Commander says he is working to fix problems with Guard's food
Commander says he is working to fix problems with Guard's food

I want to make a quick point about this. Chain of command is there to keep priorities and efficiency aligned. Regardless of how this came about, or who did what, the chain of command failed. This could have been taken care of by a platoon commander, or even a squad leader. But, because it wasn't, commanders were basically taken out of running combat operations to do damage control with families, senators, and television stations. 100% of thier focus should be command level - statusing and directing operations, making combat decisions, and making phone calls to families of wounded or killed members are just a few examples. All of that had to be put aside to correct something that could have been easily solved at the O-1 level. Ironically, senators and parents complaining about waste and bad leadership actually created a wasteful situation. This is why the chain of command must be preserved. It's not a cover-up system - it's for efficiency and priority.

By here not using her chain of command, it tells me she is either not familiar with the military way of doing things, or she knew she'd get blasted for not making the run to the chow hall herself to grab an MRE. Instead she complained to Daddy because she knew she was at fault and would get a reaming from her superiors.....

To "B" and to Susan...I wonder why the rant about "supporting the troops" in this case. This, for all intents and purposes, appears to be a case of a woman who either didn't take the steps to make sure she had chow, or was not happy with the meal served. One thing I was taught in the military as far back as 1981 was to prepare yourself and ensure you were ready for situations. Now, just how difficult would it be for this young lady to go to the chow hall, grab an MRE or 2 and carry them along in the event of hot chow not being delivered as scheduled? After all, they are serving in a combat area and there is no guarantee that chow will come to your place of duty piping hot and ready and on time, is there? Stuff happens to possibly prevent this from happening? I'm sure it would be a great strain and burden on this poor undernourished girl to grab an MRE and have it with her, or to grab one and leave it at her place of duty. The only whining I see is from this woman who cried to daddy cause she was ill prepared or was too complacent to bother, and I for one think that if she was too complacent(I won't say "lazy") to have an MRE or some food source available, then I certainly wouldn't want her alongside me in a foxhole when the stuff hit the fan. Also, I'd like to hear from B and Susan just how many years combined military service they have(not your sons or husbands, but YOU yourselves), cause I'll bet the amount of days/weeks/months in uniform is exactly ZERO....

Ok, folks, remember the complaint came from the father. The father may have been acting on a concern from the daughter that the meal that was delivered to here was cold, therefore she wouldn't eat it. Styrofoam is the worst item to use to contain heat in meals. For those of you who say get up earlier and go to the mess hall, you can do that but mid way through your shift you are going to get hungry. Hunger in the heat of the desert is not a good thing, it can lead to dehydration because your body will use more fluids to keep the hunger at a bay. Anyone know that after going for an extended time without food it can lead to cramps, dehydration, fatigue, etc. Susan, you are completely correct5 that it is all about the command. If the command is not taking care of the troops, then the command needs to be replaced.

I feel so sorry for that poor young girl. Not that she is not getting her lunch but that she is too lazy or ignorant to grab an MRE. My Son is a Guardsman when I told him about this he laughed and said she needed to be like the rest of the troops and suck it up. They are not at home with a Mickey D's on every other corner. What they are is in a Combat Zone where as many can tell you that a hot meal once a day is often a luxury not a 3 time a day fact. He also stated that telling Daddy was a cop out for not going thru her Chain of Command and getting the problem fixed at the Unit level where it seems to be happening.

Oh my gosh, you have to be so totally kidding me! Wow, 9, sometimes 10 hour shifts, sometimes no hot lunch boxes with little scooby-do milk cartons! That mean ole commander! Hey, they have a name for that 'sandinthegina'. Hey, get up a little early and hit the mess hall (oh, I mean the DFAC, Dining Facility), and eat a good breakfast, and take a go plate.....or, as youre fobbing around base, look for these strange brown plastic containers called MRE's and put one or two in your purse! Hey, thnose shocked at some of the commenst about whining...get over it, we have real soldiers over there whacking bad guys every day and taking hits as well, and they're not complaining about internet connections being too slow!

