Help Soldiers get better treatment!

We are a group of soldiers in the WV Army National Guard preparing for our second deployment to Iraq, who are fed up with the poor living conditions and treatment of us and all other soldiers. We realize that army life is not meant to be glamourous, however we should at least have clean barracks, equal treatment among all soldiers stationed together, and proper medications and treatment for when soldiers are sick.  Here is a list of things we have had to put up with in addition to being away from our families and homes and faced with the reality that we are heading to Iraq once again.....

- We have black mold growing in our bathrooms and in our barracks above our heads where we sleep. Nobody will do anything about it and soldiers are staying sick with Chest Colds, Flu, and MRSA

- We have no heat in our cement barracks because our heaters are broken and so are some of the toilets and showers. We have 300 soldiers sharing a limited about of showers. Work orders were put in the week of Jan 16th when we arrived here, however nobody will come and fix anything. Our first couple weeks here we couldn't sleep for shivering.

- We have no cleaning supplies to keep our areas clean and some what sanitary. 
 
- Our training keeps getting repeated multiple times because the paperwork saying it was done keeps getting lost.

- It is already pretty crappy to have to be away from our families and home for a year at a time, however our morale gets hurt even worse when we are forced to watch the rest of the 30th Brigade get off base passes to go out and do whatever they want, Get 4 day passes to go home to their families, Get to have families come visit them here, and Get to go to Mardi Gras for 2 or 3 days in arow. While we are on strict lock down and aren't even allowed to wear civillian clothes or step foot off base. Its quite aggrivating to hear them talking about their fun nights out while we are here doing details and busy work.

- Our command has never been seen in our areas to check on us, however when the General showed up they did too,  and they rushed the General through everything to keep any of the soldiers from explaining the problems and issues with training and how we are treated.

- Our command acts like they care so much about their soldiers for others to see, however actions they make clearly show otherwise that all they care about is the enhancement of their own career.

- All though we are ahead of our training schedule were are still pushed harder and harder, while the rest of the 30th time off.  Any of the time off promised to us is always taken away with busy work or details

- We are United States Soldiers going to War for the second time, however we are treated and made to feel like prisoners!

We are proud and willing to our job as Soldiers, all we ask is for our government to give us a little more respect and better, safer living conditions. Thank you to all of you who sign this and support us and soldiers everywhere!