Whistleblower:

Poor food quality at US Capitol making
National Guard members sick








By: WXYZ Staff
Posted at 10:43 PM, Mar 01, 2021
and last updated 9:43 PM, Mar 01, 2021


(WXYZ)
—
There's a disturbing problem facing Michigan National Guard troops guarding the
U.S. Capitol – their food.

A whistleblower said nearly 75 meals were thrown out Sunday after metal shavings
were found, other meals showed up undercooked making soldiers sick.

A staff sergeant with the Michigan National Guard, whose identity is being protected,
says the problem is not isolated.

“Yesterday, for instance, there were 74 different meals found with raw beef in them,”
the sergeant said. "Just yesterday, the lunches were, soldiers had found metal shavings
in their food.”

The food concerns going beyond quality – quantity is an issue as well.
Breakfast is an example.

“You were getting maybe a Danish and some sort of juice," the sergeant said.
"And then we had certain days where it was clearly a dinner role and Sunny D.”

After undercooked food made more than a dozen soldiers sick, while some went
to the hospital – the concern the staff sergeant says went up the chain of command,
then there was a noticeable change on the boxes being delivered.









“They said alright, we’re going to make sure we spot check them. And we’re also going
to start having them add temperatures to it," the whistleblower said. “At 140, you cook
that chicken, undercook it to 140, and now you’re telling, you’re telling us that it’s…
a 30-minute drive. This is what they say on the little placard that’s (inaudible) good
for four hours. No, it’s not. It wasn’t good from the start and now it’s had hours to
become even more dangerous.”

After the food conditions continued once concerns were sent up the chain of command,
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office was informed. She called the acting secretary of the
army on this saying the food was "unacceptable."

Rep. Brenda Lawrence's office is also involved. She plans on eating with the
Michigan National Guard this week to see the food for herself.

On Monday, the anonymous sergeant provided another update saying,
"Now after the raw meat yesterday for dinner they have told us not to eat the
meals for the next two days and are giving us MRE’s instead. Soldiers are now
paying for all their meals for the next two days in order to get real food."

The National Guard released the below statement in response to the allegations.

Quote:
The Michigan National Guard finds the reports of undercooked and
poorly prepared food provided to our service members in Washington, D.C.
very concerning. The firsthand accounts and pictures of undercooked
food being served clearly shows that what is being given to
Michigan’s service members is unacceptable. As soon as the first
reports were received, Governor Gretchen Whitmer called
Acting Secretary of the Army John E. Whitley to communicate
Michigan’s concerns. Other Michigan senior leaders also engaged
at the highest levels of the federal government to inform those in
charge and to ensure that they knew of our displeasure with the
conditions. Every assurance was given that the issue would be
addressed and corrected.

The Post Inaugural Security Mission is a multi-state taskforce,
including Michigan’s 1000 personnel, under the command and
control of the Washington D.C. National Guard. A decision was
made by the leadership in Washington, D.C., to provide contracted
meal service for the troops there. This contract was awarded and
is monitored by the National Guard Bureau. Michigan’s Adjutant
General has communicated all concerns directly to the Chief of
the National Guard, General Daniel R. Hokanson, who has engaged
to address the reported shortcomings of the current food service contract.

The health and wellbeing of our Michigan National Guard service
members is paramount to their success as they continue to serve
in missions in the United States and around the globe. Senior
leaders of the Michigan National Guard will remain personally
engaged with this issue and will continue to push for accountability
and a solution to the ill-prepared meals being served.

The troops are scheduled to return back to Michigan shortly after
March 12, the agreed upon end date for this deployment.

This article was written by WXYZ.