One of their duties was to make a trip to the Alert Shack every day. The Alert Shack was the center of operations, the most prominent building on the strip. The officer of the day could be found there. Holding meetings, mapping strategy, planning airstrikes. This is where they picked up the mail and found out what was going on in the world. The personnel in the shack posted the news and general information for all to read. They traveled zigzag by way of the paths around the rice paddies. The paddies were approximately square shaped sections each in different stages of growth. They got to know some of the neighbors they saw every day on these trips. The Chinese would let them take pictures of them working, and let the soldiers borrow their tools so Dad could take pictures of the guys "working". One day as they were making the run, on the next walkway between the paddies, they saw a woman squatting. She gave birth right there and then tied the cord. A man came over to help, he took off his coat, wrapped the baby in it and then they both went back to work.