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SAN DIEGO (AP) – It is a hidden crisis that has existed for years in one of the best funded institutions in the world and only got worse during the coronavirus pandemic. Many of the 160,000 active military personnel are struggling to support their families.
This estimate from Feeding America, which coordinates the work of more than 200 food banks across the country, underscores how long-term food insecurity has spread to every aspect of American life, including the military.
The exact scope of the problem is controversial due to a lack of formal studies. However, activists say it has been around for years and mostly affects younger soldiers – ranks E1 through E4 in military parlance – with children.
“It’s a shocking truth known to many tablets in the United States,” said Vince Hall, government agent for Feeding America. “This should be the cause of deep embarrassment.”
The group estimates that 29% of troops in the junior ranks faced food insecurity over the past year.
“It is what it is,” said James Bohannon, 34, a Naval E4 (third class sergeant) in San Diego who relies on food aid to feed his two daughters.
“You know what you sign up for with the military,” he said after emerging from a drive-through grocery distribution organized by the local YMCA branch of the armed forces. “But I’m not going to lie. It’s really tough. ”
In addition to the modest pay for younger ranks, the frequent changes inherent in military life make it difficult for military spouses to find permanent jobs. The inner-military culture of self-sufficiency also makes many hesitate to speak about their difficulties for fear that they will be viewed as irresponsible.
The problem is compounded by an obscure rule by the Department of Agriculture that prevents thousands of needy military families from accessing the government’s SNAP aid program, commonly known as grocery stamps.
“It’s one of those things the American people don’t know about, but it is taken for granted by military personnel. We know that, ”said Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat and former Blackhawk pilot who lost both legs in a helicopter crash in Iraq. “We are the most powerful military in the world, and yet those who are at the bottom of our military ranks – when they are married and have one or two children – are hungry. How can you focus on fulfilling the mission and defending our democracy? If you are worried whether your child will have dinner tonight or not? “
Meredith Knopp, CEO of a St. Louis food bank and an Army veteran, said the problem affects all branches of the military. She remembers being a young officer in Texas when she was approached by a new corporal with a baby.
“They got ready to turn off his electricity because he couldn’t pay his bills,” she said. “It was shocking to me.”
Perhaps the best indication of how deeply ingrained the problem is now is that a robust network of military-affiliated charities such as Armed Services YMCA and Blue Star Families have built a food banking infrastructure near most major domestic bases.
San Diego could be one of the epicentres of the phenomenon, with high housing costs and several military bases within driving distance. Brooklyn Pittman, whose husband Matthew is in the Navy, saw the move from West Virginia to California this year as a financial shock.
“We had built up a nice savings and then we moved here and it was tough,” she said. “We still had student loans and anything but anything.”
Her savings quickly evaporated and the small income she earned from dog-sitting was nowhere near enough to cover the shortfall. For a while, the couple considered sleeping in their car at the base camp until the next paycheck.
Pittman was one of 320 families who participated in the Armed Services YMCA’s drive-through grocery distribution in late October. The organization has hosted such events for more than 10 years, but when the pandemic broke out, it expanded operations from six locations to 11 across the country and doubled the frequency of events in the San Diego area.
Opinions differ on how stigmatized the issue is within the military communities.
Kelly Klor, who works on food insecurity for Blue Star Families, recalls a time of financial hardship 13 years ago as a young mother in Texas whose husband had just enrolled. The family pinched pennies at every opportunity, never went out, and relied on the local public library for entertainment. But they still relied on WIC – a program similar to grocery stamps for mothers and children – to be able to afford expensive baby food for their young daughter.
“I was embarrassed to pull out my coupons,” she said. “But at the same time I thought: ‘Should it be that difficult?’ ”
Klor recalls treating her financial troubles as a taboo subject, despite suspicions that many families around her were in the same situation.
“It seemed like you didn’t share it with others,” she said.
But Maggie Meza, a representative of the Blue Star Families in San Diego, remembers community poverty as a common and common element that connects families.
“It was like, ‘Your husband is a sergeant, my husband is a sergeant. We’re both broke. Let’s find some free stuff, ‘”she said.
One of the strangest aspects of the problem is a mysterious Department of Agriculture ordinance preventing thousands of needy military families from receiving food stamps. Families living off-base receive a basic housing allowance to cover most of their costs.
But the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 requires the allowance to count as income when calculating eligibility to receive SNAP benefits, and that results in thousands of military families being disqualified. The tax exemption does not count as income for tax reasons or for WIC benefits.
Food security activists say they are puzzled by both the original rule and the fact that it has lasted for more than 12 years.
“Nobody seems to know why it’s still a law,” said Hall, the Feeding America official.
Dorene Ocamb, chief development officer of the Armed Services YMCA, speculated that the regulation was “just a case of unintended consequences”.
Senator Duckworth added, “I cannot tell you where it came from. I can only tell you that they will not change it. “
A USDA spokesman said in an email response that the department is “re-examining our authorities in relation to this policy.”
The issue is more than just a humanitarian problem. It has a direct impact on national security, said Josh Protas, vice president of public order at MAZON, an organization that has conducted extensive research into military hunger.
Food insecure troops are more likely to be distracted in the field and less likely to retreat, he said. This loss of talent can span generations, as military service usually takes place in families.
“We are doing future recruiting efforts no favors,” said Protas. “We could lose good people because they can’t feed their families.”
Several people involved in the matter criticized the Pentagon for turning a blind eye to the problem.
“The Pentagon rejection was frustrating,” Protas said. “It is embarrassing for our leaders to acknowledge the problem.”
Colleen Heflin, a professor of public administration at Syracuse University, said the Pentagon’s lack of interest had led to a critical lack of adequate studies or data. “In my experience, it is difficult to explain this to Defense Department officials,” she said. “They find it embarrassing and something they don’t want to admit.”
But Ocamb defends itself against criticism that the military is burying the issue.
She admits that there are “some optics people are trying to bypass,” but says that most base commanders welcome the support, pointing out that the Navy literally owns the San Diego property on which the ASYMCA Food distribution takes place.
“I think the military know this is a complex issue and they rely on partners like us,” she said. “This concept that the military wants to sweep that under the carpet …
Some of those who complained about the Pentagon’s reluctance to face the problem said attitudes had changed in recent months under President Joe Biden’s administration.
Shannon Razsadin, president of the Military Family Advisory Network, says she has felt a change in the Pentagon’s stance this year, and credits in part to First Lady Jill Biden for publicly advocating the issue.
“You’re focused on understanding it in the Pentagon,” she said. “I wouldn’t have said that six months ago.”
Efforts to get the Pentagon to comment on the matter have been unsuccessful. But a Pentagon official told The Associated Press that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin would speak publicly on the matter in the near future.
There are new attempts by Congress to address the problem. Duckworth sponsored a bill that provides basic benefits for needy military families. Rep. James McGovern, D-Mass., Has called for a serious investigation into the problem by the Pentagon and a suspension of the basic housing allowance by the USDA.
“At this point there is no excuse for anyone in the upper echelons of the Pentagon to say that they do not know this is a problem,” said McGovern. “This is not rocket science. It can be solved … someone takes responsibility and solves it.”
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