Marines at Camp Leatherneck in south-western Afghanistan will lose one of their four hot meals starting this Saturday, according to Marine Corps officials. The camp will lose the midnight ration service, known as 'midrats', the one meal of the day where all the troops gather together to eat. The meal serves as breakfast for the Marines at the beginning of their midnight-to-midday shift, and dinner for those coming off their midday-to-midnight shift. The idea of forgoing their hot meal rankles with some, including one Marine who declined to be named, whose email to his wife was shared with NBC News.
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Soldiers at Camp Leatherneck have lost the midnight rations, or 'midrats', where troops beginning a shift and others ending theirs come together for a hot meal
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Soldier's families say it's bad for morale and camaraderie among troops and others suggest the U.S. is rationing due to financial problems at home
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Officials say the cut-backs have nothing to do with budget cuts, but are part of the gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan
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Marines will have four prepared meals a day until Saturday, when it will be cut to three, and eventually two
@placeholder is one of a reported 17 bases facing cuts to their hot meals, and families back home are worried about how the lack of hot food will affect morale.