I cannot believe what I am reading in some of these posts and in the ones in the previous article on this subject. Whining? Suck it up? You people are monsters...scary actually. We have young men over there fighting this horrible war and you bash them like that? My god what has happened to our society? You are a bunch of uncaring idiots. Leave it to Oklahoma to have the freaks speak out on something they know nothing about. I'm proud of our troops..my son is one of them and how dare you.

It seems as though they're paying more attention to covering their @$$e$ than taking care of the soldiers. I bet KBR and Halliburton workers are getting fed regularly. Glad this issue is finally getting addressed.

No wonder we're not winning the war. Troops whining about not getting fed on time. What kind of people are in uniform? Better feed them what they want, when they want it or they'll call congress.

Dennis you totally missed my point. And seeing the rest of you people bash our troops makes me want to puke! It shows ignorance and arrogance on your part. I can't believe anyone would knock a person who is in a foreign country putting thier life on the line. Those who do are stupid, just plain stupid!

Kristie..your ignorance is showing.....I also have the hunch you've never served in the military....
paul, yukon - Apr 26, 2008 3:12 AM_____ Kristie...the Chain of Command is in place for several reasons. One of which is to hear complaints and resolve issues such as this. And yes, if it was my child I would advise them to get with their First Sgt and Commander if necessary. Just remember, a lot of men and women have missed meals while P.O.W.s. What's she going to do when she gets stuck out in the middle of the Iraqi desert without toilet paper?
Dennis, Oklahoma City - Apr 25, 2008 10:47 PM_____ Screw a chain of command...if this was your CHILD would you tell them to go through the proper chain...HELL NO! I for one am OUTRAGED at this and the rest of America should be too. Most of America is brainwashed and of course...most Oklahoman's don't have a brain of their own!
Kristie, Bethany - Apr 25, 2008 7:06 PM
_____ Another thing...did Stephanie Fleshman go through her chain of command? And why didn't Fallin and Inhofe contact the Oklahoma National Guard and let them handle this?
Dennis, Oklahoma City - Apr 25, 2008 6:09 PM_____ 682nd ASOC, Shaw AFB...we ate sand! It was impossible to keep the sand out of our food (MRE's) in the forward operating areas and forward air control sections of Iraq. Anytime we got a meal from a bare base unit was indeed a treat. I have to join the others that have said "stop whining."
Dennis, Oklahoma City - Apr 25, 2008 5:49 PM_____ It seems to me in the past few months there was an article talking about soldiers that were getting overweight from all the junk food available there. Stuff like Burger King and the like, certainly not an issue when I first went in the Corps and was eating C rations and later the MRE's, and now the modern MRE's as well....
paul, yukon - Apr 25, 2008 5:12 PM_____ As others have said, I have my doubts that they are missing meals, maybe meals that are served, but not meals. MRE's are always available, box lunches and like someone posted, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Subway, Starbucks, are also available. If MRE's are not available, it is not a Army problem, it is a S-4 (Supply) problem that is within the unit. Often there is a schedule or period of time that a unit will receive 2 hot meals a day and MRE's for one meal a day because of missions or supply interruptions. I have done a tour in Iraq early in the war (OIF 2) when things were hard to get sometimes and supply lines were interrupted by the insurgency. I am a Quartermaster Officer, USAR, and I have been there so I have some knowledge of what goes on. This end-run around the chain of command is not uncommon by lower enlisted is this age of hyper communication. Certainly it should be investigated but in the end I would expect that this will be a non-story elevated by the press eager to shine the worst light possible on the war effort.
ED, DUMAS - Apr 25, 2008 2:55 PM_____ Mrs. Katherine, I do know what they put up with and I do pray that the troops return safely, too include your husband. I worked as a mechanic and logged alot of miles on the roads of Iraq (and yes Camp Bucca)and also worked long days. And I never once missed a meal. I'm not saying what the soldiers say is false. It is not an overall Army issue. It is a unit, platoon, or squad issue to the reason why they are missing meals. Also, Camp Bucca has burger king and subway.
Tony, Antlers - Apr 25, 2008 11:36 AM_____ With the troops going on 4 or 5 tours over there, getting regular meals is not too much to ask. How about showing some support for the troops and their plight of 15 month tours and multiple deployments. You can talk about your fathers C rations and them not complaining, but the nation believed in the mission. This is not the case now. Hell the administration is doing everything in it's power to minimize what the populace should know what's going on. Keep crapping on these brave individuals and see what the retention rate and enlistment rate will be. BTW I am a veteran. HML-167, Semper Fi! Call your representative and demand they support the new GI Bill and demand equal time at home for time served in theatre.
John, Norman - Apr 25, 2008 11:09 AM_____ some of the comments on this story are so arrogant! they have no idea what those guys are having to put up with! my husband is with the 45th at Camp Bucca, and he is working 15 hour shifts with only one day off, if he is lucky. regardless of how you feel about this article or the soldier who came out this story, please know that the men and women with the 45th are over there away from their families and doing their job as best as they can. please keep them in your prayers.
Mary Katherine, Hinton - Apr 25, 2008 11:03 AM_____ There was no "missed meal"...you go by the chow tent and pick up an MRE from the box, there's your lunch. I suppose you call your congressman if you get a bag lunch instead of a hot meal from the spouse as well when you're home right? Freakin crybaby.
Cletus, Mayberry - Apr 25, 2008 9:09 AM_____ Here we have a "fobbit" complaining or being overdramatic about their situation in Iraq. I got back in September 2007. Some of the DFAC's in Iraq are great. They can get a to-go plate or eat MRE's. It's wartime. Suck it up and drive-on.
Tony, Antlers - Apr 25, 2008 8:37 AM_____ WAAH WAAH WAAH...we ate MREs for lunch during Desert Storm and these pansies whine about this? This soldier needs to be punished for jumping over her chain of command. Shut up and do your damn job.
Cletus, Mayberry - Apr 25, 2008 7:45 AM_____ I agree with Paul. Our fathers went days on C Rations from a can and Days without bathing....and never complained as much as some or our armed forces today....Buck up guys.....it could be worse.
Beverly, Mesa - Apr 25, 2008 7:28 AM_____ These Guardsmen ought to quit whining. It's probably all because they don't want to eat an MRE and would prefer eating hot chow. I can't think of too many points in my career when I've not had the option of some sort of food regardless of the time of the day or night. Do your duty and shut up, the politicians are already involved too much there....
paul, yukon - Apr 25, 2008 4:05 AM

