SC -donating food

[kappler]

> While I stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington in the Army (as of Apr 97
> anyway) we would have mounds of food left over from the chow hall after
> a field training exercise. We were forced to throw it away because the
> Army did not want to risk being sued by a shelter. All of this food was
> still in containers/canned and never opened and I literally mean
> *MOUNDS*. There were neat piles up to my waist the width and length of a
> small car!!
> 
> I even went to my Battalion Command Sergeant Major and asked
> (complained) why we were not allowed to collect the leftovers and donate
> them to the homeless shelters nearby. He said the Army could not risk a
> homeless person getting food poisoning and suing the Army and if we
> (other soldiers and myself) were caught *stealing* these leftovers
> (again) and taking them to the shelters we would be court marshaled. 
> 
> As far as I know the shelter did NOT object to our donations. They
> seemed very happy to see to cars full of food and us in uniform
> delivering it.
> 
> Irissa
> 
Ummmm....Your superiors were right, but for the wrong reasons.  Notice I
haven't said any of these are good reasons, but the Gov't/military doesn't
need good reasons.  Yet.

Anyway, if you've been in the military in recent years, the phrase 'waste,
fraud and abuse' should ring a bell.  Anything purchased for use by the US
(thanks for the reminder Ras) military can not be given away, donated,
disposed of other than trashing, without first going through the Defense
Reutilization Maintenance Authority (DRMO).  In the particular case we are
discussing here, the people who run the chow hall are supposed to, based on
past statistics, current trends, local military population etc etc, be able
to determine how much food they will need for any given day and any given
meal.  They have a percentage of error which they are allowed, set out
clearly in regs.  Almost invariably they make too much as it is easier to
throw a little away than it is to tell a hungry mob of military types to
wait while you make cold cut sandwiches because you ran out of hot food.
ANYWAY, while your motives are noble and I applaud them as well as your
actions, the regs are there to prevent 'kamshaw'.  Ever heard stories of
the SGT or Chief who runs the chow hall getting oh, for example, free movie
tickets for 5 lbs of coffee?  The stories abound and escalate, that's
actually a pretty tame example, but it used to happen all the time, and
probably still does, hopefully not to such an extent as it used to.  Those
'stupid regs' were put in place to prevent rampant pillaging and or black
marketing of military supplies.  If you are sincere in your efforts, there
are other avenues open to you, but public admittance by your higher ups
that they indeed HAVE enough leftover to feed the homeless would be putting
themselves on report that they can't properly manage their resources. 
Death to a high ranking military careerist.

nuff said, Puck
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