IRAQI DESERT -- When the temperatures top out at more than 100 degrees and the sand embeds itself into your uniform, any degree of normalcy is welcome. Normalcy comes by way of showers and laundry services provided by Marine Wing Support Squadron 373.

"We are just trying to make life bearable out here," Staff Sgt. Jose A. Dizon, staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge, hygiene equipment, MWSS-373, 3rd Marine Aircraft
Wing from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

"I have 10 Marines that work for me out here and they had the showers and the laundry up in and running in less than one week."

Setting up fast was the mission, but they also had to keep in mind the number of Marines who would be using the facility.

"We offer shower and laundry services for two marine aircraft groups, an engineer support battalion, our squadron and any transient convoys that come though here on their way north," Dizon added.

"We are currently running three shower units."

During initial setup is when you will have most of the problems, Dizon added.

"The first week was hell, we had a lot of maintenance to take care of, we were working almost 24 hours a day," said Cpl. Daniel S. Agosta, 21, hygiene equipment operator, MWSS-373, and Vancouver, Wash., native.

"The sand was very fine and is clogging the fuel lines, pumps and solenoids."

"Now we are running the showers 14-hours a day and the laundry eight- to 12-hours a day," Agosta said.

"We wash just over 300 bags of laundry a day, but that does not include the uniforms which are washed separately," said Cpl. April A. Gardner, 22, hygiene equipment operator, MWSS-373.

"We are pushing more than 400 loads of laundry out of here a day."

"Set up gave us problems, we had a general idea of how we wanted it set up. Once we had everything up and running everything started to run pretty smoothly," Gardner added.

"As far as the showers, we are running more than 800 male Marines through the showers a day," said the St. Helens, Ore., native.

Keeping bodies and clothes clean takes up a lot of water, water that is not readily available in the middle of the desert.

"Right now we are making due with the water that we have from the water purification plant," Dizon said.

The water is trucked in from the plant that is located almost 10 miles away.

"During a typical day, we will go through 9,000 gallons of water for the laundry and 15,000 gallons for the showers, but we have plenty of water to support that mission - even in the middle of the Iraqi desert."