Soldiers in Texas and other parts of the country are living in barracks rife with mold, bed bugs, gas leaks and even squatters, a new government repor

[Emily]

Soldiers in Texas and other parts of the country are living in barracks rife with mold, bed bugs, gas leaks and even squatters, a new government report shows.

“We found that living conditions in some military barracks may pose potentially serious risks to the physical and mental health of service members, as well as their safety,” the U.S. General Accountability Office stated in its review.
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The GAO surveyed 10 barracks across the country, including Joint Base San Antonio, and found instances of raw sewage in bathrooms, broken heating and cooling systems, and in one case methane gas leaking into rooms from aging pipes. Soldiers told auditors they felt unsafe and depressed in their surroundings.
“I often wake up at night sweating from the heat, itching from bed bugs and feeling like I’m suffocating,” one U.S. Marine told auditors.
Members, who were granted anonymity by the GAO, also reported malfunctioning doorlocks and fire alarms.
“The barracks feel like living in a rundown motel or in a prison,” one soldier said...
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https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/article/military-bases-safety-report-18392160.php


The above link is not working. The link below has the same information....


https://www.kron4.com/news/national...acks-conditions-below-standards-report-finds/


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[Emily]

GAO-23-105797
MILITARY
BARRACKS
Poor Living
Conditions Undermine
Quality of Life and
Readiness
Accessible Version
Report to Congressional Committees

​...
Service members or first sergeants at five installations described
problems with water quality in the barracks. For example, service
members in one discussion group told us tap water in their barracks is
often brown and does not appear safe for drinking. Service members in
six of 12 discussion groups also told us about issues with pests, including
bedbugs, rodents, cockroaches, and wasps. At three of 10 installations,
officials told us service members are generally responsible for pest
control, or for removing hazardous material from barracks, such as mold
and sewage. Further, officials at one installation told us service members
are responsible for cleaning biological waste that may remain in a
barracks room after a suicide​....

https://www.gao.gov/assets/870/861485.pdf