--- title: "Hey Marines, Say Goodbye To Chow Hall Meal Cards, Finally" date: "2017-05-31" modified: "2017-05-31" authors: - name: "James Clark" job_title: "Editor-in-Chief" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/james-clark.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/hey-marines-say-goodbye-chow-hall-meal-cards-finally/" categories: - "Analysis" - "Marine Corps" - "Military Branches" - "News" --- # Hey Marines, Say Goodbye To Chow Hall Meal Cards, Finally ![]() The times, they are a changin’. Soon Marines will say goodbye to the days of "recruit laminating" their meal cards — i.e., taping both sides with clear tape and then trimming the edges. Now, all you need to do is swipe your CAC card, and *voila*: Delicious powdered eggs and suspicious microwaved bacon are served. [The Marine Corps has announced]() that it’s implementing new point of sale (POS) software at chow halls across the fleet. When the change goes into effect, all you’ll need to do to collect on your meal plan is present your CAC card and get the back barcode scanned. So far, only the hungry at Marine Corps Base Hawaii have used the new system, part of a February test-run for the new policy. The first major POS installation will be at Okinawa, Japan, beginning mid-June, Kenneth Barnes, a project lead for the point of sale implementation, told Task & Purpose. After that, the program will roll out regionally — to San Diego, California, then to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina (and all the smaller installations nearby and in between), before wrapping up in Norfolk, Virginia, by the end of October. Related: Even Celebrity Chef Robert Irvine Can’t Make A Gourmet Meal From An MRE » Meal cards won’t officially go away until the point of sale software installation is complete, Barnes explained. The exact timeline for when those pesky pieces of paper hit the waste bin will be up to Marine Corps Reserve and Manpower Affairs. It’s a minor thing to be sure, but anyone who’s ever gotten an ass-chewing for [misplacing a piece of paper they never use]() — *come on guys, Dominos, they deliver on base* — this is sure to make life a bit easier when you do decide to hit up the chow hall. ## Author James Clark is the editor-in-chief of Task & Purpose. He is a Marine veteran and former combat correspondent. He deployed twice to Afghanistan with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, first to Marjah in 2010, and then to Kajaki and Sangin in 2011. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [LinkedIn]() ## More - [Marines at Camp Pendleton get a new dining hall drive-thru for quick meals]() - [A meal card foul-up at Fort Johnson underscores a bigger Army problem]() - [‘I want to kill the CAC’ — Pentagon official says it’s time to ditch the military’s longtime ID card]() - [Soldiers can now buy beer and hard seltzer at Fort Hood’s dining hall]() - [Marine Corps Chow Halls Are Getting A Healthy Food Makeover]() - [New Army program will let some soldiers use meal cards at Subway, Burger King, Starbucks]() - [Soldiers are using the Army’s new dining halls ‘exponentially’ more, official says]() - [A Marine General Made His Aide Do His Laundry, Pick Up His Meals]()