Wounded Soldiers at Walter Reed CHARGED FOR MEALS

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L

Thu, 27 Jan 2005 10:17:42 -0800 (PST)

 

 

Wounded Soldiers at Walter Reed CHARGED FOR MEALS

 

 

 

 

http://salon.com/news/feature/2005/01/27/walter_reed/print.html

 

SNIP:

 

But here's how the new rules drain hundreds of dollars

a month from the pockets of soldiers: Enlisted

soldiers get an extra $267.18 every month in their

paychecks for food. So before this month, all soldiers

at Walter Reed got free food at the chow hall and

extra cash. Soldiers say they received that extra food

money while they were serving in Iraq, too, and they

just let their families spend it on groceries. Now,

though, <b>the outpatient soldiers forced to buy meals

at Walter Reed say they could spend around $15 a day

if they eat three square meals at the dining hall --

about $3 for breakfast and around $6 each for lunch

and dinner. That adds up to $450 a month, $183 more

than soldiers' food allowance from the military. (The

situation is even worse for officers, who get only

$183.99 extra each month for a food allowance.)</b>

The soldiers at Walter Reed point out that that they

don't have the option of eating at home to save money

because they are stuck at the hospital. Vandrey said

spending $6 for lunch and dinner sounds excessive. " I

eat breakfast and lunch there every day and I never

spend more than $5 a meal, " he said.

 

Most soldiers in medical hold eat at Walter Reed every

day, too. But for those well enough to leave the

hospital grounds, a favorite spot -- and a rare treat

– is the local Red Lobster, particularly if the press

is paying. At a recent meal there, three soldiers from

Walter Reed told Salon the new meal charges were

putting a serious strain on already tight pocketbooks.

(All three ate hefty-size meals.) " I don't starve, it

might be beans and weenies or a cup of noodles, " said

the soldier from West Virginia who was treated for the

broken neck; he can now walk, but does so with an

awkward, bowlegged gait. " I'm not going to starve to

death, but it is an issue that really sucks. " A

soldier from Pennsylvania said, " They want to charge

us for uniforms, for food, everything. "

 

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