Army says it's fixing up barracks

WASHINGTON, May 9 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army announced this week it plans to spend $248 million fixing up aging barracks at eight bases.

The infusion of money was prompted by a YouTube posting by the father of Sgt. Jeff Frawley, a member of the 82nd Airborne, based at Fort Bragg, N.C. Ed Frawley posted video that showed mold, flooding in a bathroom and rust and peeling paint in his son's barracks, USA Today reported.

Most military barracks are several decades or more old, but even some older facilities do not have the kinds of problems illustrated by Frawley's video. At Fort Riley, Kan., soldiers are comfortable in historic 19th-century buildings with 2-foot limestone walls that keep them cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

On the other hand, Maj. Gen. John MacDonald said soldiers were moved out of barracks at Fort Rucker, Ala., this week because of mold.

"We've got some ugly barracks out there," he said.