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Commander: Sill mold was not ignored

LAWTON, Okla. — The commander general of Fort Sill has denied published reports that said complaints about mold in the barracks of wounded soldiers went “unheeded for months.”

Allegations by Sgt. William Barnett, Spc. James Dodson, Staff Sgt. Michael Riley and 17 others were included in two articles released Monday by USA Today.

Soldiers told the newspaper they first noticed layers of mold in flexible air ducts above the ceiling when ventilation covers were removed for cleaning. They also alleged that when complaints were made, they were not only ignored but ordered “not to speak about the conditions at Fort Sill.”

“The thing that bothers me the most is the insinuation that there was a complaint and that complaint went unheeded for months,” Maj. Gen. Peter Vangjel said. “That is simply not true.”

Col. Robert Bridgford, garrison commander, presented a timeline regarding the mold.

The mold was first reported April 25; a work order was submitted three days later; the mold was tested May 2 and test results came back a week later, concluding that the substance was “common mold.”

In an April 28 service order, Staff Sgt. Micah Ross reported on Room 153 in Building 3705, “Please check for water level in the building ... They did not see water, but there is a large spot on the ceiling.”

Ross contends the service order contradicts the allegations made in the news articles.

“My first reaction after reading the articles was disbelief and anger — not at the soldiers but at the fact it’s just not true,” Ross said. “I know. I called in the work order. I’m the one who had to let the workers into the room.”

Inspectors found “common mold” in four of the 48 rooms at the Warrior Transition Units, which were created in January for soldiers after poor conditions forced their removal from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. Seventy-four soldiers currently live in the units.

“When I wake up in the morning, I have crud in my eyes, and I have, like, this slimy phlegm in the back of my throat,” Dodson told the newspaper.

Vangjel said Dodson neither reported his condition nor visited a doctor.

A $335,000 renovation of walls and the air duct system is underway but not as a result of soldier complaints, Vangjel said.

He did acknowledge that a captain on the post inspector general’s staff ordered soldiers who overheard discussions about the mold to remain silent.

Vangjel said disciplinary actions against the captain are being considered.

DISCUSS: Barracks: Are they safe?

Related reading:

Soldiers: Sill barracks infested by mold