Posted on 03/26/2010 10:40:31 AM PDT by Titus-Maximus
OTTAWA -- Canada’s Tim Hortons coffee shop at Kandahar Airfield will remain open despite a shutdown of Pizza Hut, Burger King and other U.S. outlets deemed too luxurious by top American commanders of NATO troops.
“Kandahar Airfield Tim Hortons is an initiative to support our men and women in uniform for serving in Afghanistan,” Defence Department spokeswoman Megan MacLean said. “There are no plans to close the Tim Hortons.”
Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, who leads the International Security Assistance Force, has ordered most fast-food outlets on the boardwalk inside the airfield base shuttered.
Command Sgt. Maj. Michael T. Hall revealed the plan in a post on an ISAF blog last month.
“Many of you have heard that there are plans to shut down some of the ‘amenities’ throughout Afghanistan,” he wrote. “This is not rumour. It is fact. This is a war zone -- not an amusement park.”
Sgt. Maj. Hall said he and Gen. McChrystal had been looking for ways to do things more efficiently and to optimize ISAF resources from the moment they arrived in Afghanistan last summer. Gen. McChrystal is overseeing the surge in U.S. troops and resources over coming months.
“One of the ways we’re going to do that -- in order to accommodate the troop increase and get re-focused on the mission at hand -- is to cut back on some of the non-essentials. That includes some of the morale, welfare and recreation facilities throughout Afghanistan. In the coming weeks and months, concessions such as Orange Julius, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen and Military Car Sales will close their doors.”
He said commanders across the battlefield are implementing additional cutbacks while still providing services within individual nations’ interests and regulations.
The Tim Hortons is located next to the American concessions, many of which will be closed. Operated from a 12-metre trailer, Canadian military support staff manages Tim’s and profits go to health and welfare programs for Canadian Forces members.
He said Green Beans Coffee would remain at bases across Afghanistan, and bazaars and businesses which employ Afghans and feed the local economy will still continue to operate.
Sgt. Maj. Hall also said there would be fewer first-run movie showings and a reduced amount of canned and bottled goods coming into the country.
“What it comes down to is focus, and to using the resources we have in the most efficient and effective ways possible. Supplying non-essential luxuries to big bases like Bagram and Kandahar makes it harder to get essential items to combat outposts and forward operating bases, where troops who are in the fight each day need to be resupplied with ammunition, food and water.”
Look, I was just asking! I don’t think it is a good idea, but I was wondering if this ties in with The Yeti’s push for healthy eating.
Just went and checked AARP poll.
Should U.S. troops have fast food and first-run movies on overseas bases?
Yes
93%
No
7%
how in the world did they get these domino players away from their boards to take a survey....hmmm.
Uhhh. The Pentagon makes the Rules-of-Engagement, not the average soldier. What we are talking about here are a few very minor creature comforts for the troops. May not sound like much sitting behind these keyboards, but to the troops it makes a huge difference in their attitudes. Keep in mind that a majority of these troops are on their 2nd or 3rd overseas deployment.
We clearly have different perspectives.
I believe that if I were still in uniform, and I was deployed anywhere, a Burger King would certainly be a sign of encouragement to me.
The fact is...War has changed.....Our Troops can be anywhere in the world in 12 hours or so....
Do you think that Spartan soup would better serve deployed Americans?
Lets get rid of the USO while we're at it.
My daughter tells me that the chow on that base is bad enough without not having an alternative.
Mcnutstal Is the obambi nutlicker
He cut atry and air support. ....Now hamburgers........next. .......no cussing
well,..the UK company “supreme” took over the contract from KBR. A definite distinctive european flavor.
My daughter was stationed in Huntingdon, UK also. She’s traveled all over Europe as a result. If she says the military chow in Afghanistan is nasty, I tend to believe her. UK food was nasty by European standards in comparison to other countries she traveled to. She loved the food on the continent!
“An army marches on their stomachs.” Gads I hope I didn’t mess up napoleans quote
Just noticed this thread today. Glad to see our boys will still get their Timmies. The Chief of Defence Staff at the time (Rick Hillier) personally asked Tim’s to open up a place in Afghanistan, because he knew how much it would mean to the boys in Kandahar to have a taste of home to get rid of the dust they have to suck in all day. Tim’s is as much a part of the Canadian psyche as hockey and Canadians would go ballistic if our government denied this to the troops. It says something about the GOP, when they let this decision go virtually unchallenged.
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