They are military people on a military mission who expect to be exposed to greater risks than the civilian population, and their 'acceptance' of irradiated food should be seen as part of their acceptance of that risk. Food is packed in containers and moved by conveyer belt into a shielded room. Energy waves passing through the food break molecular bonds in the DNA of bacteria, pathogens and insects. The food is left unchanged, but the number of harmful bacteria, parasites and fungi is reduced. Second, the FDA does not mention that energy waves passing through the food ALSO break molecular bonds in the food itself.
Irradiation creates free radicals, damaged DNA, damaged vitamins and enzymes.
The consumer who reads this thinks that they will always know if their food has been irradiated. None of these institutions or companies are required to label irradiated food to the consumer. Produce sold by the piece is supposed to be labeled on the display or on the fruit itself, but there is no enforcement and no specific size for the display label. Consumers are NOT adequately notified by existing labeling requirements. And food industry groups have been pressuring Congress to require the FDA to remove ALL labels.