With all that's wrong with the military in the reign of POTATUS the First under his Secretary of Defense, doofus Lloyd Austin, the one thing the military needs above all else has been the one thing consistently jacked up almost from Day 1, particularly on the Army side of the house.

Here we are four years later, and I am about to raise hell after reading about it yet again. What makes the recurrences even more egregious is that the poltroonish Austin is a retired Army general himself and, while not supposed to be playing favorites in his position, you'd think he'd at least keep an ear to the ground watching out for his former peeps.

Illustrative of the entire attitude of this DoD is what keeps happening with chow halls or 'dining facilities' (DF) as they've been renamed.

Food is the issue here...repeatedly.

The military runs on food.

For some reason, known only to God and the military hierarchy, maintaining convenient access to sufficient FOOD for troops to function has proven to be an epic challenge for the dolts behind the desks. And contrary to popular impression, there are still plenty of junior troops who live in barracks and rely on those chow halls for their FOOD, as they have what are known as 'meal cards.' Instead of being paid a 'Basic Allowance for Subsistance' (BAS), or the extra bucks you get if authorized to live off base that is meant to cover your food costs, kids in the barracks have all their needs attended to by the service. The roof over their heads, the heat in the building, electricity, and, most importantly, those three meals a day.

That's the bargain you make with the government.

The dining facilities are also often the only source of food for junior troops stationed in remote camps or working wild hours, say, in a foreign country like Germany. Very often, these kids have no transportation as they're not in the position to purchase vehicles yet, or they might be in an extended training status that doesn't allow purchases of cars until you get permanent orders. Pensacola is one station with those prohibitions.

So these service members are often prisoners of the area around the barracks they can walk to for all their needs. 

But that's okay...if everything is available as it's supposed to be.

A year ago, I went ballistic about reports coming out of the former Ft Hood (now Ft Cavasos) in Texas that soldiers weren't being fed. Now, the distances on that massive base are enormous, particularly for soldiers on maneuvers in the back hills or in the remote camps dotting the installation.

...But I’ve gotten my independent confirmation from impeccable, on the scene sources, and I am snorting fire.

This is – and has been – happening at Fort Cavazos, the former Fort Hood in Texas, and is unconscionable.

Fort Cavazos Soldiers Have Been Without Proper Access to Food for Months

One of the Army’s largest bases has been barely able to keep its food services up and running for months, according to soldiers stationed there and dining facility schedules reviewed by Military.com.

The situation at Fort Cavazos, Texas — previously known as Fort Hood — has left some junior enlisted with few options for meals, as top officials on base struggle to juggle logistics while most of its cooks are on deployments, missions or serving field training and other events.

The base had only two of its 10 major dining options open every day for much of the summer, with three others open only during limited times. The closures forced many soldiers to drive long distances across base, sometimes an hour round trip for their meals.

Guess what “many soldiers,” especially junior enlisted troops, don’t have?

Cars.

How are they eating? WHEN are they eating?

Fort Cavazos is the third largest military base IN THE WORLD. The distances from point A to B, especially for those camps in the interior, are enormous.

Two chow halls open and a thirty-minute drive to one, if you could catch a ride, all in - if you were lucky - your hour and a half lunch if you got that much. Predicated on getting cut loose for lunch while the chow hall was still open.

...The young PV2 we checked in with said both chow halls are slammed. He’s as junior as you can get – he’s not going to make waves if he’s starving. His NCOs and officers should be raising holy hell for him and the others.

…”For months, one [dining facility] was open and was a more than 30-minute drive for my soldiers,” said one noncommissioned officer, who spoke to Military.com on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press. “All the soldiers were going to that one. It’s unmanageable during the workday.”

The excuse was that all the cooks were off on deployment.

I have to believe the hue and cry over this got some people's butts burned, because the Army hustled to pretend they momentarily cared about feeding soldiers for the cameras. At Cavasos now, they're in the middle of yet another attempt to 'revolutionize' feeding the soldiers.

I mean, come on, already. Kiosks do not a 'meal' make. It's lazy.

Phantom Centralized HUB

After the briefings, Mohan received a tour of the Phantom Centralized HUB located in the Ironhorse Dining Facility. It opened this past summer and is an alternative dining facility for on-the-go meals, featuring Phantom Fresh, Culinary Outpost Food Trucks, an installation meal preparation service, remote site feeding and the Culinary Arts Readiness Center.

Chontrelle Sturdivant, installation food program manager and culinary specialist working at the hub, explained to Mohan the different aspects of the dining facility, including the menu, how to order through the meal prep service, training and a demonstration of packaging a power plate.

