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Military Moms Wage War With Fort Bragg Officials Over Mold

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FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Some military mothers are waging war on Fort Bragg housing. They say mold is making their families sick and that no one is doing anything about it.

Jessica Culp has always considered her family healthy. She claims her kids rarely got sick until they moved to Fort Bragg.

"She gets real pale in her face and the cheeks get really red," she said, talking about one of her children.

Culp blames her children's problems on mold. She is convinced that the spores are spurring breathing problems for the family.

Fort Bragg admits there is mold and plans to renovate housing over the next 10 years, but many parents said that is not soon enough.

"I just have a 6-year-old that has a lung disease who comes to me every day and says, 'Mommy, my chest hurts.' You know, what do you do?" said one mother, who wished to remain anonymous.

Some mothers claim their children are complaining of constant nose bleeds and headaches. They said they often have to make trips to the emergency room, the doctor's office and the school nurse.

Culp said she plans to keep fighting because moving is not an option.

"It's our right to live on post," she said.

Bragg officials said the renovations are set to begin next year. Culp's neighborhood is first on the list, but nothing is scheduled to happen until then.

Across the military, there is an effort to refurbish housing. Officials say there are close to 260,000 housing units in the military, of which 6,000 or 20 percen have been renovated. More than 60 percent of the military's on-base housing is considered sustandard by the U.S. Defense Department.

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