Fort Hood DFAC Reopens After Cleanup
PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative file photo. Soldiers are served meals inside the Operation Iraqi Freedom Dining Facility at Fort Hood, Texas, on Feb. 18, 2026. The facility later closed after a major roach infestation was discovered. Fort Hood officials now say a hidden water leak inside a wall had created a habitat for the pests even as the DFAC continued passing routine health inspections. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Julian A. Winston)
A Fort Hood dining facility that closed after video showed roaches crawling through its kitchen had been passing routine health inspections before officials discovered a hidden leak inside a wall that had created an ideal habitat for the pests.
The Operation Iraqi Freedom Dining Facility reopened Monday after nearly two months of cleaning, repairs and equipment replacement.
Fort Hood officials said more than $130,000 was spent preparing the facility to reopen.
The DFAC closed in late July after video circulated online showing large numbers of roaches crawling along kitchen walls near food preparation areas.
The footage quickly spread among military and veteran communities online and prompted Fort Hood to shut the facility down while officials investigated the infestation.
What investigators eventually found was not simply a surface cleaning problem.
Maj. Jeff Pierre Louis, executive officer for U.S. Army Garrison Fort Hood, said officials discovered a water leak deep inside a wall.
The leak had created a moist environment where roaches were able to live and multiply.
Officials said the hidden area had developed into what they described as a “complex pest ecosystem.”
That discovery raised another question.
The dining facility had continued passing its routine health inspections.
Officials told Stars and Stripes that the inspections had not revealed the hidden problem before the infestation became visible enough to appear in the viral video.
After closing the DFAC, Fort Hood assembled a team that included public works personnel, food managers, preventive medicine staff, environmental health personnel and pest control specialists.
Workers conducted a much deeper cleaning of the facility.
That included flushing pipes and grease traps using high pressure hydro jetting equipment.
Officials said the process gave maintenance teams a better view of areas where pests could hide or enter the building.
Fort Hood also replaced ovens, fryers, grills, refrigerators and other equipment that either had cooking surfaces or could provide places for insects to hide.
Potential entry points were sealed.
The same inspection process was then expanded to the seven other dining facilities on Fort Hood.
Officials said all seven passed their inspections.
The Army is also changing how Fort Hood dining facilities are maintained.
All DFACs on the installation will now receive routine hydro jetting of plumbing and grease systems.
Cooks and dining facility managers also received additional training on cleaning procedures and how to report pest concerns before they become larger problems.
Command Sgt. Maj. Loyd Rhoades said leaders identified gaps in how the facility had been maintained and monitored.
He said Fort Hood leaders believe the new procedures will prevent another infestation.
Rhoades and the garrison commander also plan to continue eating at different Fort Hood dining facilities each week so they can personally observe food quality and cleanliness.
For soldiers who rely on dining facilities for daily meals, the reopening restores another food option on an installation with thousands of service members.
During the closure, Fort Hood used food trucks and extended hours at another DFAC to help cover meals for affected soldiers.
The Operation Iraqi Freedom Dining Facility reopened Sept. 21 with a special menu that included omelets and pancakes for breakfast, honey ginger salmon and vegetable lo mein for lunch, and Swiss steak and cheese tortellini for dinner.
The facility is open again.
The part Fort Hood is now trying to prevent is another problem growing somewhere inspectors cannot see.
Photo
I think the best social photo is an actual image from the exact Operation Iraqi Freedom Dining Facility, not a generic kitchen.
This one shows soldiers being served food inside the OIF DFAC in February, months before the infestation forced it to close. It is an official Army photo and public domain.
(Source: OAF Nation)
