Marines to Conduct ‘Wall to Wall’ Barracks Inspections
Marine Corps vows to inspect every single barracks ‘wall to wall’
By Irene Loewenson
The Marine Corps has ordered inspections of each of its barracks in an effort to assess and fix the problems in the often-subpar living quarters.
By March 15, leaders from outside of the chain of command responsible for the Marines in those barracks must examine whether the facilities meet the service’s promise of “a safe, secure, clean, and consistent living standard,” according to a Wednesday news release from Marine Corps Installations Command.
The “wall-to-wall inspection” will give the service “a good baseline understanding of the condition of all our barracks so we can identify and allocate resources accordingly,” said Assistant Commandant Gen. Christopher Mahoney, who is also the acting commandant while Gen. Eric Smith recovers from an October 2023 cardiac arrest, in a video posted to social media Wednesday.
The inspectors must be civilian barracks leaders or hold at least the rank of E-7, which is a gunnery sergeant in the Marine Corps, according to the news release.. Installation commanders will assign the inspectors.
“We’re going to take a look at every single barracks room, every squad bay, to ensure the health, well-being and safety of each and every one of you,” Mahoney said.
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In California, helicopter maintainers recently spent months showering in cold water, and Marines at the infantry school were living in vermin-infested squalor, according to photos taken in January. At the East Coast infantry school, one shower facility was so moldy that in December 2023 the Corps quarantined it off and sent in a health inspector.On the same installation — Camp Lejeune, North Carolina — Marines recently had to be moved out of a room because of a cockroach problem that one termed an “invasion,” Military.com reported Monday.
Enough bad press and anything is possible, even taking care of the junior troops. Glad the Marines finally realize there’s a problem and are acting- why the situation was allowed to deteriorate to these levels and naming those responsible needs to be next. Thanks to Mick for the inspiration.
Category: Guest Link, Marines, Morale
Can anyone tell me what a “civilian barracks leader” is?
MOM!!
The Mac Daddy who brings in his girls for h”health and welfare” checks.
Oh, you must mean the unit SHARP rep.
Pimpin’ ain’t easy…
Soy padrote y vivo de mis viejas y me vale verga porque soy Juan Camaney!
And let me just head this off, my name is not Juan Camaney. Juan Camaney is a fictional character in a bunch of cheesy Mexican movies from the 70’s and 80’s. 🤣
(…and will the E-7’s (and above) or the “mom’s” be certified to perform building and/or health inspections?)
I thought they were already inspecting the barracks? When did that stop?
Who was the Confederate general who said; “Don’t expect what you don’t inspect”?
He shall remain un-named. Progs mandate all Confederates must be erased and forgotten.
Even though Hood sucked as a general and only got a base named after him out of magnanimity…
“When did that stop?”
Evidently the new, improved, all-volunteer military saw no need to inspect after all the riff-raff were discarded.
This better not just be a surface level inspection, someone better check the guts of those buildings and the roofs, etc. When I was at Ft Hood, a friend of mine lived in a barracks with the thinnest single pane windows. The had to cover them in aluminum foil to keep our the Texas sun.
Jimmy and the Critters,,, Roaches (198?)
yygrgcOtezM
Stop roaches from running around…
1986 according to Google. Fun song.
Make sure the crayon-lovers understand that they’re supposed to do wall-to-wall INSPECTIONS, not wall-to-wall COUNSELING. 😉
Maybe they need to do wall-to-wall counseling on the ones that allowed this situation to develop and become as bad as it is? Sounds as if the whole “privatizing” thing only made an opportunity for some folks to add to their private bank accounts.
Put Kongress Kritters in “Government Housing”. Betcha it’ll be fixed right quickly then. Or here’s a novel idea…spend a portion of that “Foreign Aid $s” on AMERICANS! 100 very very large (Billions) spent on the ‘kraine would have gone a long way on making decent housing for troops and dependapotumuses. Just sayin’
Rename all of the barracks Ukraine.
Instant cash flow solution.
Problem solved.
I was wondering who would jump on this.
Thanks.
*grin*
In my Marine Corp days we lived in open barracks. We have a barracks NCO who was in charge. We had days where everybody cleaned. Seemed to work.
I’m willing to bet that back then everybody had the same downstairs equipment.
Not the “wall to wall” session for folk who couldn’t keep sh*t up I was expecting.
So, hypothetically, what happens when the barracks are completely inspected and it turns out—again, hypothetically—that the bad press and disgruntlement focused on the most egregious instances (call those 💯 nasty), thus creating an impression that all are like this, but the reality is generally better and some are much better? Will there be allegations the report is lying? Or will people step back, put the problem in perspective, disregard the internet-complainers, and focus on fixing the real problems?
I don’t believe there are not problems, but I’m equally sick of both followership-by-posting-complaints and mid-grade leadership that is first out the door at the end of the day who could be fixing stuff if they cared to, but would rather get to their phone.
