One of many Army’s largest bases has been barely in a position to maintain its meals companies up and working for months, based on troopers stationed there and eating facility schedules reviewed by Navy.com.
The scenario at Fort Cavazos, Texas — beforehand often known as Fort Hood — has left some junior enlisted with few choices for meals, as prime officers on base wrestle to juggle logistics whereas most of its cooks are on deployments, missions or serving discipline coaching and different occasions.
The bottom had solely two of its 10 main eating choices open every single day for a lot of the summer time, with three others open solely throughout restricted instances. The closures pressured many troopers to drive lengthy distances throughout base, generally an hour spherical journey for his or her meals.
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However not all junior troopers have automobiles, and the bottom offers solely a restricted shuttle service, with none devoted to eating amenities. The service is so restricted that some service members interviewed by Navy.com did not even understand it exists.
“For months, one [dining facility] was open and was a greater than 30-minute drive for my troopers,” stated one noncommissioned officer, who spoke to Navy.com on the situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t licensed to speak to the press. “All of the troopers have been going to that one. It is unmanageable through the workday.”
In some conditions, the bottom posted conflicting schedules or complicated steerage on what meals have been being offered at which eating amenities. One facility had an indication on the door stating that it was “closed for dinner,” but it surely did not word which particular days it was closed or days when different meals weren’t out there.
Base officers additionally didn’t submit up to date eating facility schedules on social media, though two of the bottom’s eating amenities — Iron Horse and Patriot — have been reopened up to now week, which ought to begin assuaging visitors jams and logistical hurdles in offering extra accessible meals for troopers.
On the coronary heart of the difficulty is the eating amenities not having sufficient Army cooks to run them. A rotation to the Nationwide Coaching Middle, or NTC, and assist for a cadet coaching train at Fort Knox, Kentucky, took many cooks off base.
Eating amenities have been a key focus within the Army’s discussions on boosting the standard of life for troopers.
That has included entry to more healthy meals and staffing these amenities with civilians so Army cooks can give attention to feeding troops within the discipline.
Nonetheless, the service has made no notable progress on these efforts.
Army officers are eyeing permitting troopers to make use of their meal playing cards at non-military eating places on base, equivalent to Panera and Qdoba, an concept that’s presently being piloted at Fort Drum, New York.
— Steve Beynon could be reached at Steve.Beynon@army.com. Comply with him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.
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