CaptionJust over a year ago, a YouTube video gave Fort Bragg the type of attention that nobody was proud of.
The father of a soldier shot pictures at one of the barracks, depicting deplorable conditions.
The so-called "YouTube Barracks" got so much attention, then-President Bush even took a tour of the infamous bathroom from the online video.
Thursday, the Army began the process of demolishing those bathrooms along with the rest of the buildings.
"The YouTube Barracks opened the eyes of Congress and the Department of the Army to send the money forward to us, so that we could bring the quality of life up for our soldiers," Fort Bragg Public Affairs Officer Tom McCollum said.
Army officials say the 13 Korean War-era barracks were already slated for destruction, but they jumped a full two years ahead of schedule after the video was posted.
Some new barracks have already started popping up, complete with two-soldier suites featuring common rooms, kitchenettes and individual sleeping quarters.
"It's a lot better than you'll see on most college campuses," McCollum said. "And it's fairly comparable to many small apartments."
The demolition process will take upwards of five months as crews remove hazardous materials such as mercury, florescent lights and asbestos.
"All those items are collected and then they'll be disposed of in a hazardous waste landfill that's properly lined to protect the groundwater," Resident Engineer Allen Hand said.
Engineers say they're recycling 75 percent of the rubble, and would like to keep as much of the concrete from these buildings as possible to use as gravel on roads at Fort Bragg.
The cost of demolishing the old buildings and construction for five new ones will total close to $89 million.
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Keep up with the stories Chris Cowperthwaite is working on every day: http://twitter.com/CCowperthwaite.
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