice is highly frowned upon.

5. Using unauthorized appliances.

There are a few things you're not allowed to have in your barracks room, like stoves, candles, and pets. However, some people get away with having appliances that aren't on that list — if you're cool.

6. Getting a private room.

This is one of the hardest things to pull off in the barracks. Getting your own room is mostly a product of luck or a lot of a**kissing. Someone has to really like you out there — or your command has extra cash to afford private berthing quarters.