Par for the course, or "All Our Money Are Belong to Halliburton"
I've done time in old dorm buildings thanks to the Air Force, but Army barracks from the 1950s are worse. Back when I was in, I actually saw USAF improve dorm quality of life by making sure all airmen (yes, even slick-sleeves right out of Basic) got their own rooms and at worst they shared a toilet and shower with an adjacent room. In contrast, I've heard that Army has routinely stacked up to 3 soldiers (and NOT slick-sleeves, either; even junior NCOs* are treated this way!) to a room which is realistically suited for just one.
I never thought the military would keep these ancient buildings around. And they're buildings I thought were ancient 15 years ago when I saw them! The worst part is that there are many buildings on posts and bases just like the building in the video, and they're being used without renovation or without any plans for replacement.
Just think how different things would be had YouTube existed in 1990.
And oh... on my last assignment, new dorms were going up on base to replace the shitty dorms, and the leadership knew this, so the First Shirt automatically gave me BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing; used to be BAQ) so I could live off-base, along with BAH's companion allowance, BAS (Basic Allowance for Subsistence; this was cause I lost my chow hall privileges by moving off-base and had to pay the 240% surcharge if I wanted to eat there now). Even after the dorms were completed, I didn't move back on base, but the reason for that was the monthly inspection and by then I had way too much stuff to store in a small room. :o)
The other branches of service who house people on land should have done something similar to what USAF did years ago, years ago! Replace old buildings and give people some semblance of a home.
I agree with the guy in the video: BAH and BAS for all the soldiers affected so they can reside off-post until they have proper quarters.
(oh... the part at about 8:35 where he discusses the "scalding hot water" phenomenon of shared plumbing? That's not unique to Army barracks. I deal with that shit every time I take a shower. I hate it.)
And another thing: My 6 months in Turkey, living in a tent with Army, was better living conditions than what's depicted in this video.
UPDATE: I didn't know the half of it when I entered the Subject of this post. How I feel after watching that is indescribable.
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* Junior Non-commissioned Officers are of enlisted paygrades E5 and E6. Their treatment seems to vary by branch of service. In USAF, NCOs are treated better than the airmen (E4 and below) for matters of quarters assignment and the privilege of living off-base.
I never thought the military would keep these ancient buildings around. And they're buildings I thought were ancient 15 years ago when I saw them! The worst part is that there are many buildings on posts and bases just like the building in the video, and they're being used without renovation or without any plans for replacement.
Just think how different things would be had YouTube existed in 1990.
And oh... on my last assignment, new dorms were going up on base to replace the shitty dorms, and the leadership knew this, so the First Shirt automatically gave me BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing; used to be BAQ) so I could live off-base, along with BAH's companion allowance, BAS (Basic Allowance for Subsistence; this was cause I lost my chow hall privileges by moving off-base and had to pay the 240% surcharge if I wanted to eat there now). Even after the dorms were completed, I didn't move back on base, but the reason for that was the monthly inspection and by then I had way too much stuff to store in a small room. :o)
The other branches of service who house people on land should have done something similar to what USAF did years ago, years ago! Replace old buildings and give people some semblance of a home.
I agree with the guy in the video: BAH and BAS for all the soldiers affected so they can reside off-post until they have proper quarters.
(oh... the part at about 8:35 where he discusses the "scalding hot water" phenomenon of shared plumbing? That's not unique to Army barracks. I deal with that shit every time I take a shower. I hate it.)
And another thing: My 6 months in Turkey, living in a tent with Army, was better living conditions than what's depicted in this video.
UPDATE: I didn't know the half of it when I entered the Subject of this post. How I feel after watching that is indescribable.
--
* Junior Non-commissioned Officers are of enlisted paygrades E5 and E6. Their treatment seems to vary by branch of service. In USAF, NCOs are treated better than the airmen (E4 and below) for matters of quarters assignment and the privilege of living off-base.