No fries with that: fast food axed at Afghan bases

When I first came to Kandahar after 3 month in the desert I can remember that I found it very surrealistic. As one of the guys in my unit said; “what a wonderful war” :?

We never really used it and I think most of the frontline guys never did. So if it’s there or not, it doesn’t matter to me.

Cheers
Kristina :cheers:
 
My moral level required food when I was in. I say let em have fires, BUT if the power issue is a factor make the chain food stores use their own generators and import their own fuel to run them.
but either way If I was in charge, I'd do my best to keep the men and women who are fighting this war kinda happy.
 
It's happening because Gen McChrystal was disgusted at what he saw. It's not the guys outside of the wire, it's the FOBBITs that spend their rotations sitting at the coffee shop, chillin' at BK all the while getting fat, happy and lazy. Unfortunately, the guys this stuff DOES mean a little something to will be the ones to suffer while the FOBBITs write home about how harsh conditions are now that they can't get their double cheeseburger and latte every afternoon.

I can certainly live with out it, we all can, but after months on a remote fire base eating MREs, local food and random stuff we collected, killed and cooked, it was always a nice little pick me up to have a pizza or cheeseburger, etc whenever we made a trip to into a large FOB.
 
POGs f*ck it up for everyone. From leaking information to pissing off Generals with undisciplined behavior.
Unfortunately what I also saw at Yongsan. I ended up asking myself, "Why are these guys so fat?" I guess General McChrystal ended up asking the same thing.
 
I don't really see the big deal about it. I think we should cut down on unnecessary materials. I mean, come on, do you really think having cheeseburgers and crap really benefit our military?

How do NATO's bases compare to ours when it comes to the food halls/mess halls (whichever you want to call it). If they don't have this stuff and don't complain, then I say take it away. We become too slack if you ask me (no offense to anyone). We complain about everything that seems to about to be taken away. McD's, BK, and DQ is not necessary and should be abandoned (it will probably lower the amount of soldiers becoming too unfit anyways).
 
I don't really see the big deal about it. I think we should cut down on unnecessary materials. I mean, come on, do you really think having cheeseburgers and crap really benefit our military?

How do NATO's bases compare to ours when it comes to the food halls/mess halls (whichever you want to call it). If they don't have this stuff and don't complain, then I say take it away. We become too slack if you ask me (no offense to anyone). We complain about everything that seems to about to be taken away. McD's, BK, and DQ is not necessary and should be abandoned (it will probably lower the amount of soldiers becoming too unfit anyways).

Where did you do your tours? Your profile only says "choose status" and you have no posted introduction, so there's no way to know if you're even military.

They certainly aren't necessary, as has already been pointed out. That doesn't mean they aren't a MWR asset, esp. for guys that spend 99% of their time in Indian country. I don't see where anyone is really complaining, but the FOBBITs will complain. Saying "we" is a far too all inclusive because from what I can see, most guys that do have a combat function see it just like I do. "That kinda sucks, oh well, drive on." Everybody knows why except the people that caused the issues.

It's a foolish argument to say US forces shouldn't have something because NATO forces don't. Many NATO forces have bars, does that mean because we don't they shouldn't or because they do we should? That's petty. NATO forces enjoy our facilities, I can assure you. And we enjoy theirs.

Now, who are you calling slack? You use the term "we" like you're getting paid money for it. You might want to remember there are guys that live OUTSIDE of those big huge cushy FOBs.
 
Last edited:
POGs f*ck it up for everyone. From leaking information to pissing off Generals with undisciplined behavior.
Unfortunately what I also saw at Yongsan. I ended up asking myself, "Why are these guys so fat?" I guess General McChrystal ended up asking the same thing.

Ah, Yongsong....
Check out CP Humphries sometime. Makes Yongsong look like the DMZ.
 
I don't really see the big deal about it. I think we should cut down on unnecessary materials. I mean, come on, do you really think having cheeseburgers and crap really benefit our military?