“We are taking an in-depth look across the Army at how we currently feed our Soldiers and how we can modernize and revolutionize the Army Food Program to improve not just the quality, but also access to a variety of nutritious food options,” Mohan said. “From grab-and-go kiosks to upgrading DFACs and offering localized cuisine, our goal is to meet Soldiers where they’re at and provide them with convenient, healthy, accessible and affordable food options.

And, oh, my gosh - you'll never guess what either.

Lazy, cheap kiosks need to be kept filled, or soldiers still HAVE NO FOOD. Which is what I guess has been happening at Fort Carson, Colorado.

Besides running out of food entirely or it being completely inedible, all for months on end.

Lima beans and toast for dinner, anyone?

I do not understand why in this country, in 2024, we are writing headlines like -

"Food Is Hard to Find at Fort Carson, as Base Struggles with Feeding Soldiers"

reporting by @StevenBeynon -https://t.co/JUY4eTD360

— Konstantin Toropin (@KToropin) November 26, 2024

Well done, Army. Well done.

As Americans gather for Thanksgiving feasts, soldiers at Fort Carson, Colorado, are contending with a far less festive reality -- months of insufficient meals, confusing schedules, and limited food options at the base's dining facilities that have ignited widespread frustration among the rank and file.

Dining facilities -- critical for sustaining the health and readiness of troops -- are reportedly offering fewer options, with some meals falling short of basic nutritional standards. Earlier this month, the issue was exemplified by a meal in which soldiers were served a single piece of toast and a handful of lima beans for dinner, according to one soldier stationed there who shared imagery of the meal. Even getting access to those limited rations can be hard, given confusing dining hall schedules and seemingly random closures that make it difficult for many to access hot meals.

Military.com's interviews with eight soldiers and review of photos from Fort Carson facilities found recurring problems. Food runs out quickly, and portions often fall short of the macronutrient requirements needed to sustain soldiers' demanding physical regimens, likely running afoul of service regulations on feeding requirements for troops. Some soldiers reported and shared photos of food that was undercooked or stored at dangerous temperatures.

...When kiosk shelves are stocked, they're often filled with chips, sugary snacks and other items that soldiers say fall short of the nutritional standards required to maintain physical fitness as demanded by their jobs. Frustration over food issues has prompted some unit leaders to instruct troops to document the issue, capturing photos of the low-quality food or barren shelves to escalate concerns to higher-level leadership, though it's unclear what official complaints have been filed.

And...argle-bargle.

..."We recognize that we've had some challenges with consistency in the quality of our soldiers' dining experiences at our warrior restaurants and kiosks," Lt. Col. Joseph Payton, a base spokesperson, said in a statement to Military.com. "We're committed to ensuring our soldiers receive quality and healthy meals and can take full advantage of their meal benefit they are entitled to receive."

WE'VE HAD SOME CHALLENGES, BUT WE'RE COMMITTED DONCHA KNOW

I'd say so, but gussying it up with names like 'warrior' restaurants is still lipstick on a pig.

A pig that has been repeatedly raising the unmistakable and unforgivable stench of Biden administration neglect for years now.

And I'm sure glad the Fort Carson Culinary Academy is busy cooking away for Thanksgiving, but maybe SOLDIERS should be the focus first on holidays?

Fort Carson officials delivered 2,200 Thanksgiving meals to those in need this week. Fort Carson's Culinary Academy has been preparing Thanksgiving meals for the Salvation Army for nearly 20 years. https://t.co/Chzi2zKPMK

— KOAA News5 (@KOAA) November 24, 2024

...“We simply could not prepare two thousand plus Thanksgiving meals without the collaboration with the Fort Carson Culinary Academy each year,” said Major Nancy Ball, The Salvation Army El Paso County Coordinator. “This partnership makes a significant impact on our community. It allows us to serve not only those who cannot afford a meal, but also those who are shut-ins and those who have nowhere else to go and want to be around others. The holidays can be very lonely for some individuals and that’s why we serve on Thanksgiving and Christmas day.”

Yeah. You know who else is 'lonely' on holidays?

Kids far from home, maybe for the first time ever, who are under tremendous stress and by themselves in the barracks. Lonely kids who can't even get a decent meal, less mind celebrate a holiday dinner at a table, any table, with someone...anyone.

Think about that for a moment.

If you've ever been that kid or dragged one you knew out of the barracks to go to the chow hall with you on a miserable, cold Thanksgiving afternoon, you know where I'm coming from.

And you know what it means.

I'm just going to leave you all with this graphic. Watch how the red grows as the years count down.

I don't know if it's Afghanistan/combat syndromes, societal ills, or what.

But the way those precious lives entrusted to the military are treated right at this very moment sure won't help that a bit.

It makes me sick.

These monsters can't be gone a minute too soon.