As the withdrawal of U.S. forces continues in Afghanistan, hot meals are being replaced by MREs (meals ready-to-eat). In response, a group of military moms has started a Facebook site called "Breakfast for Bagram," to send breakfast foods to troops overseas.
According to Stars and Stripes, the U.S. military has put in place "sweeping changes" as it prepares for the December 31, 2014 deadline to leave Afghanistan. As a result:
All dining halls will replace two of the current four hot meals per day with MREs or Unitized Group Rations (UGRs), which are similar to a giant MRE.
The replacement of hot meals (like breakfast) with MREs hasn't sat well with many military family members. They say their loved ones in Afghanistan must grab an MRE at dinner in order to get breakfast the next morning:
"[W]ell, what happens if they are not there for dinner? They don’t have breakfast the next day and have to wait for lunch time…. a lot of the troops are out on mission so they have to eat M.R.E.’s if available. Some are going 24-48 hrs without eating due to the fact that missions and work schedules dont allow them to make it the "mess hall" on time to grab these M.R.E.'s"
The moms who started "Breakfast for Bagram" collect donations of non-perishable breakfast foods from their communities, then send them to service members in Afghanistan, to fill their stomachs...and raise their morale.
