Too Much Income, Too Little Food: Why Hunger Plagues Troops (1)

Oct. 31, 2024, 9:00 AM UTCUpdated: Oct. 31, 2024, 10:36 PM UTC

Groceries were quickly running out. So was the money.

US Army Sgt. Peter Alfonce had tried skipping meals to feed his wife and teenage daughter. He thought about Uber as a side gig, but realized he couldn’t drive enough to make any money.

Desperate, he applied for food stamps. The government rejected him.

“I was, like, damn—we don’t have anything,” said Alfonce, who’s posted near Fort Cavazos in Texas. “They said I have too much money. I told them that that doesn’t make any sense.”

In a nation that spends more on its military than any other, more than a ...

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