It’s been reported that some of the military barracks in the United States housing American soldiers are not fit to live in. That is a sad state of affairs and can’t be tolerated. USA Today carried a story on this situation last month. It was reported that there is a long list of Army bases where barracks will undergo repairs. After a worldwide review of barracks, the Army will spend $248 million to address mold, plumbing and temperature-control problems at eight bases. Those bases are: Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Gordon, Georgia; Fort Lewis, Washington; Fort Polk, Louisiana; Fort Stewart, Georgia; Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii and West Point, New York.

American soldiers shouldn’t have to live in barracks that are unsafe or cause health problems. Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan can find themselves living in less-than-ideal conditions as base commanders work to keep up with repairs to sometimes-century-old buildings. Even though barracks may be habitable, many of them in the nation require constant attention and can overwhelm limited maintenance budgets, according to military officials at the bases.

The condition of Army barracks made national headlines when the father of Sgt. Jeff Frawley, a soldier in the 82nd Airborne Division, posted a video of his son’s barracks at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on the Internet. The video was created by Ed Frawley and showed rusty stairways, peeling paint, broken toilet seats, a flooded bathroom and mold found all around the barracks. This prompted the Army to perform a review of its entire barracks around the world. That review culminated when the Army announced it would spend $248 million this year on eight bases in the United States that have serious problems with mold, plumbing and temperature control. We have simply not tended to business as it relates to providing adequate housing for our troops and that’s inexcusable. Problems are to be expected when 79% of U.S. barracks worldwide are more than 30 years old. Maybe some of the U.S. tax dollars being paid to private contractors to rebuild Iraq could be used to help our military at home.

Source: USA Today

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