How do NATO's bases compare to ours when it comes to the food halls/mess halls (whichever you want to call it). If they don't have this stuff and don't complain, then I say take it away. We become too slack if you ask me (no offense to anyone). We complain about everything that seems to about to be taken away. McD's, BK, and DQ is not necessary and should be abandoned (it will probably lower the amount of soldiers becoming too unfit anyways).


Well lets see......you born in the U.S. You grew up with Mc Donalds and Burger King, you ate there on dates with your G'F, you love the fires they have, you get a summer job so that you can eat there, and nobody condemns you for it cause its a little perk that makes you happy. Now your all grown up and join the military, you get sent over to a place where everybody wants to kill you on a daily basis, and all you get to eat is dry crackers or what ever mystery meat comes in that brown tin foil pouch. A cheese burger every now and then would really make you day better, and might ever increase your moral enough to keep you sane in a place like that.
 
The fast food franchises aren't necessary in country. You have DFACS if you you want hot chow, while a whooper maybe different truthfully they place a strain on the the log trains and are fluff. You want to give the guys and girls some place to grab a burger? Have Special Services earn their keep and make em open viable slop chutes.

But once again it's the REMF's farkin it up for everyone.
 
What

Hopefully this doesn't cover Anthony's Pizza. I loved their crappy pizza.
As Sayliah had a subway, but I would reckon that wouldn't be considered fast food either.

Well the spaghetti MRE isn't bad, if that's what it's coming down to.
 
You have obviously never ate what the marines eat, wanna know the real reason they fight so good? The enemy has better food :)

LMAO!

Seriously, I am glad that the fast food industry is taking a hit in Mr. Stan. If you did not know, Salsa Night and dancing was banned in Afghanistan too. Yeah I was the information officer in my last company.

We are fighting a war; not going to summer camp. As I understand it, the logistics of Afghanistan is pretty rough. Canning fast food will free up cargo to the country. There was nothing like hearing Soldiers talk about going to the spa and Baskin Robbins in Iraq. I was in OIF 1 and had none of that crap but I was quite happy with my conditions.

I blame AFFES for a lot this crap. We had a multi million dollar gym set up in Kuwait before the chemical warning system was up. Anyone who was deployed knows that AFFES offers Soldiers every oppertunity to blow a paycheck in one visit to the PX.

Creature comforts are ok but they should not be the main purpose of existance.
 
The fast food franchises aren't necessary in country. You have DFACS if you you want hot chow, while a whooper maybe different truthfully they place a strain on the the log trains and are fluff. You want to give the guys and girls some place to grab a burger? Have Special Services earn their keep and make em open viable slop chutes.

But once again it's the REMF's farkin it up for everyone.

Agree that canning the fast food will free up the log trains, however I don't think that it will solve the problem. I spent 9 months at wonderful Taji (got back at end of Feb 2010), lived and worked with the IA. When we did go to the DFAC to eat I had to tell the indians serving the food to stop giving me so much. I shudder to think how much is getting thrown out. Also hear a rumor we were paying the DFAC contractor $30 per soldier per meal.
I guess the point I'm trying to make is that until AR600-9 gets enforced properly and soldiers are given authentic APFT's, not much will change. I had a guy on weight control gain 5 pounds in the field and all we had to eat were T-Rats and MRE's. It is about portion control and exercise.
 
The fast food joints aren't the problem and they don't really cause a strain for the log gurus. The problem is that they provide a certain atmosphere for the guys that do live on that particular FOB. So while guys like me will miss that once every so often pizza or cheeseburger, we'll survive and ruck on. Guys that have been rotating in and out on cush deployments spending most of their time at the Green Bean or hanging out by P-Hut waiting for their next big screen TV to go on sale at AAFES are going to be in for a rude awakening. And that was the General's point, he was tired of walking the FOB and seeing people hanging out instead of working.
 
Back
Top