Last Updated on February 17, 2022
Multiple Michigan National Guard troops have been hospitalized after being repeatedly served raw, undercooked meat, including meals with metal shavings, while deployed in Washington DC.
A whistleblower revealed to 7 Action News that National Guard troops in DC were being served raw, undercooked meals for several weeks, causing many of them to get sick and be sent to the hospital. On Sunday, almost 75 meals were subsequently thrown away after they were found to have contained pieces of metal inside.
“Yesterday, for instance, there were 74 different meals found with raw beef in them,” said an anonymous Michigan National Guard staff sergeant. “Just yesterday, the lunches were, soldiers had found metal shavings in their food.”
The disturbing report also suggests that service members have been subject to inadequate portion sizes when being served meals. For breakfast, “You were getting maybe a Danish and some sort of juice,” said the sergeant. For dinner, “we had certain days where it was clearly a dinner roll and Sunny D.”
In one instance, 12 National Guard members fell ill after receiving undercooked meals, with some being hospitalized.
After the food issue was revealed to the chain of command, there was a noticeable change on the boxes, according to the insider.
“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,” said the whistleblower. “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.”
Democrat Governor of Michigan Gretchen Whitmer has reportedly been informed of the situation, saying that the food quality was “unacceptable.”
Rep. Brenda Lawrence plans to try the poor quality food for herself while eating with the Michigan National Guard this week.
The men and women of @MINationalGuard are in DC protecting the Capitol: the very symbol of our democracy.
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This is completely outrageous and unacceptable. It must be fixed—immediately—and I’ll be looking into this as a member of @SASCDems. https://t.co/pljwfAh0Zq— Senator Gary Peters (@SenGaryPeters) March 2, 2021
“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,” said the anonymous sergeant. “Soldiers are now paying for all their meals for the next two days in order to get real food.”
In response to the allegations, the National Guard released a statement.
“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 would not be the first time that National Guard troops in DC have been subject to mistreatment following the inauguration of Joe Biden. Just two days after he was sworn in, National Guard troops were ordered to sleep on the floors of parking garages. President Donald Trump allowed them to be housed for free in the Trump Hotel in DC as a result, as National File reported.Â
In one of his first acts as president, Biden forced the National Guard – who have been guarding Washington, D.C. since the January 6 protest at Capitol Hill – to leave the heated halls of the U.S. Capitol, where they had been sleeping, and instead take their breaks in unheated parking garages and on streets.
President Trump has now offered to let these soldiers stay at his luxurious Trump International hotel, located on Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House, free of charge.
Respite for the National Guard does not appear to be on the schedule any time soon. As National File reported, The Biden regime is demanding that National Guard troops should be deployed in DC through the fall of 2021.
