Posted on 05/01/2008 6:10:15 AM PDT by Dawnsblood
Health inspections of aging barracks on Fort Bragg revealed mold, but “nothing that would indicate a health hazard,” a Fort Bragg spokesman said Wednesday.
The inspection by Womack Army Medical Center’s preventive medicine department was part of an Army directive to check on barracks worldwide to ensure that poor conditions shown on a YouTube video aren’t widespread.
Ed Frawley, the father of an 82nd Airborne Division soldier, uploaded the video to YouTube last week. It showed images of peeling paint, exposed pipes, mildewed ceilings and showers, a broken toilet seat and a bathroom floor covered in sewage because of a clogged drain.
The barracks in the video houses about 100 soldiers in C Company of the 82nd Airborne Division’s 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The unit returned home from Afghanistan on April 13 — three weeks early.
Since the video was shot, moldy ceiling tiles have been replaced, water fountains were installed and working, and paint chips were removed, said Tom McCollum, a spokesman for Fort Bragg.
“Those photos, though accurate, are a depiction of that moment in time,” McCollum said Wednesday. “There are no excuses for it. It was a breakdown not just in the process, but it was a breakdown in leadership.”
(Excerpt) Read more at fayobserver.com ...
What will you show next - that the socialized health care of the army is substandard too?
Americans who have served know how socialized “benefits” from government work. You wait and wait and wait and then must accept whatever the government gives you.
If they found mold, then they found a Health Risk. Sheesh!
Dick Cody is about to step on MEDDAC's neck again, if he hasn't already. The clueless always need more pressure to get their attention.
Sounds like the Veterans Administration health care system.
There is no barracks space for great numbers of overflow troops.
The Fort has been pulling down the old wooden WW II barracks and replacing them since the early 80s. The 1950s era cement block barracks have been torn down and replaced going on for the past few years. Next on the block is the late 60s/early 70s barracks.
As from the story, $750,000,000 in construction ongoing right now and $250,000,000 coming soon.
How much money to fix up a building you are planning to tear down in 12 months?
I'm not supporting the unit's position on the 100 troops - just looking at the big picture. What happened to them is not “normal” for Fort Bragg.
Unfortunately visits to many aging military facilities will show poor upkeep of grounds and buildings. Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland is one such place.
what a load!!! the base near my house is closing the old off base housing unit, and the city wanted to use the old ww2 era houses for the homeless...the houses did not meet health code requirements for the homeless...lead, asbestos, poor sewage, bad roof, bad windows....so, these crappy houses were good enough for our soldiers and their families, but not good enough for the homeless!!!!???? give me a break
***Health inspections of aging barracks on Fort Bragg***
Wah hah hah! They should have seen the barracks we were in at Chanute AFB in 1966.
You are correct.
And it is also worth noting that, at Ft. Bragg, they are bringing new barracks “on-line” as fast as they can, and then closing out/tearing down the oldest barracks.
My son reported to the 82nd Airborne in January, and was put in the oldest/worst barracks, with the promise that he (along with many others) would be moved within a few months to very new barracks. And the Army followed through - the new barracks are great. For junior unmarried enlisted - the new arrangements provide for “duplex suites” that have a shared bathroom, kitchenette and living room space used by 2 soldiers, and each soldier has his own bedroom/private space, storage of his own personal effects, etc.
So unless Congress wants to double the MILCON budget and accelerate the pace of renovations and building replacements, there will always be cases of old buildings with relatively minor problems. There will be soldiers housed in 30 year old buildings that aren’t as nice as the 1 - 5 year old buildings, etc.
Mike
If what I saw on the news last nite is indicative of what’s on the youtube video, I didn’t see “raw sewage”, I saw a bathroom floor covered in water.
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