While America hears reports about the latest American Idol to be sent home, paratroopers returning from Afghanistan live in filth, and it goes relatively unreported in the media.

It’s not just personal because I’ve been a paratrooper (okay, maybe just a little), but troops deploying abroad deserve to return home to facilities that are at least livable.  Paratroopers, by way of their duty, assume risks in training, let alone combat (we’re all “legs” in OIF), that transcend that of their peers.  These are brave men and women who take that extra step, often out the door or tailgate of a C-130, in the service of their country.  They deserve better.

Until new facilities are coordinated on post, I would proffer that paratroopers affected by poor barracks be accommodated at the best hotels Fayetteville has to offer until such time.

Whether it’s one barracks that was poorly maintained by the rear detachment, or many WWII-era stick-built affairs filled with peeling lead paint and crumbling asbestos tile, no military member should be living in conditions we wouldn’t wish on HUD projects.