A serviceman enjoys a rare moment of leisure at a forward airfield, seated in a folding deck chair beside his tent. The ground is covered with Pierced Steel Planking — nicknamed 'Marston Mat' — the perforated interlocking steel sheeting that Allied engineers used to rapidly surface runways and hardstands on sand and coral in tropical theaters during World War II. Personal snapshots like this one, preserved in soldiers' and airmen's private albums, offer an intimate counterpoint to official combat photography, capturing the everyday boredom, humor, and camaraderie that filled the time between missions. Project: 218307