Author Topic: Burger King, Pizza Hut gone from Kandahar Airfield (food NAZI's strike)  (Read 9491 times)

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Offline The Village Idiot

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http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2010/04/30/13773661.html

excerpted....

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Soldiers who crave a Whopper with cheese at Kandahar Airfield won’t be able to have it their way any longer.

As of Saturday, the Burger King, Pizza Hut and Subway outlets at the heart of the sprawling military base in Afghanistan will be shut down on the orders of the top NATO commander in Afghanistan.

Cpl. Stanly Pilon, a 32-year-old vehicle maintenance worker with Canada’s National Support Element, said he will miss the morale boost the fast-food fare gives to battle-weary soldiers.

“I’m kind of sad,” Pilon said between bites of a Subway sandwich.

“It’s kind of a place that we come just to get away from work and the chaos sometimes that happens around here.”

U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal launched a review last year of the amenities available at the Kandahar and Bagram airfields, and concluded that the fast-food joints posed a distraction from the task at hand, an ISAF spokesman said.

“Gen. McChrystal looked around and said, ‘There are some of these things that at this point in the mission are not keeping us as focused on the mission as we need to be,”’ said Lt.-Col. Michael Lawhorn.

“We’re very much in a war.”

With the surge of 30,000 more American troops, additional space was at a premium, Lawhorn added.

He said some troops may grumble over losing such creature comforts as a Pepperoni Lover’s pizza, but the majority of them would understand that it’s for the greater good

“Will some service members have their morale impacted? Sure. But by and large, they understand that difference between must-have and nice-to-have,” he said.

“That’s not to say that these things won’t return for the future.”

McChrystal’s order also affects a few shops selling various concessions and jewelry.

The restaurants, which have been around for about five years, have a pared-down menu of what’s on offer at home. For some, their greasy treats provided a welcome respite after months of cafeteria servings on the base or military rations out in the battlefield.

Offline NHSparky

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Sorry, FGL--this has nothing to do with food Nazis, and everything to do with mission readiness.  Would you, as a vehicle driver, be so willing to risk your ass and a few IED's knowing all you've got in your truck is some pepperoni pizzas instead of what our men and women NEED to get the job done; i.e., bullets, parts, etc?
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Offline SSG Snuggle Bunny

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Sorry, FGL--this has nothing to do with food Nazis, and everything to do with mission readiness.  Would you, as a vehicle driver, be so willing to risk your ass and a few IED's knowing all you've got in your truck is some pepperoni pizzas instead of what our men and women NEED to get the job done; i.e., bullets, parts, etc?
That and trucks/planes/choppers only carry so much.

It's a matter of priorities.

The REMFs can live without while the grunts are sucking down MREs x3/day.
According to the Bible, "know" means "yes."

Offline NHSparky

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No kidding.  I saw some of the stuff they had at Kandahar.  I've been stationed places considered "civilized" (read: Guam) that had less shit than that.  We don't even want to get into what they had in such podunk places like Chinhae, etc...
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Offline IassaFTots

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Quote
U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal launched a review last year of the amenities available at the Kandahar and Bagram airfields, and concluded that the fast-food joints posed a distraction from the task at hand, an ISAF spokesman said.

“Gen. McChrystal looked around and said, ‘There are some of these things that at this point in the mission are not keeping us as focused on the mission as we need to be,”’ said Lt.-Col. Michael Lawhorn.

“We’re very much in a war.”

I'd say that sums it up pretty good. 
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Offline The Village Idiot

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but they are always selling out of condoms, I guess sex doesn't last as long as a burger.

Offline IassaFTots

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but they are always selling out of condoms, I guess sex doesn't last as long as a burger.

What does that have to do with the price of tea (cheeseburger) in China (Kandahar)?
R.I.P. LC and Crockspot.  Miss you guys.

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Offline The Village Idiot

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I'm sorry. My bad. That is part of the mission I guess.

Community Relations.

Good thing those guys aren't married, I am sure they are all single.

Then again, I guess the left would say they are there to rape and pillage, so the condoms are a necessity.

Offline IassaFTots

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I'm sorry. My bad. That is part of the mission I guess.

Community Relations.

Good thing those guys aren't married, I am sure they are all single.

Then again, I guess the left would say they are there to rape and pillage, so the condoms are a necessity.

You missed the point.  The OP was about getting BK and Subway out of Kandahar.  Nothing at all mentioned condoms or S.E.X.  That is what I was asking about.  Why did we seguewayinto condoms, from cheeseburgers? 
R.I.P. LC and Crockspot.  Miss you guys.

