DOD Takes on ‘No Breakfast’ Internet Myth

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2013 – If it’s on the Internet, it has to be true, right?

Well, no.

There is no truth to the Internet myth that Washington budget cuts have taken away breakfast for service members in Afghanistan, Defense Department officials said.

Americans serving in Afghanistan can have up to four meals a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner and a midnight meal, if one is needed.

The Internet myth’s genesis came from a few forward operating bases in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktika province that are closing or being turned over to Afghan security forces. Instead of a hot, prepared breakfast, service members at those bases receive packaged meals known as “meals, ready-to-eat,” or MREs. This streamlines the logistics for these closing bases, officials explained.

Snopes.com -- a website that looks into Internet myths -- rates this tale as “partly true.” The original email that sparked the controversy vastly overstated the extent of the “MRE for breakfast” policy. The original email also said the reason for the policy was because of DOD budget cuts. This is not true, defense officials said.

The vast majority of service members in Afghanistan are receiving a hot breakfast, officials emphasized.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/breakfast.asp