Do barracks bunnies actually exist in the army?
Someone asked, “Are barracks bunnies a thing in the military?” Well… It was about 9:30 AM, Monday, March 24, 1975, at Howard Air Force Base in Panama, and it was time for a hot shower. I had arrived the day before after a long and tiring international flight to Tocumen International Airport.
After checking in, my new supervisor told me, “Take a day off tomorrow. Sleep late, unpack. Get your feet on the ground.
You can report for work Tuesday morning.” Sounded good to me. My assigned quarters were in the dormitory reserved for unaccompanied male personnel assigned to the base clinic. Unlike the Army, the Air Force didn’t normally use the term’ barracks.’
I was to learn later that there was an exception to that linguistic rule. The private rooms, which opened to a balcony-like screened corridor on each side of the long building, were equipped with a sink and a small refrigerator but no laundry, bath, or toilet facilities.
Those necessities were in a large area spanning the center of the building. The sleeping rooms were air-conditioned, but the corridors and the restrooms were not. By the time I got to my room after dinner, I could only undress and crawl into bed.
I had not set an alarm. Upon awakening and noting it was after 9, I realized I’d likely be alone in the dorm since normal work hours started much earlier. So, I struggled out of bed, doffed my normal sleeping gear, wrapped myself in a towel, and headed for the restroom. The restroom was a typical military 1970s setup, a long row of mirrored sinks along one side opposite a row of toilet stalls.
Do barracks bunnies actually exist in the army?
At the far end was a large, open gang shower like you might find in a gymnasium locker room. Per my boss’ instructions, I slept well, but I was still a bit dizzy. I’d taken care of my morning physical needs and had shaved. Pulling my towel from around my waist and hanging it on a hook, I walked into the empty shower, turned on the hot water, and, facing the wall, shampooed up a storm of suds.
I don’t know how long I stood there just letting the hot water run over my body and the steam treat my travel-abused system—I think I spaced out—just enjoying the soft and melodic music of sweet singing voices.
Singing voices? What? I hear singing. It sounds like female voices. Did someone bring a radio into the echoing tiled room? What? Giggling? Spanish words? The sound of more water running and splashing. What? Is the cleaning crew in? Should I not be here now?
Now, understand, please, these thoughts flew through my mind at the speed of light. Did I dare open my eyes? I had to. Turning around, I was greeted by two naked young women lathered up and showering behind me, chatting, giggling, and singing as they washed. The naïve Idaho farm boy in me was amazed.
I am trying to imagine what would have been a less-expected site. I admit I was a 25-year-old married man and father of two, but still, I was shocked to find I was in a shower, naked, with two dark-haired, copper-skinned beauties. And this was my first day in Panama. My first day out of the U.S. If this happens on the first morning in the country, what was yet to come?
Where can I watch all of the seasons of The Vampire Diaries for free?
Do barracks bunnies actually exist in the army?
The young women were paying me no mind. I hurriedly rinsed, walked behind them, grabbed my towel, and retreated to my room. I could hear the tile-amplified echo of their voices as I hurried down the corridor.
Friends, I met up with my new boss at the dining hall for lunch. After some small talk and the typical, ‘How did you sleep? Is your room OK?’ type of conversation. I gathered up my nerves and asked about the women in the shower.
“Oh, that.” He said. “Yeah. Get used to it. Barracks bunnies.”
First time I’d heard the term. “Barracks bunnies?”
“Yeah,” he said. Local girls. Howard is an open base. The Interamerican Highway runs right through the middle of the base, just a block from your dorm. Girls ride in on the Chiva buses and hang around a bus stop until someone invites them into the base club for dinner, drinks, and dancing.
Buses stop running after 10 PM, so they need someplace to stay, and normally, they wind up in a dorm room with whoever picks them up. Sometimes, they stay for a few days.
Sometimes, for a few months. They may even clean rooms or do laundry for spare change—it may be the most money they’ve ever seen. It isn’t legal, but nobody enforces that rule. Seems good for morale. A few of them wind up married to one of the guys.”
Oh. Well. Welcome to the real world. Dorothy said, “I feel we’re not in Kansas anymore.” So, yes, barracks bunnies do exist. Or at least they did in Panama in the 1970s. In earlier times, they were referred to as camp followers.
