{"id":2591962,"date":"2026-04-17T10:31:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T14:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/usa-today-posts-pictures-of-gross-supposed-navy-meals-but-forgot-vets-would-fact-check-them-and-its-brutal\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T10:36:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T14:36:01","slug":"usa-today-posts-pictures-of-gross-supposed-navy-meals-but-forgot-vets-would-fact-check-them-and-its-brutal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/usa-today-posts-pictures-of-gross-supposed-navy-meals-but-forgot-vets-would-fact-check-them-and-its-brutal\/","title":{"rendered":"USA Today Posts Pictures of Gross Supposed Navy Meals, but Forgot Vets Would Fact Check Them &#8211; and It&#8217;s Brutal"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">40<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fusa-today-posts-pictures-of-gross-supposed-navy-meals-but-forgot-vets-would-fact-check-them-and-its-brutal%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2591962&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The piece examines how photos of meals served to U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-releases-list-of-president-trumps-accomplishments-and-it-is-historic\/\" title=\"White House Releases List of President Trump\u2019s Accomplishments \u2013  And It Is Historic!\">service members<\/a> in the Middle East during an Iran-related crisis circulated on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-this-average-american-is-voting-for-donald-trump\/\" title=\"Why This Average American Is Voting for Donald Trump\">social media<\/a> and shaped perceptions that troops were starving. It references a USA today report describing delays in care packages and sparse meals aboard ships, along with sailor comments about dwindling rations and low morale.The author notes that later coverage and social-media reactions included substantial pushback, with critics pointing out that images can be cropped or taken out of context and that the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >full story involves broader wartime logistics<\/a>. Context is provided by experts who say mail and supply chains are frequently disrupted in conflict, including insights from a Smithsonian curator and a USPS historian who describe historical patterns of delayed shipments during wars. The piece argues that the takeaway on social media ofen relies on selectively edited visuals rather than the full picture, and urges readers to consult the original USA Today article and consider the complexities of military provisioning and mail logistics before drawing conclusions. It closes with a critique of how legacy media is trusted and distrust in sensational reporting,urging a contextual,balanced view of the situation.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_3)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Hoo, boy, did the legacy media really have President Donald Trump and his policies dead to rights this time.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, readers began seeing photos of meals being served to U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawmakers-react-to-the-four-marines-who-died-in-norway-nato-training-exercise\/\" title=\"Lawmakers React To The Four Marines Who Died In Norway NATO Training Exercise\">service members serving<\/a> in the Middle East being posted on social media, and they were brutal. They made <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mom-banned-school-premises-leading-revolt-healthy-lunches\/\">Michelle Obama&rsquo;s school lunches<\/a> look good.<\/p>\n<p>The photos were first published by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2026\/04\/16\/iran-war-mail-packages-middle-east\/89609308007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USA Today<\/a>, under an article titled, &ldquo;Cookies, deodorant, socks. Iran war puts military packages in limbo.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>From that piece, by Cybele Mayes-Osterman:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>Dan F. was alarmed when his daughter, a Marine aboard the USS Tripoli, a warship deployed to fight the Iran war, sent him a photo of a meal served on the ship. A lunch tray, two-thirds empty, carried one small scoop of shredded meat and a single folded tortilla.<\/em><\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p><em>A picture of a mid-April dinner on the USS Abraham Lincoln, d by a service member with his family, was similarly unappetizing &ndash; a small handful of boiled carrots, a dry meat patty and a gray slab of processed meat.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Dan and other military family members worried that their loved ones deployed to the Middle East are going hungry are filling boxes with items they hope could help service members ride out prolonged deployments in the Middle East &ndash; homemade fudge, Jolly Ranchers, crossword puzzle books, playing cards, toothpaste, Girl Scout cookies and fresh socks. But mail delivery to military ZIP codes across the Middle East has been indefinitely suspended as of April, and packages in transit now hang in limbo.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>It didn&rsquo;t take long for these photos to circulate, posted by other journalists and liberals. (And yes, I do repeat myself, again.)<\/p>\n<p>Here&rsquo;s one from Evan Hill of The Washington Post, who noted that the report quoted a sailor as telling his mother that rations &ldquo;are going to get really low&rdquo; and &ldquo;morale is going to be at an all-time low.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Images of food being served to sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Tripoli, published by USA Today.<\/p>\n<p>Supplies &ldquo;are going to get really low&rdquo; and &ldquo;morale is going to be at an all-time low,&rdquo; one sailor messaged his mother: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/di0KUEohvI\">https:\/\/t.co\/di0KUEohvI<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ZcuBNw1k8i\">pic.twitter.com\/ZcuBNw1k8i<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Evan Hill (@evanhill) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/evanhill\/status\/2044874837919739922?\">April 16, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>There was a certain radical credulousness at work in all of this: The U.S. military, effectively built to survive war with the world&rsquo;s great powers &mdash; China! Russia! North Korea! (if you want to count them) &mdash; was scraping by on virtually nothing because a few stray Iranian drones were managing to find their way into the Strait of Hormuz, or something.<\/p>\n<p>The problem with posting these pictures on social media, however, is that viewers get to examine them in fuller context &mdash; which users did, calling out fatal credibility issues in how this was being presented:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">They cropped out a tray. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1x8PoaShKp\">pic.twitter.com\/1x8PoaShKp<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; DemoncratsAreEvil (@DemoncratsREviI) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DemoncratsREviI\/status\/2044955613650890941?\">April 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">As a former sailor of the USNavy who lived on board ships for many years of my life. I call pure BS clickbait.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; MrTommy (@TeflonTommy2) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TeflonTommy2\/status\/2044943496662966500?\">April 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Having a hubby that served for 20 yrs and was aboard 3 different carriers, I can tell you for a fact this post is full of crap. Sailors eat phenomenally well. This post is for those who are very naive and just plain dumb.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; limabi75 (@limabi75) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/limabi75\/status\/2045039194611830986?