Over $151 Million Taken from Soldiers’ Paychecks for Food Costs Spent Elsewhere by the Army
Military.com | By Steve Beynon
Feb 14, 2025
Ask A Recruiter
“Reports from service members frequently describe undercooked meat, unseasoned meals, a lack of fresh ingredients, and unhealthy menu options. The substandard, and sometimes dangerous, food in turn leads to fewer soldiers using the facilities — a downward spiral that results in even less money being spent on meals.”
“In the past, service officials have pointed to a lack of attendance at Army dining facilities, saying resources are continually stripped because of a perception of dwindling interest.”
“Army officials declined to answer detailed, or even broad, questions about how so much money is diverted and how budgets for food are decided. The service also declined to make any senior officials available on the record for interviews.”
The 1980s were sort of the glory days of recruiting for the all volunteer force. What were they getting right about chow halls back then?
Prior To Student Loan Forgiveness Programs
Uncle Sam wanted people to do time in the US Army to earn college money:
1980s Army College Fund – Dad Shows Support
TRICARE – Weeks of Unpaid Insurance Claims
In the news:
Kiggans inquires after TRICARE East reimbursement failures
WVEC Feb 14, 2025
Pick a decade anytime after the war in Vietnam. No matter what political party or personality is in the White House, Uncle Sam struggles to get veterans health care to work properly. Moms, Dads, Grandparents, and young people have access to this info.
Recruiting crisis for Uncle Sam? Elected officials and top Pentagon Generals earned it.
US Armed Forces Recruiting Crisis
It will be interesting to see how things play out in the months ahead.
Thousands of American families have now had a loved one who did one or more tours in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Will they support new enlistments?
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, it feels like the people who run the Pentagon specialize in undeclared/unwon wars.
Understandable why young people and their parents and grandparents would take a dim view on all this.
If DOD was an NFL team, sports talk radio would feature comments like:
The Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911. We haven’t won a war since.
Any college or pro football coach would have been fired a dozen times over for what DOD has done with the US Armed Forces during the fake GWOT era.
Flag officers and high level DOD civilians built careers made of undeclared/unwon wars. Now they must mastermind ways to recruit a new generation.
Photo-
Something from the last century