Do barracks bunnies actually exist in the army?
Friends, Yes. They exist.
Yes. They’re real.
Yes. It happens.
It’s real…
A barracks bunny is someone (usually female) that sleeps with other soldiers during off-duty hours. Usually on Friday and Saturday nights. They’re not actually bunnies, but that’s what they’re called.
I first heard about them like this:
It was a Friday night, I was on CQ (Charge of Quarters). It’s basically a shift where you sit in the barracks for 24 hours and you can’t sleep. Basically like pulling security.
“Ha, ha, ha, ha!”
“That cat’s too big for that bra.”
Then I heard loud footsteps.
“That might be the Segreant Major. Guess I have to put this magazine away and look busy with military material…”
“Wait a sec, that’s not the Sergeant Major.”
“That’s a female soldier that is suspiciously leaving someone else‘s room at 1 in the morning.”
“You know the deal with that?”
“That’s the walk of shame…”
“Walk of shame?“
“Yeah. It’s when a person leaves someone else’s room late at night alone. It basically means they just had sex and they’re going back to their room. A barracks bunny.”
“A barracks bunny, huh?”
“Yeah… a soldier that sleeps with other soldiers in the barracks.
“Mhm. Fascinating…”
“What?”
“Wait, you think I’m a barracks bunny?!”
“I saw you leave Melanie’s room last week at like midnight.”
“I was giving her her monthly counseling!”
“At midnight?”
“It wasn’t midnight. It was 11:52 pm.”
Yes, this answer was collapsed. I got it uncollapsed. I’m sorry if your life sucks and you don’t have a sense of humor. At least let other people enjoy this answer…
Do barracks bunnies actually exist in the army?
I had been dating my wife for about a month when I went back to the barracks to sleep. About 2 hours after falling asleep, I was awoken by something tickling my foot. I opened my eyes to find two scantily clad young ladies. One was barely dressed in black and tickled my foot with a riding crop.
The other was dressed in white with a feather halo. They were dressed to be bad/good. I started talking with them and found out they just wanted to have some fun. I escorted them down the hall to my buddy’s room and returned to bed. I was dating my wife, after all!
The next day after work, I met my wife (girlfriend) and got on a bus to her house. Those two girls were also on the bus. I told my wife what happened, and she knew both of them. We still talk to them on Facebook today.
Later, I became an NCO and kicked ladies out of the barracks while on CQ. It was a pain in the buttocks. The girls didn’t want to go. The guys didn’t want them to go. They never had rides. I knew too many of their parents. Etcetera.
Do barracks bunnies actually exist in the army?
Back in the ‘90s, when I was active at Ft. Stewart, barracks bunnies were sometimes a nuisance and dangerous. Bunnies come in a wide variety. From your ”No Really I’m 18” jail-bait-in-disguise dwarf bunnies to the “I’m Looking for a Place to Crash and We Can Play” variety. Even the ”I’m the Girl from Your Fantasies” and “Let Me Marry Your Paycheck…I Mean You” nester bunnies.
To the ”I caught something penicillin doesn’t fix, I’m angry cause I’m pretty sure a soldier gave it to me, so I’m giving it back” scary bunnies. Then there was the common cottontail that just liked being tail. They’d come after hours and hop into the sunrise before morning formation. Only to return and start the cycle all over again.
As an NCO on CQ duty, you patrol your battalions, brigades, or division areas, but mostly, you monitor the radios and phones. On CQ duty during a three or four-day pass after a long deployment. You see and get entangled in a cornucopia of bunny-related shenanigans. So yes, they exist.
Just like their cousins, the ”Lot Lizard” prefer truckers. You get a high density of males, sprinkle in some testosterone, and inevitably attract critters. Be safe, free, protected, and above all else, give as good as possible.
Do barracks bunnies actually exist in the army?
Yes, they do. It’s a derogatory term, but I saw quite a few while I was still in the barracks when I was on active duty. There were several instances where a girl could almost always be found in a male barracks room. In one incident, we had a guy who liked to have parties. It wasn’t a bad thing, and we were honestly responsible compared to others.
