"Even with Families Sending Food, Marine's Own Meal Tray Photo Reveals the Reality"

There have been allegations that US military soldiers deployed to the Iran war are being provided with extremely inadequate meals.

On April 17 (local time), the UK daily The Telegraph published photos of meals served on the US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, which is deployed in the Middle East. The released photos show a single piece of pre-cooked gray processed meat, some boiled carrots, and a dry patty placed on a tray. In fact, three out of the five compartments on the tray were completely empty.

The media outlet condemned it as a "horrific sight." According to USA Today, the photo was reportedly sent by a soldier aboard the Lincoln to their family.

Meals provided to US military soldiers revealed by USA Today.
Screenshot from X

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The situation is no different on the US amphibious assault ship Tripoli, which was redeployed from Japan to the Middle East. In a photo sent by a Marine on board the Tripoli to their family, only a handful of shredded meat and a single tortilla are placed on the tray, with three out of five sections also empty. The Marine told their family, "The coffee machine is broken, and fresh vegetables and fruits have long since run out."

Families concerned about the hunger of their deployed loved ones have been sending care packages, but even these are not being delivered properly. This is because mail delivery services for soldiers stationed in the Middle East have been suspended since the war began, leaving thousands of food parcels piled up in warehouses.

A soldier aboard the Tripoli said last month, "Supplies will soon run out," and warned, "There are no ports to dock at until the mission is over, so troop morale will fall to seriously low levels."

The Telegraph pointed out that "the difference is like night and day compared to before the Iran war, when US soldiers were served steak and lobster." In the past, the US military's luxurious meals of lobster, steak, and apple pie were frequently shared on social media and became a hot topic.

Previously, a US government watchdog revealed that the Department of Defense had already spent its entire budget of 93 billion dollars by September of last year, before the end of the fiscal year. Of this, 15.1 million dollars was spent on steak purchases and 6.9 million dollars on lobster tails.

Iran has also joined in mocking the United States. The Iranian embassy in Tunisia posted on X (formerly Twitter), "Unbelievable," and sarcastically commented, "This is what Trump is feeding his own soldiers to keep the Strait of Hormuz open."

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