It's natural for parents to be concerned about the safety and wellbeing of their sons and daughters in the military -- whether the offspring are in a war zone or not. With some frequency, moms or dads will contact the media, including Stars and Stripes, about some real or perceived injustice visited on their servicemember kin.

We try to help whenever possible. Sometimes the complaints are of such a personal or unique nature -- and so open to dispute -- that the best we can do is to refer them to an agency for possible fact-finding and action. Other times, the parent may just vent over an unfortunate episode; such was the case of a mother who complained in a recent letter to Stripes that her son, though found not guilty of rape, would have to carry a stigma because of what she saw as a false accusation.

Still other times, there is a call for action that is noteworthy on its face and affects not just the son or daughter but other servicemembers as well. A case like that came to light this week because the father of an 82nd Airborne Division soldier shot a video of awful conditions at barracks at Fort Bragg to which his son's unit was assigned after returning from 15 months in Afghanistan. The dad, Ed  Frawley, posted the video on YouTube.com (yes, that's media too), showing peeling paint, mold and sewage.

Wire services picked up the story, congressmen from North Carolina demanded action, and the Army went to work: Officers agreed the conditions were unacceptable (while pointing out the Army had no choice but to use the aging quarters) and ordered barracks inspections that reached into Europe and South Korea.

Frawley told Stripes in an interview that he didn't want to be perceived as anti-military. "I wasn't looking to get anyone fired," he said. "I just want it fixed."

The media, as a spur to official action, can't fix every problem. But a worried parent with a clear and justifiable issue stands as much chance of success with them as anybody else. Especially if that issue affects more than one person.