Thanks and God Bless all of our troops and the job they are doing!

There are several factors involved in this issue and “throwing tax dollars at the problem” is not going to solve the problem by it’s self.

The Army has failed to learn from the other services that have programs that work. Instead they continue to be hard headed and try an re-invent the wheel!

If the Airforce and Navy have programs that work and have for many years, why create new software and procedures when there are already ones in place that work (available to any DOD service to copy / share.

The Army is being re-active instead of pro-active! There is no doubt in my mind that the Army will still have problems and be in the news for the next 20 years (concerning barracks and quality of life). They just refuse to change. sure they have a lot of news about change and new programs, but management can not correct the problem with correcting the source of the problem, which is the soildier failing to take care of what they have!

More import is the fact that soldiers are not held accountable for standards. Even the ones that have been given new and wonderful quarters have destoryed them!

Keep in mind the the average age of soldiers living in the barracks is about 22 years old!
These young men and women are the best soldiers that our nation has ever seen! they learn quicker and have stronger skill sets. At the same time they do not a basic life skills! Meaning that they do not have the motovation to clean-up after themselves! They wait till very piece of clothing they own is dirty before doing the wash! The showrs they use would make you sick!

Unless we give our military folks laundry service and room service (hire maids), or unless the military gets tough! This will never change.

So why doesn’t the military address this issue? Retention! The Army leadership feels it has to have it units (men) confoned to quarters on-base and living in bulidings that are 200% occupied per DOD standards (90sf per man for E4 and below, and 135SF for E-5).

Next time you see something on video, ask yourself, if this was management failing to provide quality quarters or soldiers tearing-up what was provided to them!

For the Army to say that it’s doing something is shameful! Why? first of all the idea of unit integerity needs to go away now! I’ts actually better for soldiers to interact and live with soldiers from ither units. this issue in it’s-self it the main cause for the barracks being crowed and also for othe bulidings to be hardly occupied!

Make the chain of command spend a week in these barracks two to a room! Let them see how the troops act after hours. Many of them have never been in the barracks! Those that have can count the number of times on two hands! the chain of command must be active in the barracks areas (common areas). This includes after hours duty sections and duty officers.

We have not seen the last of this problem! It’s time to take action on the few that are tearing-up the facilities! At the same time stop the over crowding of barracks now! Comply with DOD standards now! Even if you have to pay BAH to all of the senior E-3 and E-4 soldiers! 2013 will be here soon! The Army will not be ready, there is no way that they will meet DOD standards even by 2020!

- Have the barracks being intentionally unmaintained as part of military experience? I mean, did the boot camp been set up like a sewer as part of hazing ritual to toughen up soldier? After all, military has been known for using unconventional tactics to train soldiers by putting them in inhumane conditions.

- When the Army has ‘done a lot in the last two weeks to fix up the barracks’ after the video leak, does that include punishment against those who are responsible for leaking the video footage? After all, the videographer are technically filming classified information and leaking military secret to the general public, and that can be interpreted as treason.

Here’s another point of view.

In the Navy, the Executive Officer inspects berthing (barracks) every day. Yes, everyone up and down the chain is responsible but requiring the number 2 person in the command to put eyeballs on the living conditions (daily) of the most junior sailors (troops) ensures that this doesn’t happen.

Also in the Navy, we assign like units to take care of all the details for returning units. A stateside unit (battallion for battalion) should have been assigned and held accountable to ensure details like an abandoned (for 15 months) barracks building was up to speed prior to the deployers return.

Something like peeling paint for a returning unit is not “a little thing.” All these items could have been addressed given the right leadership (read: doesn’t cost a lot of $$). Just about anyone could have picked up a paint brush. How about a welcome home sign?

As for what has happened, if there’s been an issue since 2002, this is above and beyond the NCO’s, this is up into the brass’s failure to take care of the soldiers, once again. Keep blaming the guys who are time and time again fighting for their soldiers but keep getting doors slammed in their faces. The realities is that many of the NCO’s at one point in their career lived in barrack’s, while the brass even if they did live in barrack’s always had the best given to them.

You knew about this, you knew it didn’t get fixed, you knew about this again, you knew it didn’t get fixed.

Maybe you’re part of the problem.

How’s this for a root cause in limited barracks space: the contractors take their sweet-assed time to build the barracks. In the last two years, I’ve seen civilian builders working here on the university put up brand new “suites” that could easily house a brigade’s worth of enlisted. They are VERY nice. I’ll bet they’re being paid less than the guys working on Bragg, and there are bonuses for finishing ahead of schedule, and penalties for finishing behind schedule. Anyone know what happens when a contractor goes over estimate on time or budget–the Army extends their contract, and they work on “insha allah” time.

The young man’s father had every right to be pissed off, and dad’s chain of command is dad… congress/youtube. Good on him for shining the light, it’s the best disinfectant.

–Chuck

I too have a son at Bragg. The only surprise here is that the General pretends to be surprised. He must have made a career of not walking through barracks and ignoring soldiers.

I scanned the official response, I bet the only real changes made here is: I am sure BG Denny Rogers will fix this ASAP. First, he will make Ed Frawley%u2019s son sorry he ever let his dad in the barracks. Second, he will enact an order outlawing video cameras in barracks as some kinda operational security issue. Third, he will claim that the problem is fixed .. but it won%u2019t be.

Hoorah General R.O.A.D.