When I was stationed at the US Army Signal Corps Center and School (USASCS) at Fort Monmouth NJ in 1971, before leaving on a weekend pass we had to sign the mess hall rosters for the 6 or 7 meals we would be missing while away. No signatures, no pass.

Food supplied to mess halls was distributed based on food consumed, so I always wondered what happened to the all that extra food they were getting using falsified records.

As far as I know, this only occurred at the mess hall assigned to certain groups of trainees while attending school, there.

SkyHoop

"A bombshell report has exposed that more than $151 million meant to feed soldiers at 11 of the Army’s largest bases was repurposed for undisclosed uses.

This revelation, first reported by Steve Beynon of Military.com, comes as junior enlisted soldiers struggle to access nutritious food on base, with some being forced to survive on substandard meals.

The funds in question are deducted directly from service members’ Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS), a monthly $460 allotment meant to cover food costs for soldiers living in barracks.

For junior enlisted personnel earning approximately $30,000 annually, this deduction represents a significant financial burden. Yet, instead of using these funds to provide adequate meals, the Army appears to be diverting them elsewhere.

Incredibly, out of $225 million collected across just 11 bases, a staggering $151 million was not used for food expenses. With the Army operating a total of 104 garrisons, the true amount of unspent funds could be far higher.

The Army refuses to disclose what the extra funds are being used for. Major expenses like dining hall infrastructure and food service worker salaries are covered under separate budgets, and despite repeated inquiries from Military.com, officials have declined to provide any transparency.

When pressed, the Army provided only a vague statement, claiming that food expenditures are based on past attendance at dining facilities. But that explanation doesn’t account for why the vast majority of BAS funds are not going toward feeding soldiers."