Never had a DUI in the group, so command was pretty whatever as long as nothing bad happened. One Friday night, I was busy being a nerd and playing Starcraft when several higher-up NCOs came strolling through, knocking on all the doors.
I answer and get asked if a female has been in the barracks or anything. I said no, as I honestly had no clue and was getting my ass handed to me in Starcraft. NCO tells me to keep my eye out. The next morning, I found out a girl was partying with a guy who was 15. The command was not happy about it.
Yes. And not just in the Army and downrange, too – where sex is outlawed on pain of prosecution. That policy worked so well that special investigators busted a prostitution ring in this war at least once.
In the 90’s, my wife was assigned to the prison on post. She had to interview a prisoner, and he told this story. He was being charged with statutory rape of a 16 yr old girl. The MP picked up the girl on the post and did not have a military ID, so she did not belong. She named over 20 guys she had slept with on post to keep herself out of trouble. All of the guys lived in the barracks.
All of them got picked up and charged, and all of them told the same story. They picked her up at the club on the post. She had an ID that showed she was 22 years old. She eventually stayed with each one for a few days in their room.
All of the soldiers got the same lawyer and got off. I could not believe they were even charged. She looked over 21, had an ID saying she was over 21, and was picked up in a club where her ID was checked.
Do barracks bunnies actually exist in the army?
I was stationed at Bolling AFB, DC. They have a 12-story tall dormitory called Mathis Manor. It houses mostly lower-grade airmen from all of the service branches. NCOs had to serve a CQ duty about once a year or so. I got pulled into this duty. You sit at a desk in the lobby in front of the elevators and ask to see the ID of those who entered.
The CQ was supposed to keep the kids out. Every so often, you’d get a young girl with no ID to want to get into the dorm. Some of them got nasty when denied access. Or some troop wants to bring his “niece” in. Yeah, right. There were always people trying to get past you.
But occasionally, you’d see a couple of hot girls dressed to the hilt in the lobby. These girls were mature professionals. They would sit and wait in the lounge area. They never even tried to get past the CQ. After a little while, a guy, or a couple of guys, would come down, and off they would go for a fun night. OR..whatever.
Barracks Bunnies.
Conclusion
😂 Oh man, do they ever. Let me start by categorizing that I am not now and never have been a barracks bunnies.
When I was 17, I met my future husband, a Royal Marine. We got together just over a year later. At that time, I lived across the country, and he was posted to the south coast, so I’d often travel to him and stay with him in his room for the weekend.
I’d usually stay from Thursday night to Monday morning. I was studying at the OU, so I could do whatever I wanted, and I occasionally stayed a whole week. I’d study or read, expecting to hide in his room in a deserted building during the day.
Nope. When daylight came, and the marines disappeared, they all emerged into the common areas. Chatting amongst each other, swapping stories of the night before. I was a sheltered deaf girl who looked about 15 and very shy at that age. They took me under their wing.
“Who are you here with a chick?”
“Dave.”
“O he’s a nice guy.” (WHAT?! 😡) “Is he looking after you ok? Is he being nice to you? Are you getting home ok?”
😂
They usually all cleared out by 9 or 10, but I’d see them again all the time, having swapped bedrooms in an ongoing game of musical chairs.
That went on for three years. I found them less intimidating in my early 20s than when I was 18. Some nice girls, though, but you have to wonder why they’re doing what they do.
Note: I showed this answer to my husband, and he reminded me of something!
As I said, I looked very young, and I’m sure they picked up. I found them all quite intimidating. One older girl – I thought of her as older then, but she was probably about 25 – took more interest in me. “Do you want to share a taxi home? Are you sure Dave is expecting you to stay and wait for him? 🤨. Are you sure he’ll be happy you’re still here when he returns? Come on, we can go out tonight, and we’ll find you a new one.” ( 🤔 tempting) I managed to stay anyway. 😂
At some point, this girl had a proper go at my husband! “That “little girl” thinks she’s your girlfriend! What the hell are you doing? Why are you leading her on? What age is she anyway? 18? I don’t believe that. 😡”
Some of the bunnies had teeth! As I said, it was scary, but some of them were nice girls.
Do barracks bunnies actually exist in the army?