Roaches scurried up one shiny tile to the next, under the hood of cooking equipment. Their twitchy little bodies darted left, right, shimmying up and down as if they were levitating on the walls. In what seemed an insult to their hosts, they swarmed a food safety cutting board guide posted on the wall.
A now-viral video of the pests scuttled across the internet last week, prompting the closure of a Texas Army dining facility that seemingly served up hot meals to two- and six-legged bellies alike.
“We are aware of the video depicting our dining facility. Effective immediately, we are closing the Operation Iraqi Freedom facility to correct the situation. The DFAC will remain closed until the problem is remediated,” Lt. Col. Joey Payton, the director of public affairs for III Armored Corps, said in a statement to Military Times.
Payton said the Army was investigating how the Fort Hood facility became infested with the crawling creatures. While the building remains closed, he said, the base is providing food trucks with options for soldiers who hold meal cards to use.
Many junior enlisted soldiers who live in barracks automatically have part of their pay deducted to cover food at base dining facilities.
The video was posted anonymously on U.S. Army W.T.F. moments, an unofficial social media account that frequently shares soldier-submitted material.
Troops have long bemoaned the quality of dining facility food, but it is unlikely that insects were the intended answer to those seeking more diverse protein options.
The most recent roach-ma-geddon follows years of other complaints at the installation. In 2024, soldiers at the base, then called Fort Cavazos, said money was being deducted from their accounts even when dining facilities could not accommodate their religious dietary requirements.
Nearly 40,000 soldiers are currently stationed at Fort Hood, according to the service.
Eve Sampson is a reporter and former Army officer. She has covered conflict across the world, writing for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.