Why Are Active Duty Soldiers Relying on Food Banks?

 Should America be going to war at all when their troops have to do this in order to get food for their families?

From the Guardian:

The pantry’s parking lot is where I found Miguel Pérez on a July morning, lugging a heavy reusable grocery bag to his pickup under the already blazing central Texas sun.

Pérez, a 39-year-old army combat engineer, was on leave and asked that I not use his real name. His bag contained sweet potatoes, a box of elbow macaroni, a 5lb bag of frozen chicken breasts, some enormous beets, a dozen eggs and a few other staples – about $100 worth of food by his reckoning.

Born in the Dominican Republic, Pérez lived in Colorado and worked in casinos before losing his job during the Covid-19 pandemic. A friend who worked as an army recruiter suggested he look into the military. He was 34 when he enlisted, completing basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and eventually landing at Fort Hood.

Combat engineers are responsible for emplacing and destroying obstacles on behalf of infantry and tank units. It’s dangerous work, involving explosives and grueling physical labor, but Pérez said he was happy in the army. “I always wanted to do this,” he said.

Still, constant financial stress has made an already difficult job even harder. Military pay breaks down into several main categories, including base pay, housing allowance, food allowance, and dozens of minor supplements for things like hazardous duty, combat, demolition, diving and aviation. Pay also depends on rank and time in service. Pérez, who joined five years ago and has earned the rank of sergeant, said he brings home about $4,800 a month, including about $1,600 for housing and $476 for food – or just shy of $58,000 a year. “In the military we don’t make that much to cover gas, housing, kids’ back-to-school costs, utilities,” he said. “It’s hard today for us.”

Pérez usually visits the ASYMCA pantry twice a month, shaving about $200 from his monthly grocery bill. “When you come early, you see a lot of military people,” he said. “We need it.”