Photo By Laura Kreider | US Army Africa Commanding General Maj. Gen. Roger Cloutier, Jr.,(right) and Garrison...... read more read more
Vicenza, ITALY (March 1, 2019) ─ As part of an ongoing Army wide effort to resolve unsatisfactory conditions in Army family housing, Army leaders at USAG Italy held a town hall to provide information and gain feedback at Vicenza and Camp Darby on March 1.
US Army Africa Commanding General Maj. Gen. Roger Cloutier, Jr., Garrison Commander Col Erik M. Berdy, and representatives from USAG Italy Public Works Department answered questions and addressed issues from Soldiers and their families regarding various housing issues.
“I have been in the U.S. Army for over 30 years, and I have lived in military housing all over the world. My oldest son is a PFC at Fort Bragg. This issue matters to me,” said Cloutier to an audience of more than 245 Soldiers and family members and another 60 on a Facebook live stream. “You are among the less than one percent who have chosen to serve and defend the nation. We owe you this. You deserve the very best housing we can provide.”
Berdy encouraged all residents to use the existing reporting systems to request maintenance of their quarters, and encouraged candid feedback at the afternoon meeting.
“We are placing a great amount of emphasis to ensure each individual matter is handled with the utmost speed and urgency. If there are community-wide issues, we will fully disclose them to every resident, along with being transparent in remediation,” said Berdy.
Within the next two weeks, military leaders will complete visits to Family homes and Soldier barracks – with appropriate notice and consent -- to assess the scale and scope of housing issues.
The garrison established a housing hotline this week for Soldiers, civilians and their families to provide an easier way to report problems in in government owned, government leased, private rental and barracks. The hotline also provides direct feedback to garrison leadership for unresolved housing problems.
The hotline phone number is 0444-71-5116.
“I think our families at both Darby and Vicenza will find it easier to use one number rather than trying to use the six other direct numbers we have based upon where you lived and the type of housing,” explained Berdy.
In a recent statement, Secretary of the Army Dr. Mark Esper stated, “We are deeply troubled by the recent reports highlighting the deficient conditions in some of our family housing. It is unacceptable for our Families who sacrifice so much to have to endure these hardships in their own homes. Our most sacred obligation as Army leaders is to take care of our people - our Soldiers and our Family members.”
Secretary Esper added “We will hold our chain of command and private contractors accountable to ensure they are meeting their obligations to provide safe, high quality family housing.”
The town hall can be replayed on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/VMCItaly/videos/359991114587570/
| Date Taken: | 03.01.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 03.01.2019 12:56 |
| Story ID: | 312517 |
| Location: | IT |
| Web Views: | 66 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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