\">April 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>And some users pointed out that context means everything.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Looks like midrats (midnight rations for night shift\/those who were off the ship during dinner). It&rsquo;s usually some leftovers from dinner served to the crew earlier. We got down to only PB&amp;J on midrats, but dinner was still regular quality and portions.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; jdlokk (@jdlokk1) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jdlokk1\/status\/2044986058925097336?\">April 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Remember, it wasn&rsquo;t that long ago that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/marine-vet-tells-powerful-personal-story-response-idiots-slamming-hegseth-buying-steak-lobster-troops\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">liberals were criticizing<\/a> Secretary of War Pete Hegseth for feeding the troops <em>too<\/em> well.<\/p>\n<p>Look, it&rsquo;s no secret that military food is not Spago, or even Chipotle. It&rsquo;s, well, edible and nutritive. I&rsquo;ve never heard those who are served it describe it as anything more, but I&rsquo;ve also never heard them describe it as less. To quote Noah Wylie&rsquo;s character in &ldquo;A Few Good Men,&rdquo; it&rsquo;s &ldquo;three squares a day.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Also, you can watch how these meals are prepared onboard America&rsquo;s largest <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/venezuela-deploys-200000-soldiers-largest-us-aircraft-carrier-arrives-region\/\">aircraft carrier<\/a>, again thanks to social media:<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-embed\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How The US's Largest Aircraft Carrier Prepares 14,000 Meals Daily for 5000 Navy Personnel\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/N0HqPKqR7gQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>And most of USA Today&rsquo;s piece had to do with the hold-up of care packages, something that a curator at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, Lynn Heidelbaugh, said happens in times of conflict.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There are always extenuating circumstances,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s far more complex than domestic mail.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/joni-ernst-demand-usps-explain-cant-account-space-21000-buildings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">United States Postal Service<\/a> historian Steve Kochersperger confirmed this.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Interruptions and delays in mail service have been a part of every American conflict since the Revolutionary War. Communications and supply networks that work well during peacetime are invariably disrupted during wartime,&rdquo; he told the paper, citing the &ldquo;tremendous backlog of mail following the D-Day invasion of 1944.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Non-expedited shipping of packages to the Middle East usually takes up to 24 days, the Postal Service says. In 2003, mail took an average 11 to 14 days to reach service members deployed to the Iraq war, according to a Government Accountability Office report,&rdquo; the piece noted.<\/p>\n<p>So this is basically a nuanced piece of some length about care packages being held up, and the media&rsquo;s takeaway on the socials was &hellip; our troops are starving because Iran has brought us to our knees, somehow? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/iranian-economy-brink-us-blockade-leaves-country-weeks-oil-production-left\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Even though they hadn&rsquo;t<\/a>, and the pictures were misleading, and context was denuded, but whatever. Starving troops, hear it here first!<\/p>\n<p>I have not kept count of how many pieces I have had to end &mdash; this year alone, even! &mdash; with my amazement at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dems-cant-hide-harris-role-in-botched-afghanistan-withdrawal\/\" title=\"Dems Can&#039;t Hide Harris&#039; Role In Botched Afghanistan Withdrawal\">legacy media&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s amazement that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/cnns-stelter-calls-swalwell-resignation-testament-power-journalism-journalists-tell-different-story\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">we have so little trust in them<\/a>. At this point, it&rsquo;s beginning to feel like a hack&rsquo;s crutch. And yet, the amazement does continue: I stare anew, agog, at a screen from institutions begging for our trust as they find new and novel ways to lie that social media can debunk in hours, if not minutes.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to find out about the logistics of care packages during times of conflict, read the USA Today piece in its entirety. I&rsquo;m not sure it&rsquo;s wholly believable and it certainly isn&rsquo;t without obvious slant, but it&rsquo;s not reprehensible journalism in and of itself.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to find out how the men and women of our U.S. Armed Forces are eating, do not rely on selectively edited pictures that came out of an article about something else entirely, flogged by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wapo-intel-reporter-humiliated-video-china-recording-us-military-iran-turns-atlanta-airport\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WaPo apparatchik<\/a> that had zero to do with the original piece and either didn&rsquo;t absorb the gist of it or thought you lacked the attention span to realize he was misrepresenting it.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a concise paraphrase of the piece:<\/p>\n<p>The author argues that traditional media and social media amplified a story about Trump-era policies hurting troops by circulating stark photos of meals for U.S. service members in the Middle East. A USA Today piece described minimal lunches on ships like the USS Tripoli, feeding a narrative that morale and rations were collapsing. But readers and observers noted that the images were cropped or taken out of context and that, in reality, military meals are generally adequate and that \u201cmidrats\u201d or leftovers can appear like small portions in photos. Many who served or have loved ones in the military pushed back, saying sailors are fed well, and that the photos don\u2019t reflect everyday conditions. The article also points out that care packages have often been delayed due to wartime logistics, a fact acknowledged by postal historians, which complicates the broader picture. Overall, the author suggests the social-media reaction reveals more about media sensationalism and public distrust than about the true conditions aboard ships. They urge readers to read the full USA Today piece for context and to avoid relying on selectively edited clips or partisan commentary when assessing how military personnel are being fed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2591963,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/navy-for-april-17-2026.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[39959,77976,77977],"class_list":["post-2591962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-mediacritique","tag-navymeals","tag-vetfactcheck"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/navy-for-april-17-2026.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2591962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2591962"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2591962\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2591966,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2591962\/revisions\/2591966"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2591963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2591962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2591962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2591962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}