Despite our specific requests under the Freedom of Information Act for records pertaining to Natick’s troubling corporate cronyism and lack of concern for Soldier health, Natick Soldier Center and RDECOM lawyers (like John Stone and Patrick Sheldon) helped keep everything shrouded in darkness, sending us those incriminating documents and email conversations completely blacked-out and illegible.

Below are a handful of Natick Soldier Center FOIA responses that are typical,

and illustrate what we consider to be that particular taxpayer-funded installation’s

disturbing propensity for cover-up.


Under FOIA, we requested specific email conversations between specific people

-- conversations that we knew had taken place, regarding subjects that are supposed to be in the public domain, subjects such as the health of Soldier food, the worrisome presence of trans fat in rations, and govt. discussions with crony food contractors, all of which is supposed to be transparent.


Typically, Natick FOIA officials (people, like John Stone and Patrick Sheldon, in charge of “facilitating” FOIA requests form the public) would first say they couldn’t find the documents or list some prohibitive “handling fee” that we’d have to pony up before they’d proceed.  And we’d follow-up, and pay, and then follow-up on the follow-up.  Natick would eventually find the documents we’d requested, and send them to us, but not before they’d blacked-out and hidden nearly every word in the emails.  We received hundreds of concealed pages like these from Natick, ACES, and DLA and other military feeding agencies, during our FOIA requests.  They aren’t exactly glittering examples of government transparency.  [Note: Even without the below emails, the Court of Federal Claims still found multiple ways in which Natick Soldier Center was guilty.  Just imagine what we’d learn if the below emails were ever uncovered.]