Fort Bragg, North Carolina

[Manedwolf]

There's some latrine duty...



http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/29/bragg.barracks/

[Balog]

If they have communal bathrooms like that they must be old squad bay style barracks. I only stayed in them during School of Infantry. They do suck tho.

[K Frame]

I think someone will have a permanent berth of "human mine detector" because of that video...

[coppertales]

MRE's will do that to you................................chris3

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

Oh that sucks.

[Jamisjockey]

Paddy comes along, blaming Bush and declaring us all mindless republicans in 3....2....1....

[Perd Hapley]

Yeah, that's unacceptable.  I'm guess I'm supposed to blame the current administration and the Iraq war.  Well, Bush don't get entirely off the hook.  But the social spending is the real problem. 

[Jamisjockey]

Yeah, that's unacceptable.  I'm guess I'm supposed to blame the current administration and the Iraq war.  Well, Bush don't get entirely off the hook.  But the social spending is the real problem. 

Actually Bush has little to do with it, but some of his monkeys are fully to blame.  I blame the SecDef's for the last 10 years, the Joint Chiefs, and anyone who's been in charge at Fort Bragg for the last 10 years.  And Congress, since they control the purse strings.
And you, fistful.

[K Frame]

Last 10 years?

Try the last 200+ years.

I work with a lot of former Marines who go back as far as the Kennedy Administration.

We were talking about this at the office today. One guy was mentioning how he was berthed in a barracks in Florida that had been built to support operations in Cuba during the Spanish American War, and that the last time the barracks had been renovated was just before World War II. They still used outhouses in the late 1970s and had water trucked in because the base plumbing had been installed in 1917.

What was really frightening was when he said that during his career he was in barracks that were FAR worse, including ones where you had to turn on the overhead lights with a wooden stick, because touching the wall switch would give you a solid blast.

If anyone is stupid enough to think that this is a problem unique to today's political climate, I'd be more than happy to tell you my dog's crap is diamonds and sell it to you.

[41magsnub]

Yep, during the Clinton years I had to live in some pretty rough barracks in Ft. Riley Kansas.  Not quite as bad as what is in the article but close.

The crazy part is these were built in the late 80's.

We had overflowing toilets, a window fell out of a room on the third story when a guy leaned on it (he caught himself before it was too late), and the lights were a sometimes thing.

The craziest part is we had to move out of some really nice barracks with two man rooms into these crappy ones so they could tear down the nice ones and rebuild them for another unit.  We were unhappy about that...

[Gewehr98]

I wouldn't lay the majority of the blame at Congress' feet, either. 

It depends what the funded and unfunded budget requests were for Fort Bragg's yearly O&M budgets, IMHO.

It could be that the installation commander had a request in the system for facilities upgrades, and they were deferred due to deployment costs, etc.

I noticed when reading the news stories that the 4-button Vice Chief of Staff called the kid's father to express his disappointment and outrage, too. He mentioned that the improvements had been delayed in that particular circumstance.  I've seen that happen a lot, funded requirements get changed to unfunded, and languish as a result.

That also means heads will roll in the food chain, and there will be a ripple effect as other Army and DoD facilities get scrutinized for condition and habitability.  Then things will die down again, and moneys will be reallocated to other areas.  It's happened before, it'll happen again.   The local VA hospital where I do my stuff is still ramping up services and facility upgrades on teh heels of the Walter Reed scandal, it just took some visibility.

Problem is, the money now diverted to patch that one hole in the dike is coming from another bubble gum fix elsewhere.   

[Perd Hapley]

Meanwhile, tax money is flooding to other, less Constitutional, less important, or just downright wrong programs.  But at least it isn't going into that awful military. 

[Ezekiel]

Don't these guys have tents?

Aren't they trained to use them?

If it is a better option...

[Scout26]

During the evil Reagan years, I was billeted in old WWII barracks at Ft. Lewis and Ft. Knox.

I wish we would have had tile floors......

[Jamisjockey]

Last 10 years?

Try the last 200+ years.

I work with a lot of former Marines who go back as far as the Kennedy Administration.

We were talking about this at the office today. One guy was mentioning how he was berthed in a barracks in Florida that had been built to support operations in Cuba during the Spanish American War, and that the last time the barracks had been renovated was just before World War II. They still used outhouses in the late 1970s and had water trucked in because the base plumbing had been installed in 1917.

