'They’re really upset': Military to compensate Bragg soldiers moving from substandard barracks

While another 100 soldiers have moved from substandard Fort Bragg barracks this week, leaders announced the military will compensate those going off post because of the move.

Leaders identified more than 1,100 soldiers last month who will need to relocate from the aging Smoke Bomb Hill barracks that have issues with heating and ventilation systems and moisture levels.

Impacted soldiers are from the 1st Special Forces Command, 18th Airborne Corps units, including the 20th Engineer Brigade, and 35th Corps Signal Brigade and other units on post.  

As of Thursday, 204 soldiers had moved to new locations on post, according to an 18th Airborne Corps news release.

More: More than 1,200 Fort Bragg soldiers to be relocated because of barrack conditions

Another 276 certificates of non-availability have been approved, meaning those soldiers are approved to move into private housing on or off post.

Officials announced that partial dislocation allowances are available the affected soldiers moving into private housing.

“They will receive a partial dislocation living allowance and up to (three) months of advanced (basic allowance for housing) to cover their deposit and first month’s rent,” Command Sgt. Maj. T.J. Holland, the senior enlisted advisor for the 18th Airborne Corps, said in a tweet on Thursday.

During a media round table last week, Holland said leaders are working with units across post to identify senior soldiers and noncommissioned officers living in barracks rooms who won’t face “undue hardship” if they move, so that rooms are freed up for the younger soldiers.

Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Loher, Fort Bragg garrison’s senior enlisted adviser, also said last week that leaders are developing a plan for buses and cargo vans to provide transportation to soldiers without vehicles during the move and on post.

In videos released by the 18th Airborne Corps last weekend, soldiers interviewed said the move is needed.

More: What Fort Bragg officials plan to do with moldy barracks from which 1,200 are being moved

“It’s been a really long time coming. Again, a lot of people just want the buildings to be torn down,” said Sgt. Fernandez, whose first name was not mentioned. “They’re really upset about why the buildings have been up so long. They should have torn them down a long time ago.”

Sgt. Campbell, whose first name was also not mentioned, candidly said the move has been stressful.

“I think the sacrifice that we give, especially being away from our families and everything, I feel like soldiers deserve to live in an adequate housing facility area," Campbell said. "So, these soldiers deserve more, and I don’t believe that Smoke Bomb Hill barracks are what they deserve.”

In Thursday’s news release, Holland said relocating soldiers is a No. 1 priority.

“Our soldiers deserve the best and their housing must be clean, safe, secure, and functional; that is our responsibility,” Holland said.

Leaders have said they expect all the impacted soldiers to be moved out by the end of this month.

“The consistent reporting spanning several years on the conditions at Smoke Bomb Hill have allowed us to receive additional resources to ensure the safety and well-being of our soldiers are put first in this process — this is a coordinated installation-wide response,” Holland said.

More: 'A deliberate and phased approach': Fort Bragg moves soldiers from substandard barracks

What led to the move

The latest move is not the first time concerns have been raised about barracks or that soldiers have been moved because of issues in housing.

In December, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina wrote a letter to Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth after a Fort Bragg soldier contacted his office about mold in the barracks.

In an Aug. 10 tweet, Tillis said that once he heard from the soldiers, he asked Army leaders to step in.

“I’m glad to see the Army is taking steps to directly address this problem (and) provide families with safe housing,” he said.

Military.com first reported that Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston was part of the inspection “that did not go well” at the end of July and that Grinston “scolded local leadership” for the condition of the barracks that were riddled with mold issues, and one room had a hole in the wall with exposed pipes.

Grinston wrote in a tweet Aug. 28  that the visit “was not the first domino in this process.”

“Getting it done right will always be more important than getting it done fast,” Grinston said.

During last week’s town hall meeting, Maj. Gen. Tom Tickner, deputy commander of the Installation Management Command, was part of the senior leader inspection that led to the decision to move the soldiers.

Tickner said leaders knew about the mold issues, which were previously addressed by cleaning on a case-by-case basis that he acknowledged was not working.

Tickner said the inspection accelerated funding for additional renovations on post and led to the decision to demolish areas that were becoming costly to maintain.

Brian Mennes, deputy commander of the 18th Airborne Corps and acting senior commander of Fort Bragg, said from an economic standpoint, it became cost-prohibitive to continue to try to maintain the Smoke Bomb Hill barracks,

Mennes said moving the soldiers accelerates a facility investment plan that was already in place.

There are 12 facilities currently undergoing renovations, and projects involving another eight barracks will start at the end of December.

In Tillis’ letter to Wormuth, he said that as a member of the Senate Armed Service Committee, he will work to ensure the Army is effective in receiving funding to modernize and replace substandard barracks by 2030.   

During a virtual town hall meeting in October 2020, Grinston announced that the Army planned to invest $9.5 billion to upgrade barracks through fiscal year 2030.

Officials have said that 12 barracks on post are undergoing renovations, which usually take about two years or more to complete.

More: 'We can do better': What Fort Bragg leaders say about substandard barracks

Another eight barracks will start renovations at the end of December.

Ten of the 12 Smoke Bomb Hill barracks deemed substandard will be scheduled for demolition.

Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: What Fort Bragg soldiers living in substandard barracks are saying