Dad's video of run-down barracks sparks military response

CNN ^ | April 28, 2008

[BulletBobCo]

(CNN) -- The U.S. military is promising action to address conditions in a barracks at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, after a soldier's father posted images on YouTube showing a building that he said "should be condemned."

"This is embarrassing. It's disgusting. It makes me mad as hell," Ed Frawley said of the building where his son, Sgt. Jeff Frawley, had to live upon his return this month from a 15-month deployment to Afghanistan.

Frawley said Monday that Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Dick Cody called him to say he shares Frawley's anger and that "there's no excuse." Cody said he would not want his own sons or any troops to return to such conditions, Frawley said.

Frawley's 10-minute video shows still photos from throughout the building, which appears to be falling apart and filled with mold and rust.

Paint, which Frawley said is lead-based, is chipping. Ceiling tiles are missing. A broken drain pipe allows sewer gas into the building, while another one has tissues stuffed into it in an apparent effort to stop the gas from coming in.

Photos from the communal bathroom show some of the most disgusting images. In one, a soldier stands in a sink to avoid what Frawley describes as 3 inches of sewage water that filled the floor when toilets overflowed.

At times, "sewage water backs up into the sinks in the lower floors of these barracks," Frawley said in his narration. "The soldiers have to tell one another who's taking a shower when they turn the sinks on, or the person taking the shower gets scalded with hot water."

"The conditions depicted in Mr. Frawley's video are appalling and unacceptable, and we are addressing the concerns he expressed," said Maj. Tom Earnhardt, spokesman for the 82nd Airborne, in a written statement.

[Grizzled Bear]

Gazebo’s and drop ceilings are one thing. Providing decent living quarters is another.

I agree with the idea of decent living quarters. My comment was in response to your "cream puff" remark. At Mannheim AIN a bunch of us Air Force "cream puffs" sacrificed off duty time and worked our tails off to make our Army buildings livable (dorm, vehicle bay, office building).

A lot of Soldiers were "wanna-be Cream Puffs" and asked if they could get assigned to our dorm. Some were welcomed. If they got stupid they were booted out.

[Dick Vomer]

We put ourselves first only when it would benefit our troops, or save them from harm.

God smiled at me when I was around. I had great senior NCO's and officers. I mean, they were in great shape, were Marines first and foremost, and lived the life, walked the walk and asked nothing that they hadn't done or were willing to do.

I've seen other units where that wasn't the case. I might have just been lucky.... very, very lucky.

It actually makes me misty eyed on how idealistic I was. I loved the men who commanded me and they knew that I liked hot temperatures, high humidity and getting in a tussle. So it was mutually beneficial to all concerned. I don't know if you're active now, but show your men that you actually care about them in a manner that doesn't benefit you (no show boating or drawing attention to yourself) and they will stick their heads through a wall for you .... and follow you into the most god-awful mess in order to carry out a mission.

That's what they were trying to show you in OCS.