What was really frightening was when he said that during his career he was in barracks that were FAR worse, including ones where you had to turn on the overhead lights with a wooden stick, because touching the wall switch would give you a solid blast.

If anyone is stupid enough to think that this is a problem unique to today's political climate, I'd be more than happy to tell you my dog's crap is diamonds and sell it to you.

I've worked out of and lived in some conditions that aren't far off of the Fort Bragg conditions.  Only reason I say the last 10 years is that they have the power to improve the quality of those accomodations.  Nothing sucks like coming out of the field to a run down barracks with no heat or AC. 

[Perd Hapley]

Don't these guys have tents?

Aren't they trained to use them?

If it is a better option...

Huh?  How would tent life be better?  Oh wait, you despise the military.  Never mind.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

and lets not forget how those at the top always are concerned for those below. like when the built a 3 golf course at andrews while there was a list of over 200 kids waiting for childcare.had a funny debate with a guy on vre about that   brass can't wait for tee times

[wideym]

It still beats Harmoney Church. 

Back in the ninetys Ft.Campbell had a bad ice storm that knocked down trees and powerlines all over post.  Actually it was state wide, but the priority for post was Hospital, Divisional Units (Post HQ, Provost Marshal, Div.Admin., ect.), Family housing, PX, Golf Course, all other buildings, then Barracks.

Also our esttemed Commanding General MG Keane had the heat and hot water turned off in Enlisted barrarks during January to save money.  Of course that a-hole is a media consultant now and I have seen him on CNN and Fox giving commentary about Iraq.

[Bogie]

I've lived in one of the barracks at Knox - coal-fired "furnace" and all...
 
Frankly, I didn't see a darn thing in those photos that couldn't be fixed by application of a few dollars for procurement, and a hundred or so soldier-days of labor.
 
Vets - I ask you this - did you EVER see a stair railing worn down to metal? Much less allowed to rust? If it sat still, it got painted!
 
Move me in there with a company of troops, and it'd pass inspection within a week.
 

[doc2rn]

That looks like the latrine on the USS Saipan (LHA-2) when after refitting the pipes the crappers in the head exploded from back pressure built up in the system, the suck was we where in the middle of the Atlantic on the first leg of a deployment to Yugoslavia.

[Regolith]

Do I really want to know what's going on in that picture?

I've never been in the military, but the dorms I was in during my freshman year of college had originally been military barracks (I think for the Oregon National Guard). It had been renovated at some point in the past, of course, but it still had the communal bathrooms (complete with torpedo-tube showers).  Oh, and the exposed heating pipes insulated with asbestos (with great big stickers on them reading WARNING: DO NOT DISTURB; ASBESTOS) ten feet from my bed were...interesting, to say the least.

[HankB]

This reminds me of an old Saturday Night Live skit . . .

The Navy used to run recruiting commercials showing sailors on liberty in exotic locations . . . you may remember them, like "Port of Call - Far East" and "Port of Call - Mediterranean"

You get the idea.

SNL designed their own commercial . . . "Port of Call - Bayonne, New Jersey."

"You will meet interesting people <insert shot of druggies and derelicts on skid row> and receive valuable training <insert shot of guy scrubbing toilets>"

IIRC, the Navy was not amused . . .

[Scout26]

Bogie nailed it.

Where's the 1SG and CSM ?? 

How about the Platoon Leaders, Company and Battalion commanders doign Health and Welfares ??


I thought this picture was just a one time drain backup.  Not something that is a routine occurance.

The chain of command can do better.   

[K Frame]

Another of my coworkers made the point yesterday that the 1st Sgt and Battalion Commander are very likely no longer 1st Stg and BC.

[TF_FH]

This reminds me of an old Saturday Night Live skit . . .

The Navy used to run recruiting commercials showing sailors on liberty in exotic locations . . . you may remember them, like "Port of Call - Far East" and "Port of Call - Mediterranean"

You get the idea.

SNL designed their own commercial . . . "Port of Call - Bayonne, New Jersey."

"You will meet interesting people <insert shot of druggies and derelicts on skid row> and receive valuable training <insert shot of guy scrubbing toilets>"

IIRC, the Navy was not amused . . .

C'mon dude, Bayonne isn't that bad.  Thats my hometown buddy!  *punches hank*  MUHAHAHAHA. 
But yeah, that Fort Bragg stuff is pretty damn bad.  Although, I think that guy is being a bit of a pansy by standing in the sink.  How much plunging can you do effectively like that?