ON-BASE HOUSING

AIRMEN Personnel are billeted in 2- and 3- story, modern, brick-constructed dormitories.  The rooms are comfortable, furnished to accommodate 2, 3, and, if necessary, 4 persons.  Dayrooms and personal-hygiene facilities are  located on each floor. NCO Two dormitories are set aside as NCO Bachelor Quarters with two NCOs sharing each room.  The rooms are equipped with Hollywood-type beds,  desks, wall lockers, lamps, and refrigerator.  An  annex of the NCO Open Mess is located in the  senior NCO quarters. OFFICER Bachelor Officer Quarters are similarly equipped  with the exception that, when possible, bachelor or unaccompanied officers will be provided single  accommodations.  An ESS barber shop is located  in the BOQ. BASE HOUSING On base, there are 601 housing units located within a reasonable distance of base facilities.  There are 74 officer units, 427 enlisted quarters, and 100 trailer units (for enlisted personnel only).  Each unit is equipped with a cooking range, a refrigerator, and basic furniture; all units except the trailer units have washers and dryers. On-base housing is assigned according to a family's size and composition and the sponsor's date of eli- gibility (rank, date departed CONUS, date of rank).  Separate waiting lists are maintained for 2-, 3-, and 4-bedroom quarters and for trailers. The approximate waiting time for government quarters is 1 to 3 months and 3 to 6 months for trailers. Exception is made for certain consecutive oversea-tour personnel, O-4s and above, E-8s, and E-9s.  They are assigned quarters as soon as possible (usually no more than 30 days) after arrival.

DISPENSARY
    Karamursel and the adjacent area are served by a 12-bed, class-A dispensary staffed to provide medical care and short-term hospitalization. It is located near the ESS area.

    Separate clinic hours are scheduled for military personnel and dependents.  You will be told of the sick call and clinic hours at your newcomers' briefing.

    Routine prenatal care is provided by the dispensary.  Approximately 7 to 10 days before delivery date, expectant mothers are evacuated by air to the USAF Hospital in Ankara, where complete obstetrical and nursery services are available for delivery.
     Personnel requiring hospitalization longer than 2 or 3 weeks or requiring specialists not locally available are usually sent by scheduled air evacuation to hospital facilities at Ankara, Turkey; Frankfurt, Germany;
Landsthul, Germany; Wiesbaden, Germany; and Naples, Italy.

    Routine pediatric service is provided by the dispensary staff with the more complicated cases being referred to hospital facilities at Ankara or Wiesbaden.

    Altho the dispensary has a relatively well-equipped operating room, ordinarily is used only for emergency deliveries or minor surgery.  All patients requiring other than minor surgery are referred to the hospital
at Ankara or Wiesbaden.
    If you or your dependents require special medication, you must advise the Commander, TUSLOG Detachment 46, APO New York 09324, at the earliest possible date before leaving the United States.  Provide complete information regarding the type and dosage of medication you are receiving.  Also, to safeguard against a possible shortage, bring at least a 3-month supply of such medication with you.

DENTAL CLINIC

    Karamursel's modern 7-chair, dental clinic, the largest of its kind in the Middle East, is staffed for oral surgery and routine bridge, prosthetic appliances, and other laboratory work.  In accordance with oversea medical policies, dependents are furnished dental service on a space-available basis.

    Special services such as orthodontics are normally not available.  The nearest civilian orthodontist in Turkey is in Istanbul.  A military orthodontist is assigned in Athens and treats some dependents on the recommen-
dation of the clinic here.

VETERINARY SERVICE

    Veterinary services are provided in areas of food service sanitation and zoonoses control.  There is an animal clinic conducted one afternoon each week for immunizing privately owned pets and treating animal diseases
communicable to man.

There are many precautions to be taken on all food and beverages bought outside of United States Armed Forces establishments or procured for consumption from other then US Forces-approved sources. Of primary concern is off-base water.  Personnel are responsible for preparing water for their own use. Water purification tablets, when instructions are followed, will produce safe water.  However, Clorox or other commercially available concentrated chlorine solutions are convenient to have and may be used. Water that has been boiled for 20 minutes is safe to drink, provided it has not been recontaminated.  Hot drinks such as tea or coffee are safe to drink.  Water can be purified by using the table on the preceding page. After adding the correct amount of chlorine solution to the water, mix well, then let stand for 10 minutes, and the water will be ready to drink. Water for cooking and drinking should be carried from the base because even though you may obtain bottled water on the local economy,it is not safe to drink unless it has been treated by one of the purification methods. Dairy products such as milk, cream, butter, ice cream, custards, soft cheese, and other milk products should be consumed only if procured at an Armed Forces food outlet. Head lettuce and cabbage are foods which may be consumed if you wash them with potable water (water which has been prepared for drinking) after the outer leaves have been removed.  Fruits which grow more than 3 feet above the ground; such as, oranges, bananas, peaches, pears, plums, cherries, and grapes may be eaten after being washed with potable water. Fruits and vegetables; such as, celery, endive, watereress, radishes, melons, leaf lettuce, carrots, strawberries, and tomatoes require chemical disinfection because they grow in the soil or close to the soil.  The recommended method of disinfections is to prewash with potable water to remove surface dirt, followed by soaking in a strong chlorine solution of 250 parts per million  (for example, 1 tablespoon of Clorox in 1 gallon of water) for 30 minutes.  Stir occasionally to make sure that all surfaces of the fruit or vegetable are in contact with the disinfectant.  Commercial disinfectant packets are available in the commissary free of charge that are even more desirable than Clorox.

