Dad Recalls "Sad Situation" At Fort Bragg
The father whose video of the outdated and unsanitary living conditions of barracks at Fort Bragg recalled his initial reaction upon stepping into his son's military quarters last month, saying it was "a very sad situation."
Ed Frawley, whose son, Jeff, had just returned from a 15-month tour in Afghanistan, was appalled by the poor condition of the barracks at the North Carolina base. Ed Frawley told CBS' The Early Show he saw mold and peeling lead paint on the ceiling, pipes venting sewer gas into hallways, and an array of broken toilets.
Frawley snapped photos of the barracks and posted them as a video on YouTube. The video has since sparked an Army investigation into the conditions of its barracks worldwide.
By Wednesday, the barracks had new paint and water fountains were fixed, but work crews still labored on the plumbing.
Frawley said he watched with disgust and embarrassment as his son and his fellow soldiers joked about the accommodations at Fort Bragg. "I sat there with them when they made jokes, and I got mad," Frawley said. He said he kept his anger to himself so not to deflate the spirit of the soldiers who were just happy to be back in the United States.
Watch Ed Frawley's YouTube video
"I just sat there and I was fuming," he said.
Frawley said he'd been to his son's barracks twice before, including for five days prior to Jeff's departure for Afghanistan. "It was worse than when they came home than it was before," he said, adding, "and it was bad before."
On Wednesday, the secretary of the Army said the poor condition of Korean War-era barracks at Fort Bragg is unacceptable.
Army Secretary Pete Geren said improvements are coming, but some of the problems can't be fixed quickly. He made the remarks after meeting with soldiers and touring Fort Bragg's 82nd Airborne Division barracks.
"Everybody on this installation knows that the conditions were unacceptable. Every soldier deserves a quality of life equal to his service," Geren said.
Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., urged the Defense Department on Wednesday to look into the Bragg conditions. Ed Frawley is one of Feingold's constituents.
Army officials have said they have inspected every barracks building worldwide to see whether plumbing and other problems revealed at Fort Bragg are widespread.
The barracks like the one in the video were built in the 1950s and will still be needed while Fort Bragg constructs new ones, Geren said.
"We have old barracks with needs, but it is nothing that can be fixed overnight," he said. "We're going to make sure all the installations have the requirements they need."