Fort Hood closes dining facility after video shows kitchen walls covered in bugs

Officials at Fort Hood, Texas, closed a dining facility Wednesday after a video surfaced online showing dozens of roaches scurrying along the walls of a food-preparation area.

A soldier assigned to work in the Operation Iraqi Freedom Dining Facility sent the video to the U.S. Army WTF! Moments social media account and said, “They expect us to work when the walls are literally covered in roaches which is something that shouldn’t be happening.”

The dining facility served breakfast Wednesday morning but was closed later in the day after officials became aware of the video.

“The DFAC will remain closed until the problem is remediated,” said Lt. Col. Joey Payton, spokesman for III Corps and Fort Hood. “Also, effective immediately, we are investigating how this situation arose. The investigation is ongoing.”

Robert Evans, founder of Hots and Cots, an app to rate barracks and dining facilities, said the cooking area seen in the video isn’t unique to Fort Hood.

“Our reviews show the same conditions turning up across other installations and across other services,” Evans said. “In every case the soldier eating there could see it before any official system did.”

Until the facility is safe, Payton said, Fort Hood will shift food service personnel to other dining facilities on base and provide additional on-site food trucks where soldiers can spend their meal card entitlements.

“The safety and care of our soldiers is paramount to us, and we take it extremely seriously. We are committed to providing our soldiers the best quality food service they deserve,” he said.