Poultry products should be purchased from a US Armed Forces outlet and given the same attention required for meats.  Eggs on sale in the commissary are from one of two sources;  the states or locally-approved poultry
farms.  Raw or poorly cooked eggs are considered a health hazard.  Several precautions should be taken.  DO NOT wash or soak eggs because there is a possibility that you may introduce contamination into the eggs.  To remove any material adhering to the egg's surface, brush or sandpaper it lightly.  Make sure that you cook your eggs thoroughly - both the white and yolk.  Never use raw eggs in beer.  If it becomes necessary to use locally made commercial bread, select an establishment that follows a reasonable standard of cleanliness and purchase the bread while it is hot.  Never buy bread or bakery products from street vendors.

Discretion in selecting the proper eating establishment is necessary when eating out.  There are relatively few hotels and restaurants in the nearby area that use refrigeration and food-handling techniques according to US
standards.  You must be especially selective in placing your order.  Some items not recommended are creamed gravies, custards, or salads with mayonnaise.  A good, hot, well-cooked steak or sea food and hot beverage are
likely to provide a safer meal.

Personal hygiene is very important.  Strange as it may seem, some adults still must be reminded about personal hygiene practices, including washing hands before eating and after using the latrine.  Dirty hands in contact
with clean food equals contaminated food.  Many persons blame their indigestion on some recently eaten food whereas they possibly contaminated clean food with dirty hands.  Clean utensils are also important.  Dishes
and utensils should be washed and rinsed in drinking water and allowed to air dry as much as possible.  Laxity in personal hygiene is as apt to result in illness as is laxity in selecting safe food sources.

Because of the high contamination in some streets and yards and the possibility of injuries while playing, it is not advisable to permit children to play barefoot.  Minor cuts and abrasions should be cleaned thoroughly with soap and water to avoid excessive contamination even before seeking medical aid at the dispensary.

The Karamursel swimming and bathing areas are continually surveyed by the bioenvironmental engineering personnel.  Bathing and swimming at the beaches of the adjacent communities are not recommended due to waste pollution and lack of supervision.

Rabies is very prevalent in this area and is transmitted easily to other animals and to man by exposure to infective saliva.  The disease is most commonly spread by the bite or licking of a rabid animal whereby infective
saliva gets into an open wound or a break in the skin.  This locale has many stray animals, particularly dogs and cats, capable of transmitting rabies.  Even pets on this base have been positively diagnosed as having rabies; those persons exposed to them were forced to undergo lengthy and painful injections in an effort to prevent rabies from developing.  In order to prevent rabies in humans, measures must be taken very early.  Once signs of rabies appear in humans, there is no cure.  The best prevention is avoiding unnecessary contact with all animals.

BASE SERVICES

EES

The European Exchange System (EES) is one of the most modern in Turkey.  Existing equipment and fixtures allow a variety of merchandise to be displayed and service is quite adequate even during the busiest periods.

The store is operated almost completely on a self-service basis, with the various departments conspicuously marked to make it easy for the customers to locate desired items.
 
 

A special-order department is maintained for acquiring items not stocked.  The section has a complete line of up-to-date stateside catalogs and features an extensive European gift-mailing service.  An EES service station offers most minor car repairs with its automobile-parts shop Carrying a limited supply of parts and accessories.
A special-order department is available.  Gasoline is expensive; the EES price is about 43 cents a gallon which matches the cost of gasoline purchased from civilian sources.

In addition to the main store, the ESS operates a drug store, beauty shop, barber shop, snack bar, tailor shop, laundromat, Turkish souvenir shop, and a Four Seasons Store.  The Four Seasons Store sells toys, furniture,
beverages, delicatessen items, garden furniture, bicycles, hunting and fishing equipment, and sporting goods.
A newsstand is located in the EES area.

Other services include a radio repair section, a bowling alley, lunch counter, and a steak house.

LAUNDRY

The laundry is fully equipped, furnishing dry-cleaning service in 2 to 3 days; the laundry gives 3- to 4-day service.  Special 24-hour service is also available for all personnel.

COMMISSARY

The commissary is a self-service operation similar to the better Stateside supermarkets.  It has been expanded to approximately double its original size and maintains a stock level of more than 1,500 line items.  A bakery
furnishes fresh bread, rolls, and many other pastry delicacies daily.

Items not found in stock are placed on order upon request from patrons.