Life is communal on Antarctic base

By Karina Grazina

MARAMBIO BASE, Antarctica (Reuters) - Argentina's base on Antarctica is more like a commune than a barracks.

The 36 members of the Argentine Air Force stationed here all eat the same food, take turns washing dishes and clean their own clothing, regardless of rank.

"Everyone has everything they need right here and they have it in the same measure," said nurse Roxana Lucero. "If there's beer, there's beer for everyone, and if there's coffee, there's coffee for everyone."

The Marambio base is bare-bones, isolated and, outside, it's brutally cold.

Argentina maintains it for research and to support a claim to part of Antarctica, which a 1959 treaty reserved for peaceful and scientific pursuits.

Sporadic flights by a transport plane are the only lifeline, and the isolation has relaxed the rigid hierarchy of the military.

At a routine post-breakfast line-up, the senior officer asks, in a stern voice, if anyone has problems to report.

A crew member replies in an exaggerated small voice: "I'm homesick, sir" and the team bursts into laughter.