I know for a fact that Dining Halls/Mess Tents will deliver hot meals to members that cannot leave their posts. I know for a fact that hot meals have been delivered to members working at the Command Post, Fire Stations, Air Controllers, Base Ops, etc. I doubt very seriously that this young lady will be seeing any promotions in her immediate future.
Dennis, Oklahoma City - Apr 26, 2008 6:20 AM_____ You know something JJ, there was also an article in the news a few months ago about Army(include the National Guard as well in that category) that were getting overweight due to all the fast food/junk available there. Now couple maybe 10-30 extra pounds of pork on a person in addition to the gear you mention.....well, I'd say that this is merely a case of this person not wanting to grab an MRE, rather she'd complain about "not getting served meals"....
paul, yukon - Apr 26, 2008 2:45 AM _____
Sounds to me like this particular Guard Member simply didn't take advantage of the fact that she could have gone to the 24 hour dining facility. Of course it would be nice to have ALL the facts.
Dennis, Oklahoma City - Apr 25, 2008 10:55 PM_____ You know something Mister, you often make good points, but troops often need extra food, aka calories, since they are lugging around 50-100 extra pounds of gear and often on the move. Also, at any time they could be pinned down in a firefight and we certainly want them to have the energy to sustain themselves while they are in battle. I wouldn't make remarks about those that are putting their lives on the line each and every day.
JJ, Oklahoma City - Apr 25, 2008 10:08 PM
_____ Maybe they need to keep some ready meals on hand. It is in a box and has water, drink, snack, heater pack, and entree like bbq beef and potatoes. Its a take off from MRE's which is a take off of C rations which was a take off of K rations. No matter what, you gotta thank Napoleon for putting cooked food in wine bottles.
Sparky (Mark), Oklahoma City - Apr 25, 2008 9:03 PM_____ Remember, this is Oklahoma , aka the land of the all you can eat buffet ( well until they all go under anyway ) ...should we be surprised that troops from here expect hourly feedings ?
mister, bogata - Apr 25, 2008 6:06 PM