Unveiling the Hidden Dangers: A Personal Account of Military Housing Toxicity
Written by Casey McCurry
Casey is the Director of Intake and Client Advocacy at JUST WELL LAW, she is a mold survivor, a mother, and a fierce advocate for military families. Read Casey’s biography and learn more about her by visiting our contributing writers list here.
Have you ever felt like you're shouting into the void, with no one listening to your cries for help?
That's how it often feels when confronted with the toxic realities of military housing across our nation. This is the story of my family's journey through the unseen dangers lurking within the homes provided to us by the U.S. government and its privatized partners.
Our tale begins in 2012, when my husband, our three young children, and I moved into our first military home. Nestled near the water, it was a picturesque two-story beachy yellow house on stilts, just under two years old. Little did we know, beneath its seemingly pristine exterior lay a host of insidious issues waiting to wreak havoc on our health and well-being.
Life with three young children was challenging, and we brushed off the constant stream of illnesses as part and parcel of parenthood. Yet, looking back, the signs were there from the beginning. My oldest daughter suffered from persistent dental problems, upper respiratory symptoms, and frequent throat infections. My middle daughter battled constant throat infections, while my son, born prematurely, bore the brunt of our home's hidden dangers. From eye infections and respiratory conditions to neurological issues culminating in a diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy and seizures, his young life was fraught with medical complexities. Meanwhile, my husband grappled with hearing loss, necessitating the use of hearing aids by the age of 30, and I navigated a myriad of female health issues, culminating in a hysterectomy at just 27, alongside dental problems and an autoimmune condition.
At the time, we attributed our health woes to "bad luck" and never once suspected our home could be the culprit. Mold sightings were dismissed as minor inconveniences, swiftly dealt with by maintenance crews who assured us all was well. It wasn't until years later, amidst a cascade of illnesses and seizures, that the truth began to surface.
In 2019, news broke of mold issues plaguing military housing, but memories of our past encounters with mold faded into oblivion. As we prepared to move back to the same military base, optimism overshadowed any lingering concerns. Surely, with all eyes on them, housing conditions would have improved, we reasoned.
Arriving at our new home, we were greeted by a familiar sight - another beachy yellow house. Despite our initial excitement, it didn't take long for problems to resurface. Mold reared its ugly head around attic access points, and our floors began to warp ominously. Maintenance was called, remediation was promised, but weeks turned into months before any action was taken.
Upon returning to our home after a month-long absence, our health deteriorated rapidly. Nosebleeds, twitching, headaches - the symptoms were relentless. It was then that memories of our previous ordeal flooded back, and I realized we had unwittingly subjected ourselves to years of toxic exposure.
Distraught and determined, I embarked on a quest for answers and justice. From failed remediation attempts to the discovery of mold infesting our ductwork, our journey was fraught with obstacles. Yet, through perseverance and advocacy, we finally found sanctuary in a safe, mold-free home.
Our harrowing experience underscored the systemic failures within military housing, leaving us questioning how our nation's service members could be expected to fulfill their duties when their homes posed such grave risks to their health and well-being.
But from the depths of our suffering emerged a newfound purpose. Today, I work tirelessly for a law firm that specializes in exposure cases, dedicated to ensuring that no family endures the trauma we faced. It's a journey fueled by the hope of a safer, healthier future for military families everywhere. And though the road ahead may be long and arduous, we march onward with unwavering resolve, determined to shed light on the hidden dangers lurking within our nation's military housing.
