Army Meal Card: Fill & Download for Free

If you’re looking to find out, if I join the US Army as a enlisted solider do I get 3 hots and a cot, then the answer is yes, although the cot may not always fall in to the exact category as a “bed” or a “cot” and the hot part of the meal is a broad term at best.Yes and No , U.S. Army soldiers that are unmarried, and if there is adequate billeting space and mess facilities (barracks and a chow hall) will be issued a meal card, the meal card essentially states this solider is not receiving separate rations allowance (sep-rats).Back in my day and I believe this is still true, essentially an enlisted solider in the pay grade of E-1 thru E-4 , unmarried , more or less had to live in the barracks and eat in the mess hall, and no there was not any pay deducted from your US Military earnings, so yea your kind of eating and sleeping for “free” .However if it was not available and you had to seek living accommodations and feed yourself there is additional money paid for BAQ or BAH (Basic Allowance for Quarters/Housing , I think is the meaning of the acronym) and Separate Rations allowance, and if your in a high inflation area, such as Hawaii , California, New York, etc and many places in Europe , you would get an additional COLA stipend, (Cost of Living Allowance)During my time, and my U.S. Army specialist 4 son and daughter tell me, if your not a shit bird , a Commander (Company or Battery Commander ) can grant and allow E-4’s an above to live off post, and get BAQ/Sep-Rats , from my understanding, its a case by case basis and is probably subject to local command.This is 2015 prices and I am not sure what Standard and Discount rates are exactly:Standard RateBreakfast: $3.45Lunch: $5.55Dinner: $4.85Brunch: $6.25Supper: $7.65Holiday: $9.05Discount Rate—(I think this applies to Enlisted E-6 and Below that are also living in the barracks, in other words not drawing BAH/Q)Breakfast: $2.60Lunch: $4.20Dinner: $3.65Brunch: $4.70Supper: $5.75Holiday: $6.80and what your paid as an E-4 for BAH or BAQMONTHLY ALLOWANCE:E 4 with DEPENDENTS: 1506.00E 4 without DEPENDENTS: 1173.00Separate RationsEnlisted: $369.39 per month

I was brand new in the USAF, but was at an Army post for my training. During one week, we were transported back to the Air Force hospital to observe actual patient care. Being a major military medical facility, everything was huge scale…much more technologically advanced from what I'd ever experienced…even in the dining facility. After eating my lunch, I was quickly ushered over to this huge conveyor belt, instructed to place my meal tray onto the belt, and the tray disappeared…just like that…taking my government-issued meal card with it…never to be seen again!Once back at the Army post, I went to the administrative office to report the loss of my meal card. I was handed a form by the sergeant in charge and was asked to print my name on the designated line, and then sign my name at the bottom, and then I would be issued a replacement card. The following is a semblance of what the form said:I, (printed name), have read and do agree to the following _______(this area was left blank) as punishment for _________ (this area was left blank) offense. Signed: (signature to be placed here)“But, Sir, the form hasn't been filled out yet.”“Do what you were told to do. The rest will be completed afterwards.”“But, Sir, that's like signing a blank check. Someone could write in any terrible punishment on the blank space AFTER I sign it! I won't sign it until those blanks have been filled out!”“No signature? NO meal card! SIGN!”So…I did what I hoped most bright young men and women would do in similar circumstances. I called over a friend to be my witness, and I filled out the form as follows:I, (my printed name), have read and do agree to the following __”this area was left blank”__ as punishment for __”this area was left blank”__ offense. Signed: (my signature)I left no blanks for erroneous entries to be added after my signature was completed. The sergeant, seeing this, was HOT!!! “Hey! You can't do THAT!!!”I firmly replied, “With all due respect, you told me I would receive a new meal card after I signed that form. I signed it. You might be able to get away with that in the Army, but I won't let you treat the Air Force that way! Now…please give me my meal card, or I will be happy to speak with the commander about this!”I got my new meal card. I never did receive any punishment for having lost the original meal card…likely because I'd outsmarted “the system”!

Yes and No. This is a 2 sided question depending on how you look at it. If you look at it straight forward, The United States Military gives their Service Members benefits such as BAH (Basic Allowance Housing) and BAS (Basic Allowance Subsistence) for Married Service Members or Service Members with a dependent. Single Soldiers recieve a Meal card to use at the DFAC 3 times a day and depending on your rank, stay in the Barracks.In the Army, I cant speak for all the Branches, if your a Single Soldier with no dependent living with you with a rank of E1-E4 Specialist will stay in the lower enlisted Barracks. In some cases you may share a room with someone in others you might have your own room and share a living area. You will also get a meal card which you can use at the DFAC 3 times a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner. If for any reason you need to miss a meal, you can ask your company orderly room to help you with a missed meal. However, if you miss a meal and go to Burger King because you felt like there, you will not get any compensation for that meal. As a Single Soldier NCO E4-E5 you will stay in a separate Barracks Usually with your own room with some better amenities like a sink besides the 1 in the bathroom and maybe a stove. When your an E6 you will have an apartment type barrack. I think at E6 you can choose to live off base as well but I'm not sure if you get the BAHAs a Married Soldier or any Soldier with any pay grade with a dependent will have BAH (Basic Allowance Housing) to pay for the House you live in on post or the residence you live in off post and BAS (Basic Allowance Subsistence) to help with various things like food and maybe some Bill's. Depending on how many Dependents you have will decide the amount of rooms the House has and the amount of BAS you recieve. Some commands let you get a house off base at any pay grade, Some Commands say you need to wait until a certain rank it really depends on the Company and at times BN Standard Operating Procedures. Make sure you Check with your incoming Company Orderly room or your Sponser so your aware of the Procedures for that UIC.So while this is straight forward yes we get food and housing paid for but in a way we didnt get it for free. We sacrificed not only our freedom but at times our life and everything else. We sign up for X amount of years knowing at any point we could be shipped away 11 months or more at times from our loved ones sometimes not talking for days or weeks. We take an oath to protect and defend the constitution of the United States and to protect the very freedom a lot of people take for granted. So next time you see a flag draped over a casket with Service Members carrying it you can think to yourself “yeah, they get free housing and financial assistance but thats the price he/she paid and knew that when they signed up” Is it worth it to you? I'd do it again in a heart beatSo yes and no. We do get it for free but we pay for it with our sacrifice of family and loved ones crying because they're gone for 11 or more months. We pay for it with the blood sweat and tears left in the dirt when we gave it all we had in Basic and down range. We pay for it sometimes with our life. But yes, it's a Bennifits of a Service Member. Just however you look at it