One of the Army's largest bases closes a dining facility after roach infestation
A video posted online appeared to show roaches crawling on kitchen walls.
Fort Hood, Texas, one of the Army's largest bases, has closed one of its dining facilities after a video circulating on X appeared to show dozens of roaches crawling across the walls of the facility's kitchen.
The footage was posted by "U.S Army W.T.F! moments," a large online community of service members and veterans that frequently highlights issues affecting troop quality of life and conditions on military installations.
"Effective immediately, we are closing the Operation Iraqi Freedom dining facility to correct the situation," Lt. Col. Joey Payton, a spokesperson for III Armored Corps and Fort Hood, said in a statement in response to the video. "The dining facility will remain closed until the problem is remediated."
It's unclear how long the infestation has been going on.
Home to the Army's 1st Cavalry Division, there are some 34,000 soldiers stationed at Fort Hood. Troops often depend on on-base dining facilities for their daily meals.
While other dining halls remain open, the installation's sprawling footprint can make traveling across the base difficult. Dining facilities also frequently operate on staggered or limited schedules, making closures especially disruptive.
The Army has long struggled to provide meal services to its troops, grappling with staffing shortages, limited consistent access to healthy meals and operating hours that don't always neatly align with soldiers' schedules.
Rob Evans, an Army veteran whose app Hots & Cots collects reviews from service members on housing and food on military bases, told ABC News that the issues are not just isolated to Fort Hood.
"Our reviews show the same conditions turning up across other installations, and across other services," Evans said. "Moldy food, undercooked food and access to healthy food continue to be issues for service members as well."
Moreover, there are also inconsistencies with health and safety records of military dining facilities and how those records are disclosed and maintained, compared to civilian restaurants.
Rep. Marilyn Strickland, D-Wash., introduced an amendment into the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act, which sets funding and policy priorities for the Pentagon and is still being deliberated in Congress, requiring the Defense Department to publicly disclose inspections of safety and food at military dining facilities.
During a speech to soldiers in 2025, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, an Iraq War veteran and former cavalry officer, acknowledged that fixing basic rank-and-file issues, including access to quality food, is an urgent issue for the service.
"We have to take care of them, so we are fixing the basics of food and billeting," Driscoll said. "Our dining system is absolutely broken. It's a poster child not only for corrupted systems, but poor quality and unhealthy food."
Related Topics