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Offline DumbAss Tanker

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It indeed has nothing to do with food nazis, but part of the reason given is real and part of it is basically spin.  The tonnage of food that has to be transported is not going to turn out to be all that different, it just affects where the troops will be eating it.
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Offline The Village Idiot

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Re: Burger King, Pizza Hut gone from Kandahar Airfield (food NAZI's strike)
« Reply #10 on: April 30, 2010, 02:56:11 PM »
You missed the point.  The OP was about getting BK and Subway out of Kandahar.  Nothing at all mentioned condoms or S.E.X.  That is what I was asking about.  Why did we seguewayinto condoms, from cheeseburgers? 

If it is detracting from the mission then I guess we need to ban books, magazines and Armed Forces Radio and any kind of R & R as well. Do those commissaries sell candy bars? Dang it, thats one less round you can carry into battle. Ban it too.

Offline NHSparky

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Re: Burger King, Pizza Hut gone from Kandahar Airfield (food NAZI's strike)
« Reply #11 on: April 30, 2010, 08:04:12 PM »
but they are always selling out of condoms, I guess sex doesn't last as long as a burger.

Uh, yeah.  We had condoms available on the boat before liberty ports in Westpac.  Didn't mean everyone used them.  Or that they needed to.
“Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian.”  -Henry Ford

Offline NHSparky

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Re: Burger King, Pizza Hut gone from Kandahar Airfield (food NAZI's strike)
« Reply #12 on: April 30, 2010, 08:05:07 PM »
If it is detracting from the mission then I guess we need to ban books, magazines and Armed Forces Radio and any kind of R & R as well. Do those commissaries sell candy bars? Dang it, thats one less round you can carry into battle. Ban it too.

I'm guessing you've never been in a forward-deployed area.

Just a wild ****ing guess.
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Offline Mike220

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Re: Burger King, Pizza Hut gone from Kandahar Airfield (food NAZI's strike)
« Reply #13 on: April 30, 2010, 08:26:08 PM »
Uh, yeah.  We had condoms available on the boat before liberty ports in Westpac.  Didn't mean everyone used them.  Or that they needed to.

So did we. Apparently they gave you a rash...
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Offline IassaFTots

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Re: Burger King, Pizza Hut gone from Kandahar Airfield (food NAZI's strike)
« Reply #14 on: April 30, 2010, 09:16:27 PM »
So did we. Apparently they gave you a rash...

Ew.
R.I.P. LC and Crockspot.  Miss you guys.

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Offline The Village Idiot

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Re: Burger King, Pizza Hut gone from Kandahar Airfield (food NAZI's strike)
« Reply #15 on: April 30, 2010, 09:41:55 PM »
Uh, yeah.  We had condoms available on the boat before liberty ports in Westpac.  Didn't mean everyone used them.  Or that they needed to.

um. ooooookkkkaaaayyyy....

(Wore them out huh?)

Offline Mike220

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Re: Burger King, Pizza Hut gone from Kandahar Airfield (food NAZI's strike)
« Reply #16 on: April 30, 2010, 10:20:46 PM »
Ew.

Yup. Thankfully I just know that from stories. That would suck.
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Offline NHSparky

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You missed the point.  The OP was about getting BK and Subway out of Kandahar.  Nothing at all mentioned condoms or S.E.X.  That is what I was asking about.  Why did we seguewayinto condoms, from cheeseburgers? 

You know the difference between a blowjob and a cheeseburger?
“Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian.”  -Henry Ford

Offline NHSparky

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um. ooooookkkkaaaayyyy....

(Wore them out huh?)

Some of us didn't need to avail ourselves to the local prostitutes, thanks very much.
“Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian.”  -Henry Ford

Offline Chris

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You know the difference between a blowjob and a cheeseburger?

A blowjob doesn't come with a side of fries and a drink?
This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate.

Offline IassaFTots

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A blowjob doesn't come with a side of fries and a drink?

Sounds about right. 
R.I.P. LC and Crockspot.  Miss you guys.

The infinite is possible at zombocom.  www.zombo.com

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." ~ Martin Luther King
 
“Political Correctness is about turning a blind eye to painful reality because your comfortable feelings are more important to you than saving lives and providing quality of life to people who work their ass off to be productive and are a benefit to this great American Dream"  ~Ted Nugent

Offline NHSparky

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A blowjob doesn't come with a side of fries and a drink?

Let's go to lunch.
“Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian.”  -Henry Ford

Offline Crazy Horse

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If it is detracting from the mission then I guess we need to ban books, magazines and Armed Forces Radio and any kind of R & R as well. Do those commissaries sell candy bars? Dang it, thats one less round you can carry into battle. Ban it too.

Good thing you have nothing to do with the readiness and moral of our armed forces
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Offline NHSparky

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Good thing you have nothing to do with the readiness and moral of our armed forces

Actually, he kinda sounds like a COB I used to have.  Then again, mail, radio, geedunk, and shit like that weren't available on the boat anyway.
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Offline docstew

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I wonder if they closed the TGI Friday's too?  :fuelfire: