What do we do here? (May, 1981)

OK, I've been here for a couple of weeks and I am still not able to tell my wife, Monina, what I do here. I do know that this office is involved with evaluating quality issues of certain medical items that DOD buys. We answer complaints that come in from users around the world on surgical items and laboratory supplies but I am just observing so far. It looks like one of the fellows close by (not in our office) is spending a lot of time answering complaints about condoms. There seems to be a problem in the Central American areas with them breaking. What great material for cocktail parties! It will be my luck to answer complaints on tampons. I gotta get out of here!

There are hundreds of people on this big open floor and I sure would like to know what they do but the guy next to me has been here for 30 years and does not know himself. The computer systems here are so old that engineers fill out long sheets of coded forms in order to have some other person enter input.

There are no normal looking people here. Must be where I belong! Sigh!