SAN ANTONIO — Military members and their loved ones understand the risks involved with the job, but worrying about themselves and their families at home is not an extra burden they want to bear.
On Thursday, Joint Base San Antonio sent an alert to Randolph residents saying active duty military, retirees and/or dependents of military residents are eligible to have their blood tested for lead.
The message was sent by the commander of the 502nd Security Forces Group and Joint Base San Antonio brigadier general just days after a town hall hosted at Randolph Air Force Base.
In Wednesday's meeting, which can be viewed below, residents were allowed to speak freely about the issues they are having with their homes on base.
"My house and many of the houses on base make Section 8 housing look appealing," one Randolph resident said.
Many residents in attendance complained of issues with mold, lead paint, pest control and other issues.
Randolph Air Force Base is most known for its undergraduate instructor pilot and remotely piloted aircraft training. According to Randolph family housing, there are 300 historical homes on the base that are run by a third-party real estate service.
During Tuesday's town hall at Randolph, Brigadier General Laura Lenderman told residents to be honest, saying that officials were working to assess issues with housing within JBSA installations.
In a statement, JBSA officials said many local homes built before 1978 have lead-based paint, and over 300 on-base homes at Randolph are being maintained with routine lead-based repairs.
"Senior leadership across Joint Base San Antonio have already been in the process of conducting 'boots-on-the-ground' health and safety checks in military family housing units at JBSA in order to ensure we fully understand the extent of the problem, since the health and safety of service members and their families is a top priority," the statement reads.