It's information that proud parents of U.S. Navy sailors just don't want to hear: their child may be eating lousy food while fighting a war in the Middle East.
Gut-turning pictures of food served to service members on two major U.S. warships fighting the Iran war, shared with USA Today by concerned family, prompted an outcry online and outrage among some national leaders. Family and friends of sailors and Marines remain worried that the meals served to their loved ones deployed at sea are not keeping them nourished and well fed.
The Pentagon denies food issues on ships, but they haven't offered an explanation for the photos and claims of family members, which have prompted at least one U.S. lawmaker to call for a Congressional probe.
"This is completely unacceptable and Congress must investigate," Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., wrote on social media. "The most powerful military in the world is failing to adequately feed its own troops."
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said President Donald Trump “is spending billions of dollars every day on this illegal war with Iran while American troops on the front lines say they are going hungry."
Photo shared by a family member of a sailor aboard USS Abraham Lincoln.
USA TODAY first reported this month on the concerns from family members of sailors and Marines on the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Tripoli, an aircraft carrier and amphibious assault ship fighting the Iran war. Photos shared with USA TODAY showed the half-empty cafeteria trays of two service members — one holding a meager scoop of moist shredded meat and a tortilla, the other, a handful of boiled carrots, dry burger and mysterious slice of gray, spam-like meat.
The Navy continues to deny that there's any food shortage aboard the two ships.
"Both USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Tripoli have sufficient food onboard to serve their crews with healthy options," the office of the Chief of Naval Operations wrote in an April 17 post on social media.
In the weeks since USA TODAY's report, more family members and friends of sailors and Marines on the two ships reached out to express concerns about the food their loved ones are eating.
The mother of a sailor on the USS Abraham Lincoln said she was worried that her son lost 20 pounds since his deployment began months ago. She said he'd eaten a dry meat square atop a small scoop of rice for one recent meal and an off-color burger patty with a side of liquid nacho cheese for another. A man said he sent protein powder to a close friend on the USS Tripoli after she said she was too weak to work out.
The USS Abraham Lincoln, one of three aircraft carriers now in the Middle East.
Newsweek obtained more photos of barren food trays on the USS Abraham Lincoln holding two eggs and a gloppy scoop of porridge, among other skimpy meals.
The suspension of mail deliveries to the ships, which USA TODAY also reported, was lifted, according to the Navy statement. Family and community members told USA TODAY they packed boxes full of snacks and calorie-dense foods to bolster a poor diet.
Two defense officials told USA TODAY that the mail suspension was quietly lifted a week after the United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire on April 7. It could still take time for packages to reach the ships, one of the officials said.
An 'extreme situation'
Former Navy officials said the pictures of service members' subpar meals looked markedly worse than the quality of eats during their time in Navy service.
"That's telling me that you're down to the stuff you don't normally get," Mike Smith, a retired rear admiral who has deployed aboard an aircraft carrier to the Middle East and commanded an aircraft carrier strike group, said after viewing the pictures.
"You expected to be resupplied and you haven't been, so you're going to your food stores that perhaps have been there longer — perhaps they're not as popular."
A picture shared by a US Marine deployed on the USS Tripoli of a meal service members on board received.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said following USA TODAY's report that it was standard for fresh produce to run out on ships between restocking, but the only complaints he received were from sailors who didn't care for the vegetable of the day.
When a ship is at sea for a long time, "you can expect fresh fruits and vegetables to go away in between replenishment," Caudle told reporters on April 20 at Sea Air Space, a defense industry conference.
The Navy declined to invite USA TODAY to the news briefing and barred its reporter from entering.
A defense official confirmed that sailors and Marines are eating more dried and canned food. If they take the options offered to them, they will be sufficiently fed from a nutritional standpoint, but they may be eating less of it because of the poor taste, said an official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
After USA TODAY's report, the Navy also released 19 sleek, professionally produced photos it claimed accurately showed food service aboard the two ships — beaming cooks, frying lo mein noodles and sailors serving themselves at a plentiful salad bar.
Were the mouthwatering pictures released by the Navy an accurate depiction of food served aboard the two ships? One could question that, the defense official said.
The Navy, the Pentagon, and U.S. Central Command declined further comment.
