US Army fights losing battle with mold

Weeks after troops had to be moved at America’s biggest base, barracks infestations have come to light at another major garrison

Even as the US Army juggles growing security risks around the world, it’s reportedly struggling to eradicate a persistent foe that could jeopardize the health of troops at some of America’s largest military bases: mold.

Weeks after mold infestations in more than a dozen barracks forced the Army to relocate about 1,100 soldiers at its biggest base, North Carolina’s Fort Bragg, a viral TikTok video has exposed similar issues at Fort Stewart in Georgia. As the website Military.com reported on Friday, a pattern of mold damage has emerged “across the Army,” and there’s no easy solution. At Fort Stewart, the outlet said, “Army officials have no plans other than wait a decade for new facilities.”

In one case highlighted by Military.com reporter Steve Beynon, who interviewed more than 20 soldiers, an enlisted man who recently returned to Fort Stewart after a long deployment in Europe came home to discover that “mold had completely consumed his room.” The walls were covered with mold, the bed had turned black and green, and most of the soldier’s belongings were destroyed. 

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A clip posted earlier this week on a popular TikTok account called ‘US Army WTF! Moments’ showed someone opening two closet doors to reveal walls that were apparently covered with black mold. The video was captioned ‘Fort Stewart barracks’.

@usawtfm They said they were fixing this.