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Airmen sound off on meal cards vs. BAS

Air Force Times received more than 50 letters from readers on the topic of Air Force dining facilities, running the gamut from scathing criticism to faint praise to impassioned defenses. Here are a few of the best responses we received.

Wishes officers could eat there at lunch

Dining services on base are great! I only wish officers were authorized to eat there during lunch. It'd be more convenient, cheaper and healthier than having to go off base and eat out or pack my lunch.

— 2nd Lt. Joshua D. Clegg, Dover Air Force Base, Del.

Cut back on the rules

I do believe we should keep dining facilities on bases but we need to alleviate some of the annoying and unnecessary rules. The DFAC here does not allow to-go meals at all. It forces me to have to eat at more expensive places on or off base, which is not going to be reimbursed to me. Also, they should definitely extend the hours it is open.

— Staff Sgt. Chantell Moody, Barksdale Air Force Base, La.

Option for dorm-living airmen

For young airmen living in the dorms, DFACs provide the availability of an inexpensive, balanced meal. Without a DFAC, surely most will fall to the option of fast food, which will only potentially lead to a fitness issue. Eliminating DFACs from installations only to achieve a small financial savings doesn't justify the potential negative impact on the health of our airmen.

— Lt. Col. Tonish Jones

DFACs for all

Open up the dining hall to all active-duty military members, not just enlisted or [temporary duty] personnel. After a while, you get tired of eating at the club or Burger King. Plus going off base requires a 30-minute round-trip drive.

— Capt. David Saucedo, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

Expand options

If any change is warranted, it would be to expand use and improve dining services. I consider myself and my fellow unit members very fortunate in that we have what I feel is an outstanding dining facility. It is conveniently located, very well managed, clean and pleasant, and serves a top quality meal.

— Chief Master Sgt. Armand G. Barrett, Patrick Air Force Base, Fla.

BAS for all

The AF should give everyone BAS and get rid of the chow hall. The junk food and fatty meals that they still are serving is not doing any of us good in this “fit to fight” culture that we now live in.

— Senior Master Sgt. Dave Burns, McChord Air Force Base, Wash.

Eliminate halls at home

Common sense, if it were used, dictates a DFAC in places such as Iraq or other “deployment” locations. Home station DFACs should be abolished and the “adult” airmen of our force should be given full BAS and treated like adults and not school kids awaiting their next meal in the lunch line.

— Tech. Sgt. Charles Irvine, Beale Air Force Base, Calif.

New ideas needed

The stigma of going to the DFAC is greatly unjustified. You get good food at a price you can't beat anywhere. The powers that be need to get a group of airmen together from all ranks to brainstorm ideas to increase patrons (and not just fancy gimmicks/promotions ... real ideas).

— Staff Sgt. Andrew Hafey, Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D.

Keep an on-base option

Please keep them! There are many times when the work schedule does not allow a person to wander off base to grab a bite. With today’s op tempo, you need somewhere close.

— Senior Master Sgt. Jeffrey A. Claypool, Nebraska Air National Guard

Not happy with Aviano DFAC

There are times where I don’t have time to get a lunch or sometimes dinner due to mission responsibilities. I know in the AF the mission comes first, but when I can’t get lunch and I either have to eat something out of the snack fund or have someone pick me up food while I’m on meal card, it’s like paying for a meal twice. Some may like the DFAC, but the DFAC here is not good at all. I’d much rather stock my fridge and pack my own lunch than go to the DFAC every day.

— Airman Ryan A. DeLuca, Aviano Air Base, Italy

Kitchens going to waste

So you take away all airmen’s BAS, yet you set them up in a dorm which typically has a kitchen in it. It’s wasteful to build new dorms that have full kitchens in them when most of the airmen don’t even use them because they don’t want to spend their own money that’s NOT BAS to buy groceries.

— Airman 1st Class Amy J. English

Provides a cheap, healthy option

Being in the Guard, I eat at the Lackland facilities every month. The food is very good and, best of all, affordable. The food that can be purchased off base for a similar price is not near as nutritional.

— Chief Master Sgt. Norm King

Eliminate all halls

I have been in the AF for six years and the DFACs seem to be getting worse and worse. I am on meal card in Korea, but instead of eating at the chow hall I spend my own money on groceries or eat meals at the BX. The money I spend on groceries doesn’t come close to what gets taken out of my paycheck for meal deduction each month.

How would I fix this problem? I would give everyone BAS. That way the AF can save a lot of money by shutting down the DFACs and cutting the services manning down.

— Staff Sgt. Rusty Shackleford

Not a dining hall fan

The dining facility here is very limited on its food choices and has almost no healthy alternatives. I would much rather prefer BAS than be forced to eat in this dining facility. BAS in the form of a card to be used at the commissary or other AAFES locations would be nice.

It is well-known that alcoholism and underage drinking are a problem with airmen. A BAS card would make it harder to use this money for underage drinking, especially if you put restrictions on the card which prevented buying alcoholic products.

I do believe that our airmen are smart enough to learn how to get the right food for a month and if not, they will learn quickly from their peers.

— Airman Austin B. Shepherd, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.