Written by by MICAELA BURROW at dailycaller.com
The Marine Corps’ service-wide inspection that ended March 15 found that many Marines are living in “uninhabitable” conditions, but the path to fixing a decades-old problem will not be easy, according to Marines who spoke to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
In February, Marine Corps acting Commandant Gen. Christopher Mahoney issued guidance for installation commanders to conduct “wall-to-wall” inspections of conditions at all housing facilities for single Marines by March 15. While a final assessment of the barracks is not yet ready, initial results of the investigation, which spanned 60,000 rooms at 25 installations across the globe, show that some Marines are living in filthy, cramped quarters, often with broken appliances and lack of privacy — “consistent” with the findings of a watchdog report released in September, the service confirmed to the DCNF.
“The inspections also took a holistic approach to inventory all barracks-related issues,” Marine Corps Installations Command spokesperson Maj. John Parry told the DCNF. “The inspection was most importantly meant to ensure Marines live in facilities that meet required health and safety policy. Immediate concerns for health and safety were addressed as part of the inspection.”
The Marine Corps will analyze results of the inspection to ensure additional funding for the service’s plan to revitalize barracks” will have the greatest impact on quality of life for Marines,” he added.
Barracks managers received an in-depth checklist assessing general habitability, safety and cleanliness of barracks and providing space for comments and recommended follow-up actions. The checklist also addressed specific features of each dorm, including the kitchen or kitchenette, bathroom, living area, bedroom and appliances.
Commanders were given authority to relocate a Marine if the inspection revealed their dorms had severe mold, water or general safety issues, according to a memorandum Parry provided to the DCNF.
Parry declined to get into further details but said the results were “consistent with the sample of barracks taken for the Government Accountability Office report published in September of 2023,” he said.
The inspection at the barracks at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego, California, showed dormitories that need to be fixed but the installation did not have the maintenance capacity to refurbish them all, Col. Thomas Bedell, the installation’s commander, told U.S. Naval Institute News.