Cookies, deodorant, socks. Iran war puts military packages in limbo

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: USA Today

Updated April 16, 2026, 11:23 a.m. ET

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.

A picture of a mid-April dinner on the USS Abraham Lincoln, shared by a service member with his family, was similarly unappetizing – a small handful of boiled carrots, a dry meat patty and a gray slab of processed meat.

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 – 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. Dan asked to go by his first name only to protect his daughter from retaliation.

Military says war conditions prompted suspension

The U.S. Postal Service temporarily suspended mail delivery to 27 military ZIP codes after the United States and Israel attacked Iran. The Army said there is no end date in sight for the suspension, despite a ceasefire in the war.


A picture shared by a U.S. Marine deployed on the USS Tripoli of a meal service members on board received. Dan F.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/04/16/iran-war-mail-packages-middle-east/89609308007/

[Ray Bruns]

1. That's weird. Aircraft carriers and their battlegroups are usually resupplied fairly regularly.

[GCG]

5. Usually

But nothing that Hegseth has done is usual.

Remember he put his own handpicked group of rat fucking, back stabbers in the positions that would have been responsible for making sure that every ship would have what was needed to take care of the crews!!!

[AverageOldGuy]

10. They are at war.

Besides, Kegbreath wants them all to lose weight. And shave.

[Nigrum Cattus]

11. the USS Tripoli isn't an aircraft carrier

it's an amphibious assault ship full of Marines
it used to be SOS was shit on a shingle
now it's SOT, shit on a tortilla
that isn't ever enough calories for a snack let alone a meal
this regime truly hates our service members

[Ray Bruns]

14. Even amphibious assault groups are usually well supplied. It's usually at least three ships

[dalton99a]

2. Kick

[Wonder Why]

3. Fire the USPS and bring back the WW2 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. Look them up if you are not familiar.

[iluvtennis]

12. Great recommendation. n/t

[displacedvermoter]

4. Soviet military in the final days of Afghan war saw officers and NCOs stealing food and other supplies,

and shaking down subordinates. Hope we aren't there yet, and this is just an incompetent supply system.

[oasis]

6. Pete Hegseth is a disgrace!

[pfitz59]

7. USNS ships normally restock warships.

Appears Hegseth missed the class in War College on 'beans and butter'. Armies 'fight on their stomachs'. The 'buildup to war' demands a robust supply chain. Not just weapons.

[Ray Bruns]

15. Amateurs study tactics, professionals study logistics.

[displacedvermoter]

16. Grant was a supply officer in the Mexican War

I believe. He would agree with you Ray Bruns.

[Teacher of the Year]

17. Ah, I see the problem... "buildup to war"

That takes intelligence to plan. I fear this is the "look! Trump saw a squirrel" war department.

[littlemissmartypants]

8. Looks like mutiny fuel to me.

[AverageOldGuy]

9. Even in the bush in Vietnam . . .

. . . we had freeze-dried LRRP rations -- add a little water, close the pouch, wait a few minutes, reconstituted meat and veggies. Not exactly Michelin 4-star, but - - - - helicopters brought hot chow.

If we had had to subsist on the stuff in the picture, some supply officer would have had a grenade rolled into his tent.

[progree]

13. They think our service members are suckers and losers, and then wonder why there are retention and

recruitment problems. They are getting ready for a draft with the automatic registration thing.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

18. Hegseth and trump are incompetent and are too stupid to supply our military with food

This is what happens when you have an incompetent fool with no experience in charge of the Pentagon. Pete likes to put on makeup and appear on camera, boasting about war and its warriors, while essential tasks, like making sure those warriors are fed, are not seen as flashy enough to bother with.

— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@mrsbettybowers.bsky.social) 2026-04-17T18:36:26.046Z

wtf even is that, an insole?

— Star the Bard (@starlightfox.bsky.social) 2026-04-17T18:51:27.552Z

LEFT: What Donald is making our troops in Iran eat.
RIGHT: What Donald is giving folks at Mar-a-Lago to eat.

Honestly, I thought I was going to make this point a lot better than I can. The food at Mar-a-Lago may be richer and more plentiful, but it still looks like poorly-plated slop.

— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@mrsbettybowers.bsky.social) 2026-04-17T17:42:31.162Z