For the record, I sit in more meetings than I care to with senior leaders who recognize this is a problem, lack money, and are struggling to rectify it while also focusing on building combat readiness in a young, weak and whining generation. I’m just glad these aren’t my problems to deal with because I don’t have answers. But I do know the leaders are tracking and engaged. Note: I’m only talking Army here, and really only my post. But the army did a full inspection last year and theoretically understands the extent of the problem. Fix: 1) strip down to the bones and fix buildings. 2) get NCOs in the barracks to inspect that Soldiers maintain what they got. 3) report new problems. 4) hammer any contractors who don’t get into the buildings and immediately fix newly reported issues before they become big issues. 5) have junior NCOs man up and when they find stupidity and negligence in the barracks, they smoke the Soldiers. (I don’t mean UCMJ or ‘counseling’ I mean School of the Soldiers for as many Saturday and Sunday sessions as is necessary to get the word out that we care for our homes).
I suspect this sudden push for barracks inspections comes after SgtMaj Ruiz got smoked while testifying a few days ago.
Seems some folks in the Corps today believe that the appearance of doing something is better than not doing anything.
Just watch. By this time next year, nothing will be done.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6C_nyZLQR8&pp=ygUhc2FtZSBvbGQgc29uZyBhbmQgZGFuY2UgYWVyb3NtaXRo
This song applies.
The core belief in the Corps was “nothing is too good for our troops”. So fuck ’em, give them nothing. It’s the least we can do.
I never really had a bad barracks in the corps. Even the old WW2 barracks at Camp Johnson were not that bad, clean and everything worked. Just those damn steam pipes all over the place. What have they done to my corps?
Imma put this out there after renting a few places. Tenant, “there’s a water leak in my plumbing”. Landlord, “we’ll get right on it”. Maintenance guy, “I need new pipe and more”. Landlord, “It’s only a drip, we’ll fix it later.”
Mold, “Begins cheering”.
Oh this should be good….
I think you guys already covered the usual shit…mold and cleaning and actual inspectionos and hammering everyone in the chain, Military and civilian for not maintaining a solid living area.
That being said…now one has covered THIS arena of ‘Wall to Wall’ Barracks Inspections
Very quick story (seriously)…
Okinawa 84-86. A bunch of folks rotated & my friend & I ran upstairs & claimed “DIBS!” on an evacuated 2 rooms that had a door between then.
We removed the door in between and then stuck it aside and then put our wall lockers, a dressers & beds in the single room, & put the beds on stilts (4×4 frames) as was the thing at the Kadena Dorms. There was a directive that airmen could take scrap limber & scrap items from the Packing & Crating shop and DRMO, excess DOD scrap/junk yard.
We got some plywood & 2x4s & built a Bar for the party room and called it the DMZ. Stained, shellacked…nice.
We also scounged a sofa, chairs & a full sized refrigerator.
It was great. Only problem was when folks came rolling back from town at 1 & 2 in the morning and wanted us to open the bar. We let folks keep their liquor there with their names on the bottles for visits since alcohol was sold on a punchcard and we were limited to a certain amount, to avoid blackmarketing.
One morning in formation…(First Sgt and Commander) “Airman ChipNASA….”Sir”? …..”Uh, We did room inspections this morning”….”Yes”…”And we saw the bar in your room”…”Sir?!?” …you’ve apparently put some significant time and effort into that….”sir?!?!” He leaned into my face and said it loud enough to make certain the Commander and those around me heard… “If *I* don’t hear about it….YOU won’t hear about it…..AM. I. CLEAR?!?!” “Sir, YES sir!!!” (as I almost shooke a turd out of my fatigues pant leg.)
OK, have at it…I know I’m getting shit for this. Good thing very few photos survived that era.
Speaking of…
https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/7-surprise-barracks-inspections-that-will-make-you-lol/
Friend and I had the same kind of setup at kadena 79 to 81. Was your barracks near the chow hall? You may have scrounged some of the same stuff we scrounged.
My memory may be faulty, but I seem to remember annual AGI(?) inspections of barracks and everything else. We spent weeks preparing for them. Mold or any other significant defect would have guaranteed failure. There were also other inspections involving barracks (CMMI?).
Yep.
We used to hase the SMAJ and the Company Tops roll through all of the barracks and off post rooms once a year through the battalion / regiment.
Hide the tobbacco, porn and wierdo shit.
Bde CSM went around checking if doors were locked in the barracks and (in our sister BN’s area) stumbled into a bunch of people having group sex. (Fort Bliss, 2003-ish.)
Nothing like getting the 2am phone to be out in formation in BDUs an hour before normal PT time and get yelled at for being a bunch of pervs by the Bde CSM when you and your folk didn’t even do it.
Not a surprise inspection, I admit… at least the Bde CSM didn’t intend it.
It’s part of the price of a volunteer military. You want volunteers, you need improved living conditions; air conditioning, semi-private bathrooms & kitchens. All that requires more plumbing & electrical construction, which means more plumbing & electrical problems, which means more plumbing & electrical repair and maintenance. Like the joke about yachts–“It isn’t the initial price, it’s the upkeep that bankrupts you”. “A boat is a hole in the water into which you pour money”. The same goes for any building involving plumbing, HVAC, and electricity, as any owner will tell you.
They can TALK all they want, but I say “Deeds, not words.”.
When I was living in the MQ’s on CFB Borden, I had to sign form to promise that I won’t drill into or puncture any of the exterior walls due to asbestos.
Leaking roofs and mould contamination isn’t uncommon either.