It should have been a shocking story. Sadly, it probably wasn't to many Americans.
Especially if they have served in the U.S. military.
On Page 8A of Monday's Texarkana gazette, we ran an Associated Press article that reported as many as 160,000 service men and women have trouble feeding their families.
The problem is mostly in the four lower enlisted ranks -- E1 to E4. Food bank coordinator Feeding America estimates about 29% of those military families face or have faced food insecurity.
Low pay is an issue. So are the frequent moves that make finding longterm employment difficult for military spouses. A U.S. Department of Agriculture regulation counting the basic military housing allowance as income that keeps most military families from receiving food stamps doesn't help, either.
Things are so tough many service men and women turning to food pantries and other charities for help.
But we imagine most readers already knew most of this.
This is a national disgrace. No one joins the military to get rich or live lavishly. But no one serving his or her country should have to to wonder where their family's next meal will come from, either.
iIt's gone on way too long. Congress needs to fix this and soon. It's time to put aside their constant partisan bickering, make this a priority and provide for our service men and women. That's something that should cut across party lines.