“Marines’ Menu Modified to Combat Chubby Leathernecks’ Desire for Fattening Food”

[Cookie_]

It's not like it's hard to provide lean meat based proteins, veggies, and carbs to guys. Especially at the $350+ price point that the DFACS charges.

DFACs almost never get that full amount that is taken out of BAS. Money only comes in when joes actually eat, otherwise it goes back to somewhere in the DOD.
So if PVT Snuffy eats breakfast just once a month, the DFAC will get $2.60 from that singular meal, but the army will still subtract that $300+ from his BAS allowance.
I wish DFACs ran budgets differently. If the brigade has "x" number of meal card holders, set that as the budget for the DFAC that month.

 

[ThunderHorse]

@digrar PT in the Army is NCO led. Qualification usually being a squad leader. When I was a platoon leader, my senior section sergeant and I built a three month plan that was re-evaluated and planned again after every two months.

 

[R.Caerbannog]

DFACs almost never get that full amount that is taken out of BAS. Money only comes in when joes actually eat, otherwise it goes back to somewhere in the DOD.
So if PVT Snuffy eats breakfast just once a month, the DFAC will get $2.60 from that singular meal, but the army will still subtract that $300+ from his BAS allowance.
I wish DFACs ran budgets differently. If the brigade has "x" number of meal card holders, set that as the budget for the DFAC that month.

Huh, did not know that. If that's the case, where would the BAS balance go to then? Call me a cynic, but someone somewhere is getting money that should be going towards feeding the rank and file.

As for meal cards, that system is a travesty full of abuse and outright fraud. I've seen more married guys with meal cards (usually borrowed, scammed, or stolen) than guys living in the barracks. Considering how important nutrition is and the propensity for graft, the armed services need to transition towards the CAC card system; allowing guys access to food or charging them for food (if they are married).

 

[digrar]

@digrar PT in the Army is NCO led. Qualification usually being a squad leader. When I was a platoon leader, my senior section sergeant and I built a three month plan that was re-evaluated and planned again after every two months.

Gyms are contractor run?

 

[Cookie_]

Huh, did not know that. If that's the case, where would the BAS balance go to then? Call me a cynic, but someone somewhere is getting money that should be going towards feeding the rank and file.

As for meal cards, that system is a travesty full of abuse and outright fraud. I've seen more married guys with meal cards (usually borrowed, scammed, or stolen) than guys living in the barracks. Considering how important nutrition is and the propensity for graft, the armed services need to transition towards the CAC card system; allowing guys access to food or charging them for food (if they are married).

As far as I know, most active duty DFACs have switched to the CAC system, and everyone is supposed to be using it as of October 1st.
I have no idea where the BAS deduction goes if soldiers don't eat in the DFAC. Hell, all that "unused but accounted for" money could go to the"black-ops budget" the news media gets worked up about every couple years.

 

[Dimethylamine]

Jokes aside, that is a huge step in the right direction. It's the same set-up college and pro sports use at their training tables, but the athletes get tailored diets (i.e., "hey, you, you take 4 green, 2 yellow, 1 red...."). Let's face it, some of the food at DFACs suck and has the nutritional content of styrofoam.

I really hate how the Army does it sometimes. They’d label mini pizzas as green or yellow because they had pathetic little frozen processed vegetables, beef yakisoba as green (all simple carbs) but I’d get something like a pork chop and it’s red.

 

[ThunderHorse]

Gyms are contractor run?

DA Civilians.